The U.S. Latino/Hispanic community is predisposed to type 2 diabetes and its relative health complications. However, new advances in health technology and research could improve diabetes management, and it could alter the course of the metabolic disorder.

Nearly 17 percent (16.9 percent) of the Latino population has diabetes, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, and its prevalence is significantly higher among Latinos than non-Latinos whites (10.2 percent). Nearly one-in-five Latinos (19 percent) indicated that diabetes was the biggest health issue faced by their families. This is true among foreign-born (16 percent) and U.S .born Latinos (22 percent).

Many diabetics must test their blood daily, and to do so they're forced to endure the unpleasant and repetitious task of extracting a blood sample. That said, researchers, scientists and developers have ventured to develop ground-breaking technology to assist those living with diabetes. A temporary tattoo can monitor sugar levels, artificial pancreases can predict blood sugar levels, and FDA-approved apps can easily share blood glucose readings.

1. Glucose Monitoring Temporary Tattoo

GlucoWatch from Cygnus Inc. marketed a needle-free, glucose-monitoring temporary tattoo in 2002, but it was discontinued because it caused rashes. The revised version, which was perfected by nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego, is a wearable sensor that discreetly extracts and measures glucose levels in the blood between skin cells.

Unfortunately, patients can't presently use the device to gauge glucose levels, but technology is being developed to provide numerical readouts and Bluetooth capacities for the sensor. The developers who created the temp tattoo envisioned using the glucose tattoos to "continuously monitor glucose levels of large populations as a function of their dietary habits" and to better learn about prevention. The nanoengineers are also working on making the inexpensive flexible devices more durable so they'll last for more than one day. Hypothetically, the sensor could also be used to measure lactate and medication distribution, and it could detect drug or alcohol consumption.

2. Smartwatch App to Monitor Glucose Levels

DexCom glucose monitor devices are well respected in the diabetes community, and they've long been the ideal choice for Type 1 diabetes glucose levels monitors. Now, it seems that Dexcom has something new up its sleeve, and the company that already produces high tech devices is looking to make its continuous glucose monitors compatible with Apple's iWatch. With access to Apple's iWatch, glucose readings will be easier to access, store and share. That said, Apple has not yet approved the smartwatch app, but DexCom is confident that Apple will support its app launch within the next few months.

3. Artificial Pancreas

Medtronic, a premier medical technology service, is developing a commercial artificial pancreas system, though the company is hesitant to call it that. The MiniMed 640G performs pancreatic functions, meaning that it produces insulin in the right increments to keep glucose levels constant. The "bionic pancreas" uses algorithms and an intricate glucose system to anticipate the peaks and lows of one's blood sugar levels. The 640G has not been approved by the FDA yet, but it should be sometime during the year.

4. Trendy, Sleek Insulin Pump

Tandem Diabetes Care has revolutionized the insulin pumps by drafting the "t:slim insulin pump," an easy-to-use touch screen device that looks more like an iPhone than anything related to health tech. Thirty percent smaller than other insulin pumps on the market, the trendy device is designed for three-day usage and it provides more options for daily diabetes care.

5. Diabetes Management App

The new website myDiabeticAlert is a comprehensive mobile application that facilities diabetes management. It collects, analyzes, consolidates and shares vital health information, and it sends out real-time alerts to ensure that there are no incidents of missed medication. The site can also make sure that medical information is sent to one's primary physician, and it has a location finder so that the nearest medical facilities never seem too distant.

6. Stem Cell Therapy

On the medical front, scientists may have found a way to challenge Type 2 diabetes' resistance to insulin by combining stem cell therapy with antidiabetic medication. Presently, insulin injections are imprecise, and the side effects of the injections include low blood sugar levels, gastrointestinal inflation and weight increase. Timothy J. Kieffer, a molecular and cellular medicine professor at the University of British Columbia, recently lead a study where he transplanted human stem cell with diabetic symptoms into mice and found improvement in the device after administering antidiabetic (sitagliptin, metformin and rosiglitazone) to the mice for several weeks. For humans, this could mean that antidiabetic could be used in combination with stem cell therapy to produce favorable health results.

Learn more about diabetes at the American Diabetes Association's website.

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