Real Help Dogs Can Warn Against Diabetes In Diabetes

Trained dogs smell low blood sugar and warn their owner
Diabetes is a problem that should not be underestimated for most sufferers. Researchers have now found that dogs can be trained to detect low blood glucose warning signs in patients. For this they sniff out a special substance that can be found in our breath.

People who suffer from diabetes need to spend a lot of time and effort controlling their blood sugar levels. Researchers from the prestigious Cambridge University have now discovered in an investigation that dogs can be used to warn patients with diabetes of low blood sugar levels. The dogs can smell a special chemical compound in our breath and see if our blood sugar is too low. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Diabetes Care".

Dogs can smell a chemical compound that is present in our breathing air when there is low blood sugar. Thus, trained dogs can warn people with diabetes from low blood sugar. (Image: cristina_conti / fotolia.com)

Trained dogs smell low blood sugar and give their owner a signal
When people suffer from type 1 diabetes, they need insulin injections to manage their blood sugar levels. To determine when they need such an injection, sufferers must measure their blood sugar. But even dogs can be specially trained for this task. Such a trained dog is then able to smell that there is a risk of hypoglycaemia, explain the study authors. Then this diabetes barker can warn of hypoglycaemia, for example, by barking signals that his owner needs an insulin injection. Some dogs also put their paws on the patients to inform them about low blood sugar levels. For example, low blood sugar can cause problems such as shaking, confusion and fatigue, and in the worst case scenario can be life-threatening, the doctors add.

Without sugar rush seizures and unconsciousness threaten
If patients with hypoglycaemia do not receive a sugar boost in time, it can cause unconsciousness, say the experts. Some people with diabetes experience these effects without warning. A naturally occurring chemical compound in our breath could help in the future to recognize when the sugar level is too low.

Physicians use mass spectrometry for the examination
In a preliminary study, the researchers have already tested their hypothesis. Scientists gradually lowered the blood sugar levels of eight women under controlled conditions. All subjects were around forty years old and had type 1 diabetes. The physicians then used the so-called mass spectrometry to identify striking chemical signatures.

In low blood sugar, the isoprene value increases significantly
The researchers found that the level of so-called isoprene increased significantly in hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). In some cases, even its presence doubled. Dogs seem to be sensitive to the presence of isoprene, and it may also be possible in the future to develop new detectors that identify elevated levels of isoprene in high-risk patients, the researchers explain.

Doctors know little about the origin and origin of isoprene
Isoprene is one of the most abundant naturally occurring chemical compounds we can find in human breath, but we know surprisingly little about their origins, Dr. Mark Evans from the University of Cambridge. Presumably, it is a by-product of the production of cholesterol. However, it is unclear why the value of the chemical increases when patients suffer from very low blood sugar, Dr. Evans continues.

Trained dogs can make life easier for people with diabetes
Humans can not detect the presence of isoprene in our breath, but dogs find it easy to identify the chemical through their incredible sense of smell, the researchers say. Dogs can be trained to warn their owner in good time, if the owner's blood sugar level is dangerously low, adds dr. Evans added. This could help many sufferers to be safer with the disease and avoid a dangerous health risk. (As)