SUNDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A new once-a-week formulation of the injectable diabetes drug Byetta controls blood sugar even better than the older twice-a-day formulation, researchers report.

"Besides obvious improved ease of use, [the new formulation] provided the remarkable advantage of both improved efficacy on glucose control and good gastrointestinal tolerability," said Dr. Andre Scheen of the University of Liege in Belgium, in a commentary accompanying the study's publication online Sunday in The Lancet.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have succeeded in transforming pancreatic cells from adult mice into insulin-producing beta cells, a feat they call an "extreme makeover."

The achievement is a step toward finding a treatment or even a cure for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, both of which involve problems with either insulin production or uptake.

The process, reported online Aug. 27 in Nature, bypassed some of the steps usually required in this type of procedure.

(HealthDay News) -- Having diabetes shouldn't cause your child to miss out on the fun of sleepovers and school field trips.

Prepare your diabetic child for time away from home with these recommendations from the American Diabetes Association:

* Pack a bag with everything your child will need, including insulin, syringes, a meter, test strips and a log book. Pack extras of everything.
* If traveling for several hours, pack several snacks, juices and glucose tablets.

CHICAGO - A new analysis of government data is the first to link low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, with Type 2 diabetes, researchers say. The study's limitations make more research necessary. And public water systems were on their way to meeting tougher U.S. arsenic standards as the data were collected.

Still, the analysis of 788 adults' medical tests found a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine compared to people with even lower levels.

TUESDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- High levels of arsenic in urine may be linked with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

The findings, published in the Aug. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, are the first to link low-level exposure to arsenic with type 2 diabetes prevalence in the United States.

TUESDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Earlier onset, longer duration and greater severity of diabetes may increase the risk for mild cognitive impairment, according to Mayo Clinic researchers.

Previous research identified a link between mild cognitive impairment and diabetes. Poor blood glucose (sugar) control over a long period of time may lead to a loss of brain cells, according to background information in a news release about the study.

In addition, diabetes is associated with cardiovascular disease risk and stroke, which may increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

TUESDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics who lose weight soon after their diagnosis gain better control of their blood pressure and blood sugar, a benefit that lasts even if they regain that weight.

"If you lose weight after diagnosis, you can achieve some long-term benefits in terms of blood pressure and glycemic control that extend even beyond the point at which you regain weight," said Gregory A. Nichols, co-author of new research published online Aug. 12 in the journal Diabetes Care.

(HealthDay News) -- Gestational diabetes occurs in women during pregnancy, and it requires careful attention to keep mother and baby safe and healthy.

When you're pregnant, your body produces hormones that impair the work of insulin. So the pregnant woman produces extra insulin, but in some women this isn't enough. They get gestational diabetes, which tends to go away when pregnancy ends.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these guidelines if you're prone to gestational diabetes:

Work with a dietitian to develop a meal plan that accommodates both you and baby.

THURSDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A widely used test to monitor blood sugar levels in people with diabetes could help identify millions of people with undetected diabetes, according to a consensus statement released by a team of experts.

The hemoglobin A1c test (HbA1c) shows how much glucose red blood cells have been exposed to in the previous 120 days, the average life span of the cells.

TUESDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Traditional laser therapy is more effective than the recent trend of using steroid injections to treat diabetics with swelling in their eyes, a new study finds.

The multi-center trial, published in the online edition of Ophthalmology, also noted that laser therapy has far few side effects than corticosteroids in trying to preserve eyesight in diabetic patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). The condition occurs when the center of the eye's retina, or macula, swells, possibly leading to blindness.