Diabetes
Acid problem common at diabetes diagnosis in kids
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When first diagnosed with diabetes, roughly one in four children and teens in the US have a potentially life-threatening condition that makes their blood more acidic than normal, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics.
Known as diabetic ketoacidosis, the condition occurs when insulin levels in the body are so low that virtually no sugar is able to enter cells and provide energy. As a result, the body begins breaking down fat for energy, but this leads to the build-up of acidic chemicals called ketones into the blood. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, chest pain, rapid shallow breathing, and trouble staying awake. Coma and even death can occur if the problem is not addressed expeditiously.
The key finding is that in the United States close to 30 percent of children with type 1 diabetes and 10 percent of those with type 2 diabetes have potentially life-threatening ketoacidosis at the time of diagnosis. “We expected lower rates, given the recent increase in community recognition of childhood diabetes and improvements in treatment,” lead author Dr. Arleta Rewers told Reuters Health.
Novel mechanisms controlling insulin release and fat deposition discovered
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Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have in two recent studies shown that a receptor called ALK7 plays important roles in the regulation of body fat deposition as well as the release of insulin from beta-cells in the pancreas. These findings have implications for the development of treatments against diabetes and obesity.
“We have shown in animal studies that removing the ALK7 receptor improves insulin release by beta-cells in the pancreas, and at the same time decreases fat deposition in situations of high caloric intake”, says Professor Carlos Ibáñez, who lead the two studies that are now published as back-to-back papers in the PNAS. “The well-known connections between diabetes and obesity make our combined findings quite exciting.”
Up to 6 per cent of the world population is estimated to suffer from some form of diabetes, either due to a reduced ability to produce insulin, or to insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone required by cells in the body to absorb glucose from the blood, thereby providing them with energy. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of developing diabetes, and as overweight becomes more prevalent in the human population, so do the cases of diabetes.
Poor quality of life linked to death from diabetes
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For older adults with diabetes, longevity may depend not only on factors such as blood sugar control, but on quality of life as well, a new study suggests.
In a study of more than 1,100 Dutch adults with type 2 diabetes, researchers found that those who reported physical limitations that impaired their quality of life were more likely to die over the next 6 years.
Quality of life was linked to death risk, independently of a range of well-known factors in diabetic adults’ health—including blood sugar control, weight, blood pressure and kidney function.
Arthritis is a potential barrier to physical activity for adults with diabetes
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People with diagnosed diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have arthritis, and the inactivity caused by arthritis hinders the successful management of both diseases, according to a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is one of the first studies of its kind to look at the relationship between arthritis and diabetes and the outcomes associated with physical activity.
The report finds that arthritis appears to be a barrier to being physically active for people with diabetes. Despite the fact that physical activity helps control blood glucose levels and reduces joint pain, people with both diseases are more likely to be physically inactive (29.8%) compared to those with diabetes alone (20.1%).
“Arthritis is a frequent co morbid condition for adults with diabetes,” said John H. Klippel, M.D., president and CEO, Arthritis Foundation. “But for both diseases, physical activity is key to effective management. A lack of physical activity actually results in undesirable consequences including increased pain, stiffness, inflammation, physical limitation and potential disability.”
Aspirin-like compounds increase insulin secretion in otherwise healthy obese people
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Aspirin-like compounds (salicylates) can claim another health benefit: increasing the amount of insulin produced by otherwise healthy obese people. Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, the first step toward type 2 diabetes.
Aspirin and other salicylates are known to reduce blood glucose in diabetic patients. New research accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals a similar beneficial effect among obese individuals by increasing the amount of insulin secreted into the bloodstream.
“The administration of a salicylate led to the lowering of serum glucose concentrations,” said Jose-Manuel Fernandez-Real of the Institut d’Investigacio Biomedica de Girona and CIBEROBN Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad, Spain, and lead author of the study. “These findings highlight the importance of further research on the possible therapeutic benefit of aspirin in the fight against type 2 diabetes.”
Tough job: Volunteers needed for chocolate study
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Calling all chocoholics: British researchers recruiting volunteers willing to eat a bar of chocolate daily for a year, guilt-free and all in the name of science.
The trial starting in June will explore whether compounds called flavonoids found in chocolate and other foods can reduce the risk of heart disease for menopausal women with type 2 diabetes, the researchers said on Monday.
“We are looking at a high risk group first,” said Aedin Cassidy, a biochemist at the University of East Anglia, who will lead the study. “We hope there will be an additional benefit from dietary intervention in addition to the women’s drug therapy.”
More babies born to diabetic mothers: study
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More American women are entering pregnancy with diabetes, raising the odds of a problem pregnancy and the potential that their children will become diabetic in the future, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
They found that rates of diabetes before motherhood more than doubled over six years among 175,000 teenage and adult women.
The researchers said the increase was likely tied to rising levels of diabetes and obesity in the United States.
Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis: The “Missing Link”
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New research will highlight the “missing link” between the insulin resistance (metabolic) syndrome and cardiovascular disease at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 17th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress, on Thursday, May 15, 2008, at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando.
“Insulin resistant patients face a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors without diabetes ever being present,” AACE Member and the session’s speaker Ralph A. DeFronzo, MD said. “These must be seriously considered during treatment.”
‘Low glycemic’ diet helpful in diabetic youth
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In children and adolescents with type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes, consumption of a low glycemic index diet may improve blood sugar control, according to results of a National Institutes of Health-sponsored study.
Glycemic index, or GI, refers to how rapidly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High-GI foods, like white bread and potatoes, tend to spur a quick surge in blood sugar, while low-GI foods, such as lentils, soybeans, yogurt and many high-fiber grains, create a more gradual increase in blood sugar.
Dr. Tonja R. Nansel of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and colleagues tested the effects of high GI and low GI meals on blood sugar levels using continuous blood sugar monitoring in 20 type 1 diabetics who were between the ages of 7 and 16 years.
Disturbed regulation of insulin production
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Disturbed regulation of insulin production: genome study casts new light on the origin of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic disease with rising prevalence rates throughout the world. In Germany, about 8 million people are affected. These numbers could even be an underestimation as a relatively high number of undiagnosed diabetics remains. The newly-published meta analysis 1) on the genetics of type 2 diabetes casts new light on the origin of this disease. With participation of scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, the international study confirms findings that the disease is at least partly based on a misregulation of insulin producing cells.
Bitter melon has potent anti-diabetes effects
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Substances isolated from bitter melon, a plant eaten and used medicinally in much of Asia, could provide the basis of new drugs for treating diabetes and obesity, an international team of researchers reports.
Also known as balsam pear, the vegetable has been shown to reduce blood sugar in animal and human studies, Dr. Mon-Jia Tan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai and colleagues note in the journal Chemistry & Biology.
Alternatives are needed to existing drugs for diabetes, they add, due to their side effects and limited action.
Inhaled insulin linked to lung cancer: Pfizer
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Clinical trials of the inhaled insulin product Exubera revealed an increase in the number of lung cancer patient, leading Nektar Therapeutics to end talks with potential partners to market the product, Pfizer Inc and Nektar said on Wednesday
Over the course of the clinical trials, Pfizer said 6 of the 4,740 Exubera-treated patients versus 1 of the 4,292 patients not treated with Exubera developed lung cancer. One lung cancer case was also found after Exubera reached the market.
Pfizer updated the Exubera labeling to include a warning with safety information about lung cancer cases found in patients who used Exubera, which U.S. regulators approved in January 2006.
Drug regime reverses heart disease in diabetics
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Aggressive use of drugs to lower cholesterol and blood pressure helped reverse heart disease in people with diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The 3-year study of 499 Native American adults with type 2 diabetes showed that lowering blood pressure and cholesterol more than is usually recommended helped reverse thickening of the arteries and damage to the heart.
This is good news for everyone with diabetes, the researchers said—especially Native Americans, who have high rates of the disease.
Gum disease linked with gestational diabetes risk
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Pregnant women with gum disease may be more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those with healthy gums, researchers have found.
Gestational diabetes arises during pregnancy and usually resolves after the baby is born, but it can raise a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on. It can also contribute to problems during pregnancy and delivery, including maternal high blood pressure and a larger-than-normal baby, which may necessitate a cesarean section.
The new findings, published in the Journal of Dental Research, suggest that gum disease may be a treatable risk factor for gestational diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes self-care challenging for teens
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Young people with type 2 diabetes struggle to maintain healthy eating habits and to get enough exercise, with non-white teens appearing to have a particularly tough time, according to what the researchers call the most comprehensive study to date of self-care among adolescents with the disease.
“The concern is that while they’re reporting some good self-management behaviors, they’re also reporting a lot of not-so-good self-management behaviors and a lot of stress and other barriers to really performing good self management,” Dr. Russell L. Rothman of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health.
Rothman and his colleagues surveyed 103 individuals 12 to 21 years old with type 2 diabetes. More than 80 percent said they took their recommended medications at least 75 percent of the time, 59 percent reported checking their blood glucose more than twice a day, and over 70 percent exercised twice or more every week.
