Diabetes
Smoking Associated With Increased Risk of Diabetes
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A review of previous studies indicates that people who currently smoke have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with non-smokers, according to an article in the December 12 issue of JAMA.
A number of studies have examined the association between smoking and incidence of glucose abnormalities, and have suggested that smoking could be independently associated with glucose intolerance, impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes, which could make smoking a modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, it appears the quality and clinical features of these studies have not been fully assessed regarding this possible association.
Diabetes and hyper-insulinemia as predictors of colorectal cancer risk in a prospective cohort of wo
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Women with diabetes are 1.5 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those who do not have the metabolic disorder, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota. The findings, they say, add to the complex body of evidence linking diet and colorectal cancer and also provide new evidence that furthers our understanding of the role of insulin in cancer promotion.
“Colorectal cancer and type II diabetes share a number of common factors, including obesity, so it is interesting to see the direct line between these two conditions,” said Andrew Flood, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the University of Minnesota Cancer Center ”In general, the idea is that if elevated insulin levels create a biochemical environment conducive to cancer growth, it provides one mechanism by which diet and lifestyle can really influence cancer risk.”
High glycemic index diet may boost diabetes risk
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Regular consumption of foods with a high glycemic index appears to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in African-American and Chinese women, according to the results of two studies published Monday.
Glycemic index refers to how rapidly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High-glycemic index foods, like white bread and potatoes, tend to spur a quick surge in blood sugar, while low-glycemic index foods, such as lentils, soybeans, yogurt and many high-fiber grains, create a more gradual increase in blood sugar.
Diabetes Dilemma: Most Older Patients Have Many Problems at Once
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As if diabetes weren’t enough to handle, a new study shows that 92 percent of older people with the disease have at least one other major chronic medical condition – and that nearly half have three or more major diseases besides their diabetes.
The sheer number, and the severity, of these other conditions appears to decrease patients’ ability to manage their diabetes. The type of co-existing condition also matters, as diabetes self-care lags most among patients with conditions that they think aren’t related to their diabetes.
Landmark Trial to Evaluate Cardioprotective Properties of Insulin
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The ability of insulin to limit heart-tissue damage during a heart attack will be tested in a landmark clinical trial led by Paresh Dandona, M.D., Ph.D., University at Buffalo Distinguished Professor in the departments of Medicine and Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Approximately 600 patients at 90 centers in the U.S. and Latin America will be recruited to participate in the two-year INTENSIVE (Intensive Insulin Therapy and Size of Infarct as a Validated Endpoint by Cardiac MRI) trial. Patients in the trial, which is funded by sanofi-aventis, will be treated with two forms of insulin—insulin glargine and insulin glulisine.
Protein may be key to gestational diabetes
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A protein in the pancreas of mice may offer insight into the mechanism behind gestational diabetes, a condition that affects about 4 percent of all pregnant women, researchers said on Thursday.
Researchers at Stanford University found the protein menin acts as a natural brake in the pancreas, controlling the production of cells needed to make insulin, which helps the body convert sugar into energy.
Prostate cancer therapy may increase diabetes risk
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New research suggests that a hormone therapy, commonly used to treat prostate cancer, called androgen-deprivation therapy may increase the risk of diabetes, particularly in obese men.
Androgen-deprivation therapy involves the use of medications or surgery to reduce body levels of testosterone, a hormone that is known to increase the growth of prostate cancer cells.
FDA wants big warning on Glaxo diabetes drug
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Food and Drug Administration officials are pushing for a “black box” warning on GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s hard-hit diabetes drug Avandia, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
The warning would be a further blow to the top-selling diabetes drug, which came under pressure last May when a U.S. analysis linked Avandia to a 43-percent higher risk of heart attack in patients.
Hemoglobin levels useful for diabetes screening
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Measuring patients’ glycosylated hemoglobin levels (A1C) could be used to screen for diabetes, according to California-based researchers.
A1C is a test that measures the percentage of glucose (sugar) that is attached to hemoglobin, a molecule in red blood cells. It reflects the average glucose levels over the previous 3 to 4 months. Untreated (or uncontrolled) diabetics have A1C levels that are 7.0 percent or higher. Diabetes is also detected by fasting plasma glucose levels of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or greater.
High glycemic index diet boosts fatty liver risk
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People who eat lots of high glycemic index (GI) foods not only risk gaining weight, they also run a greater risk of developing a condition that can lead to liver failure and death, finds a new study in mice. The condition is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
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.
Control of diabetes may prevent infertility
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A Swedish study indicates that the fertility of women with type 1 diabetes was reduced prior to 1985, but since then is its begun to normalize, if diabetic complications were avoided.
“Stricter metabolic control exercised in the past 20 years may have helped prevent subfertility,” the researchers speculate in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
For Some Diabetics, Burden of Care Rivals Complications of Disease
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Many patients with diabetes say that the inconvenience and discomfort of constant therapeutic vigilance, particularly multiple daily insulin injections, has as much impact on their quality of life as the burden of intermediate complications, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the October 2007 issue of Diabetes Care.
A typical diabetes patient takes many medications each day, including two or three different pills to control blood sugar levels, one or two to lower cholesterol, two or more to reduce blood pressure, a daily aspirin to prevent blood clots, plus diet and exercise. As the disease progresses, the drugs increase, often including insulin shots.
Walking to work may cut diabetes risk
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Lowering your diabetes risk may be as easy as walking to work, Japanese researchers have found.
Regular exercise, such as brisk walking, is one way to cut the risk of type 2 diabetes, a disease closely associated with obesity. But it has been unclear whether light exercise—like a leisurely paced walk to work—has the same benefit, according to the authors of the new study.
Insulin pen a cost-saving alternative to syringes
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For patients with type 2 diabetes who have reached the point where they need to start insulin injections, using a pre-loaded insulin pen could save money overall, according to results of a new study.
People who use the insulin pen rather than traditional vials and syringes make fewer visits to the doctor or hospital, and the reduced use of health care resources translates directly into cost savings, the study’s authors say.
Drug combo works synergistically in type 2 diabetes
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In people with type 2 diabetes, the combination of two anti-diabetes drugs—sitagliptin and metformin—improves blood sugar control in a synergistic fashion, a study shows.
In type 2 diabetes, a person becomes less sensitive to the effects of insulin, a hormone that helps the body use sugar for fuel. The drug metformin works by making the body more responsive to insulin, while the drug sitagliptin works to boost the body’s ability to lower elevated blood sugar levels.
