Diabetes
Diabetes drug promising as aid to weight loss
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Treatment with pramlintide, which is approved in the US for lowering blood sugar in people with diabetes, leads to progressive weight loss in obese subjects, according to researchers.
Pramlintide, sold in the United States under the trade name Symlin, is a synthetic version of a natural hormone called amylin that slows down gastric emptying, thereby increasing the sensation of satiety and reducing food intake. Dr. Christian Weyer, the senior investigator on the current study, told Reuters Health that the results “are the most robust clinical proof-of-concept reported to date for the anti-obesity potential of a satiogenic peptide hormone.”
Combo blood pressure pill cuts deaths in diabetics
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Giving people with type 2 diabetes a combination pill to lower blood pressure cuts their risk of heart attack or death, regardless of what their blood pressure was before treatment, scientists said on Sunday.
Those taking the combined angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and diuretic medicine were 18 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than patients on placebo, according to a four-year study involving 11,000 patients.
Intensive diabetes therapy may lower heart rate
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Intensive control of blood sugar (glucose) in patients with type 1 diabetes is associated with a lower resting heart rate, according to a report in Diabetes Care.
“This effect may partially explain why the intensive insulin treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease in those with type 1 diabetes,” Dr. Andrew D. Paterson of the University of Toronto, Canada told Reuters Health.
Researchers identify a role for glucose-sensing neurons in type 2 diabetes
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In cases of Type 2 diabetes, the body’s cells fail to appropriately regulate blood glucose levels. Research has suggested that this results from two simultaneous problems: the improper functioning of pancreatic beta cells and the impairment of insulin’s actions on target tissues, including the liver, fat and muscles.
But now, research led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Oregon Health & Science University has identified a third abnormality that could play an important role in the development of obesity-induced Type 2 diabetes.
Guide to healthy eating for diabetics exposes myths
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A new report from Harvard Health Publications dispels common myths concerning diet and diabetes and explains what people with diabetes should eat to keep their blood sugar levels in check.
One of the most common myths is that there is a “diabetes diet” that prohibits sugar and lists other items to avoid. “In fact, the advice for people with diabetes is similar to that for the general population, but with extra emphasis on weight control and control of blood sugar and risk factors for heart disease,” the report states.
Exercise cuts heart risks for type 1 diabetes kids
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Children and teens with type 1 diabetes may be able to reduce their risk of future heart and blood vessel disease by taking part in regular exercise, German researchers report.
In their study of 23,251 type 1 diabetes patients ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old, those who were the most active had the best long-term blood sugar control, Dr. Antje Herbst of the Hospital of Leverkusen and her colleagues found. Study participants who exercised more often were also less likely to have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Diabetes may impair tuberculosis treatment response
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Patients with tuberculosis and diabetes do not respond as well to tuberculosis therapy as those who are non-diabetic, Dutch researchers report.
The reason for this is unclear, but screening for and aggressively treating diabetes may improve the outcomes of patients receiving tuberculosis therapy, Dr. Reinout van Crevel, from Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, note in the current issue Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Diabetes control a must before heart surgery
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Diabetic patients undergoing heart bypass surgery can markedly reduce their risk of serious complications by keeping their blood sugar levels in check before the operation, Argentine researchers reported here at the XXXII Argentine Congress of Cardiology.
The study focused on how well patients controlled their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a measure of long-term blood sugar control.
Infusions may ease severe diabetic nerve pain
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The case of man disabled by diabetes-related nerve damage and muscle weakness suggests that such symptoms can be markedly improved by infusions of immune globulin—a product derived from blood donations that contains high quantities of antibodies.
Japanese researchers describe the case in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Dr. Gen Sobue told Reuters Health that intravenous immune globulin or IVIg “was effective in improving severe pain symptoms and muscle weakness” in this patient.
U.S. OKs heart failure warning on diabetes drugs
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Diabetes drugs made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd will carry new, stronger warnings saying they may or cause or worsen heart failure, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.
The warnings will appear in a “black box” on Glaxo’s Avandia, Avandaryl and Avandamet, as well as on Takeda’s Actos and Duetact, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. A black box is the strongest type of warning in the United States for prescription drugs.
Schizophrenia risk may be lower in type 1 diabetics
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The incidence of schizophrenia in patients with type 1 diabetes is less than half of that seen in people without diabetes, according to findings published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
“Patients with schizophrenia have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus,” Dr. Hannu Juvonen and colleagues from the National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, point out. However, no conclusive studies have examined the relationship between schizophrenia and type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes appears to increase risk of death for patients with acute coronary syndromes
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Individuals with diabetes and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) such as a heart attack or unstable angina have an increased risk of death at 30 days and one year after ACS, compared with ACS patients without diabetes, according to a study in the August 15 issue of JAMA.
“The presence of elevated blood glucose levels, diabetes mellitus, or both contributes to more than 3 million cardiovascular deaths worldwide each year. With the increase in obesity, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes is expected to double by the year 2030,” the authors write.
Harvard’s New Eating Guide Busts Diet Myths for Diabetes
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Myths abound when it comes to diabetes and food—one of the most common being that there is a “diabetes diet” that prohibits sugar and other items. A new report from Harvard Health Publications dispels this and other misconceptions, and explains what people with diabetes should eat to keep their blood sugar steady. The report includes 40 new recipes.
The advice for people with diabetes is similar to that for the general population, but with extra emphasis on controlling weight, blood sugar, and risk factors for heart disease, explains the report, Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes.
Abnormal fat metabolism underlies heart problems in diabetic patients
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Heart disease hits people with diabetes twice as often as people without diabetes. In those with diabetes, cardiovascular complications occur at an earlier age and often result in premature death, making heart disease the major killer of diabetic people. But why is heart disease so prevalent among diabetics?
To help answer that question, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been analyzing the fat (lipid) composition of heart tissue from laboratory mice with diabetes. They have found that heart cells of diabetic mice lose an important lipid from cellular components that generate energy for the heart, and their latest research shows this happens at the very earliest stages of diabetes.
Older Diabetes Drugs Safe to Use
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Older, cheaper diabetes drugs are as safe and effective as newer ones, concludes an analysis that is good news for diabetics and may further hurt sales of Avandia, a blockbuster pill recently tied to heart problems.
The clear winner: metformin, sold as Glucophage and generically for about $100 a year. It works as well as other diabetes pills but does not cause weight gain or too-low blood sugar, the analysis found. It also lowers LDL or bad cholesterol.
