Defeat Diabetes: September 2004 News Articles

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	Curry Leaves May Help Control Diabetes, Scientists Say (Sept. 30, '04) Scientists believe that the Indian curry leaf - an ingredient in many curry dishes and used in traditional Indian healing, may contain agents that slow down the rate of starch-to-glucose breakdown in people with diabetes. The tree's leaves could control the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream.
	Importance of A1c Test In Predicting Heart Disease For Diabetics and Non-Diabetics (Sept. 30, '04) A 1-percent increase in HA1c predicted an 18-percent increase in risk for total cardiovascular disease and a 28-percent risk for peripheral vascular disease.
	Mediterranean Diet Improves Survival in Elderly (Sept. 30, '04) Among 70- to 90-year-olds, adherence to a Mediterranean diet and healthful lifestyle is associated with a more than 50% lower rate of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
	Millions Deficient in Vital Vitamin D Risk Factor For Diabetes (Sept. 29, '04) Vitamin D is needed for insulin to be released effectively and vitamin D supplements given to breastfeeding mothers and young children reduced the incidence of Type 1 diabetes by 60%.
	New Study Shows Low-Carb Diet Improves Glucose Control in Diabetics (Sept. 29, '04) A1c showed a marked decrease from 9.0 to 6.4% over 5 weeks in patients with untreated type 2 diabetes. "Potentially, this could be a patient-empowering way to ameliorate hyperglycemia without pharmacological intervention."
	Study Supports Antihypertensive Effects of Statins (Sept. 29, '04) Evidence continues to mount that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) have significant blood pressure-lowering effects independent of their beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.
	Inflammatory Cells Linked to Heart Disease and Diabetes (Sept. 29, '04) A U.S. study found certain cells in the obese are in an inflammatory state, providing more evidence inflammation is linked to heart disease and diabetes.
	School-based Program Cuts Children's Diabetes Risk (Sept. 29, '04) Among Mexican-American children at high risk for developing diabetes, a school-based prevention program led to statistically significant increases in fitness levels and reductions in fasting glucose levels, researchers report.
	Update for Islet Cell Transplants for Diabetes (Sept. 29, '04) About 58% of diabetes patients given an experimental transplant of pancreatic cells are able to live without insulin injections a year later, Canadian and U.S. doctors reported.
	Subcutaneous Insulin Lispro Safe and Effective for Diabetic Ketoacidosis (Sept. 29, '04) Treatment with subcutaneous insulin lispro in a non – ICU setting is a safe and effective treatment for uncomplicated diabetic ketoacidosis. Lispro has the potential to greatly reduce hospital costs.
	Fruit Fly Pancreas Points To Possible Diabetes Cures (Sept. 22, '04) Fruit flies have cells that function like a miniature pancreas, which is good news for researchers hoping to use the tiny insects to develop cures for diabetes.
	Depression Derails Diabetics' Self-care (Sept. 22, '04) People with diabetes who are depressed are less likely to watch what they eat, to exercise, and to take their medications. Lin concluded that people with poor diabetes control might be helped "by screening for major depression and treating it effectively, including systematic follow-up."
	Ghrelin Elevated in Black Women Leads To Increased Food Intake & Diabetes (Sept. 22, '04) Ghrelin, a gut-brain peptide that signals hunger, is normally suppressed after meals. Subnormal suppression of postprandial ghrelin, previously noted in obese, insulin-resistant individuals, may contribute to increased food intake. Subnormal postprandial ghrelin suppression in black women can play a role in their increased prevalence of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disorders.
	Chromium Picolinate Cleared Of Toxic Charges (Sept. 22, '04) The safety research overwhelmingly confirms that chromium picolinate is a safe nutritional supplement. Chromium picolinate received a further boost when the Society of Toxicology affirmed its safety as a nutritional supplement.
	Exercise Stalls Effects of Aging on the Heart (Sept. 22, '04) The pumping ability of the Masters athletes' hearts was the same as that of the younger adults less than half their age. "It appears that lifelong exercise training completely prevented the stiffening of the heart muscle that has been thought to be an inevitable consequence of aging. We found that it is aging in addition to being sedentary."
	New Tool Developed To Evaluate The Accuracy Of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (Sept. 22, '04) Continuous glucose sensor technology has the potential to revolutionize diabetes management by providing patients with ongoing, online feedback about current blood glucose levels and rate/direction of change, as well as alarms to alert for possible dangerous trends.
	Weight Predicts Diabetes (Sept. 22, '04) Being overweight may be a more pronounced risk factor of type 2 diabetes than being inactive, according to a new study.
	Beer Has The Same Benefits As Red Wine (Sept. 22, '04) Researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that drinking one beer provides the same increase in antioxidant activity in the body as a glass of red wine, which has long been touted for its medicinal properties.
	New Beta Cells Form in Response to Insulin Resistance (Sept. 22, '04) "Our paper clearly demonstrates a potential mechanism for beta-cell growth during insulin resistance, which in turn, occurs as a normal protective response to delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in obese and other susceptible individuals."
	Exercise, Diet Cut Diabetes Risk in Sedentary Men (Sept. 22, '04) Vigorous exercise - half-hour-long sessions three times per week - alone lowered glucose levels by 13 percent and insulin levels by 20 percent.
	Data for Atkins & South Beach Dieters on Insulin Resistance, Obesity and the Fiber Connection (Sept. 22, '04) Insulin sensitivity may be more directly related to loss of intramyocellular or omental fat rather than loss of total body weight.
	FDA Approves Antidepressant Cymbalta (Duloxetine) to Treat Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain (Sept. 21, '04) Cymbalta, a balanced and potent serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for pain caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This approval came after a six-month priority review.
	Diabetes Triples Risk of Heart Failure for Women (Sept. 21, '04) "Many of the risk factors we uncovered are, of course, the same ones seen in men." "But what was particularly striking was the risk seen with diabetes. In our analysis, it was a stronger risk factor than having multiple heart attacks" -- probably the strongest predictor in men. Many of the identified risks are modifiable.
	Kiwifruit Benefits Heart Health Similar To Aspirin (Sept. 21, '04) "Our study shows that consuming two or three kiwifruit per day for 28 days significantly reduced platelet aggregation (blood clotting) in human volunteers, similar to aspirin. Moreover, plasma triglyceride levels were also reduced in these volunteers."
	Ace Inhibitors Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death (Sept. 21, '04) An ace inhibitor showed a 21% reduction in unexpected deaths, deaths due to cardiac arrest, or nonfatal cardiac arrest. Past studies have shown that these medications reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart disease. Now comes word that they can also dramatically lower the risk of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest in people at high risk.
	Inhaled Insulin Plus Oral Hypoglycemics Effective Long-Term for Type 2 Diabetes (Sept. 21, '04) Exubera Reduced blood glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes, from an A1c of 9.6 to 7.7%.
	Red Meat Increases Diabetes Risk (Sept. 21, '04) Middle age and elderly women whose diets include a lot of red meat appear to have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Women who at the highest amounts of red meat were 28 percent more likely to develop diabetes than their peers who ate the lowest amounts. In terms of specific meats linked to diabetes, bacon and hot dogs were identified as two of the worst offenders.
	Low-Fat Diet Promotes Safe Weight Loss Among Type 2 Diabetics (Sept. 21, '04) Unlike a high-monounsaturated fat diet, a low-fat diet promotes weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes without unfavorable alterations in plasma lipids or glycemic control.
	Cholesterol Drugs Lower Glaucoma Risk (Sept. 20, '04) Researchers found a 40 percent decrease in glaucoma among long-term statin users. There are a couple of good reasons to suspect that statins might actually be protective for patients against developing glaucoma, or perhaps in the future against the worsening of glaucoma if someone has already developed it.
	The Glycemic Index Diet Leads to Weight & Fat Loss (Sept. 16, '04) New study shows that glycemic index is an independent factor that can have dramatic effects on the major chronic diseases plaguing developed nations - obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
	Researchers Devise Way To Detect Brain Swelling In Diabetic Children (Sept. 16, '04) A rare swelling of the brain that is nonetheless the most common diabetes-related cause of death for children with the disease could be caught earlier - if practitioners learn to recognize key signs.
	Blueberries Fights Heart Disease, Cancer and Diabetes (Sept. 16, '04) They have potential to lower cholesterol as effectively as commercial drugs. Blueberries, already known to help fight cancer and diabetes, may guard against heart disease as well.
	A Daily Walk Prevents Diabetes By As Much As 80% (Sept. 16, '04) Ten Year study shows that just a half an hour's walking a day can almost eradicate the risk of developing diabetes.
	Help Is On The Way For Loosing Weight And Smoking Cessation (Sept. 16, '04) First year results of the two year trial Rimonabant In Obesity (RIO, a Phase III clinical study), showed a 3.5 inch reduction in waist circumference, 19 pounds lost, reduced metabolic syndrome 50%, raised HDL 28%. Rimonabant (endocannabinoid) in another study doubled the odds of quitting smoking without weight gain.
	New Report Maps Women's Health in the United States Shows Patterns by State for Key Indicators (Sept. 16, '04) West Virginia, Ohio and Vermont have the Highest Death Rate for Diabetes in White Females and West Virgina, North Carolina and South Carolina have the Highest Death rate for Black Females. Hawaii has the lowest overall death rate for women, Colorado the lowest rate of obesity, and Minnesota ranks best in terms of health insurance coverage.
	New Imaging Technology Detects Early Signs of Type 1 Diabetes (Sept. 16, '04) New technology gives scientists a glimpse into the earliest stages of the inflammatory process leading to type 1 diabetes and the new findings one day may be useful for predicting whether and when diabetes will develop in humans.
	Global Study Shows Nine Factors That Identify 90% Of Heart Attack Risk (Sept. 16, '04) The vast majority of heart attacks can be predicted by nine easily measurable factors, that are the same in every region and ethnic group worldwide. The study found that the two most important risk factors are cigarette smoking and an abnormal ratio of blood lipids (Apolipoprotein B/Apolipoprotein A-1), which together predicted two-thirds of the global risk of heart attack.
	Exenatide New Drug Application Accepted by the FDA (Sept. 16, '04) First potential therapy in a new class of drugs under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes known as incretin mimetics. Lilly and Company announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for exenatide has been accepted for review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
	Newborns Screened For Risk Of Diabetes (Sept. 08, '04) To better understand type 1 diabetes which affects about 1 million Americans, researchers are screening newborns to identify children most likely to acquire the disease and study them long before they get it. By looking at changes in blood proteins and surveying environmental factors — from breast-feeding to water supply to medications used during pregnancy — they hope to better predict who will get type 1 diabetes and learn what causes it and how to prevent it.
	Diabetes Now Mexico's Leading Cause of Death (Sept. 08, '04) Diabetes has overtaken poverty-related infections to become the leading cause of death in Mexico, and WHO is warning that a devastating global diabetes epidemic is looming.
	Don't Be Poor And Have Diabetes! (Sept. 08, '04) Diabetes is most common in poorest neighborhoods. The study, by New York City Controller William Thompson, broke down the neighborhoods that report the most cases. But the report also looked at which areas' residents suffer the worst complications, such as stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
	Low Carb Diets Are Beneficial in Reducing Visceral Fat in Type 2 (Sept. 08, '04) When restricted diet was made isocaloric, a low calorie/low carbohydrate diet might be more effective treatment for a reduction of visceral fat, improved insulin sensitivity and increased in HDL–C levels than low calorie/high carbohydrate diet in obese subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
	New Screening Techniques To Distinguish Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes (Sept. 08, '04) Serum concentrations of adiponectin and leptin can aid in discriminating between diabetes type 1 and type 2 in adolescents and children. "Our findings," Dr. Atkinson concluded, should not only help differentiate the conditions "but in addition, may provide clues to the mechanisms that underlie each disorder and point to targets aimed at preventing diabetes."
	Exercise Pill Will Rev Up Metabolism & Protect Against Obesity (Sept. 08, '04) Altering a single gene can give your body the benefits of training without the need to sweat, allowing your body to eat large amounts of food without getting fat. The discovery could lead to treatments for obesity and disorders associated with it, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
	Pancreatic Stem Cells Can Be A Cure For Diabetes (Sept. 08, '04) Toronto University scientists have said that stem cells can be a cure for diabetes, thereby eradicating the need for replacing insulin. The lead scientists of the study have identified individual cells in the adult mouse pancreas that are capable of making insulin-producing "beta cells." These beta cells make up the tissues in the organ that release insulin and help regulate the body's blood sugar levels.
	Blood Pressure Rates on Rise Again in U.S. (Sept. 08, '04) The number of American adults with high blood pressure has climbed to almost one in three over the past decade, putting more people at risk of a stroke, heart attack or kidney failure. A little more than a decade ago, the number was closer to one in four.
	Liver Tests Required Less Often For Actos or Avandia (Sept. 08, '04) The first glitazone, Rezulin, caused serious hepatotoxicity. Due to this scare, liver enzymes were recommended every 2 months for the first year for Actos and Avandia. But they don't have the side chain suspected to cause liver toxicity. The new schedule recommends testing liver enzymes prior to starting therapy...and periodically thereafter.
	E-mail Consults Improve Health Care (Sept. 08, '04) With e-mail being an essential communication tool for increasing numbers, it is strange that it's underused in the context of doctor-patient consultation. New research suggests that e-mail consultations benefit patients and it’s inexpensive.
	New Discovery in Preventing Diabetic Complications (Sept. 07, '04) A new study sheds light on the response to infection in people with type 2 diabetes. These individuals develop diabetes associated with obesity. Controlling a specific protein produced by the body, known as a cytokine, reduces the expression of other molecules and helps control inflammation. This is significant because many complications associated with diabetes trigger an inflammatory response.
	Hispanics More Prone to Blindness From Diabetes (Sept. 07, '04) Results from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study show high rates of eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and open-angle glaucoma among 6,357 Latinos age 40 or older. The people are primarily of Mexican descent. Higher rates of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes, in the Latino population are closely tied to high rates of diabetes.
	Tomato Juice Reduces Clotting in Diabetics (Sept. 07, '04) Researchers have found that drinking tomato juice for three weeks had a blood-thinning effect in people with diabetes and may help stave off the heart troubles that often complicate the disease. The juice reduced "platelet aggregation" -- the blood's ability to clot. "In diabetes, there are a lot of pro-inflammatory markers that contribute to increasing platelet aggregation, so if there's something we can do that can reverse or limit that, that would be a very positive thing."
	VA Treatment Tops Managed Care for Diabetes (Sept. 07, '04) Diabetic patients treated by the country's long-maligned VA health system got better care than diabetics under managed health care plans. "The VA has instituted system-wide standards, integrated care, and a way to track and monitor how their patients are doing."
	New Study Shows Walking Reduces Risk of Diabetes (Sept. 07, '04) Researchers at Glasgow University believe 30 minutes of moderate exercise or walking every day could significantly reduce the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. Although people with a parent who has Type 2 diabetes are three times more likely to get the condition themselves, the study found that taking part in regular exercise could make significant changes to the metabolism to reduce this risk.
	Video Telemedicine Improves Rural Care (Sept. 07, '04) A new study by researchers at the Molokai General Hospital in Kaunakakai, Hawaii, demonstrated that video telemedicine technology was associated with improved diabetes management in medically underserved rural communities by improving the patients’ access to health care. The study also found that patients satisfaction with video telemedicine technology was high.
	Symptomless Heart Disease Common Among Diabetics (Sept. 07, '04) Known as myocardial ischemia, this serious condition occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood to meet its metabolic needs, usually due to plaque build-up in the coronary arteries. When no symptoms are present, the disease is said to be "silent."
	Intermittent Exercise Better Than Continuous (Sept. 07, '04) New research from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests intermittent exercise is more effective at lowering artery-blocking fat in the bloodstream than continuous exercise when exercising just 30 minutes.
	C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test - A Key Indicator of Heart Disease Risk (Sept. 07, '04) In addition to monitoring lipid, or cholesterol, levels, Mayo Clinic cardiologists have begun ordering a new screening test for heart disease risk, called high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). An elevated CRP level increases the risk for creating arteriosclerosis and plaque rupture that causes heart attack.
	Starting Young in Treating High Blood Pressure (Sept. 07, '04) New guidelines published in the August issue of Pediatrics suggest that doctors start checking blood pressure in children when they are as young as 3. Catching and treating hypertension early, will save lives.