December 2002 Articles

December 2002 News Article Index

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• Diabetes Activist Strolls In County (12/27/02) For Andy Mandell, there was no turkey on Christmas Day. Mr. Mandell, 57, is walking around -- not across -- the country in an effort to increase awareness about diabetes, which he calls a "nasty" disease that has reached "epidemic proportions."

• Type 2 Diabetes - Whole Grains Reduce Long-Term Risk In Men (12/24/02) Daily consumption of whole grains has been associated in a number of studies with reductions in risk for ischemic stroke, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes. In a long-term study of male health professionals found that men who ate several servings of whole grains per day over a period of years had a substantially reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and that some risk reduction occurred even in men who were obese.

• Sugar Can Improve Weight Control, Another Study (12/18/02) Replacing dietary fat with a higher intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, can have a positive effect on weight control in overweight individuals.

• A Healthy Glass of White Wine Made for People with Type 1 Diabetes (12/18/02) They developed a white wine specifically for people with juvenile or type I diabetes, as their bodies are less effective at mopping up free radicals than normal. White wine can be just as healthy as red.

• Safety and Efficacy of Metformin for PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is Still in Question (12/18/02) PCOS prevalence is increasing in the Western world, partly in tandem with increasing BMI and rates of insulin resistance. Metformin, which inhibits the production of hepatic glucose and increases the sensitivity of peripheral tissue to insulin, has garnered a lot of publicity as a treatment, but scientifically sound data is inadequate.

• Lidocaine Patch Provides Effective Analgesia for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (12/18/02) A transdermal patch, Lidoderm (lidocaine 5 percent) appears to provide significant improvement in both pain intensity and pain relief for patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. The results are important, researchers said, because the condition affects more than 50 percent of elderly patients with diabetes and is notoriously difficult to treat effectively.

• Greater Stroke Risk in Men With Body Mass Index of 30 or Greater (12/18/02) Risk of stroke increases significantly as body mass index (BMI) increases.

• Women with Gestational Diabetes are Not Informed About Future Risk (12/18/02) 54% of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) report never having been told they were at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes in later life. That, according to analysis of data from the Stockholm Pregnancy and Women's Nutrition (SPAWN) study.

• Cloning To Make Stem Cells Could Be Boon To Medical Research (12/16/02) Scientists at Stanford University announced last week that they would begin trying to clone human cells. Their goal, they say, is not to make copies of human beings but to make so-called stem cells, which have shown promise for research into Parkinson's Disease, diabetes, paralysis and scores of other ailments.

• A Cup Of Tea Is Good News For Diabetic Tea Fanatics (12/16/02) Tea could turn out to be the diabetic's best friend, according to US Department of Agriculture scientists. They have found that green, black, and oolong teas can boost the activity of insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.

• Holiday Season Especially Risky For Diabetics (12/16/02) With the abundance of food during the holiday season and diabetes rising at alarming rates, medical authorities are reminding the public that they can help prevent many cases of diabetes by watching what they eat and exercising.

• Visiting Ethiopian Jews Learn To Deal With Diabetes Patients (12/16/02) For Ethiopian Jews who immigrated to Israel over the past 20 years, it is their ancestral spiritual home. Life in Israel, though, is much different than it is in Africa. Since moving to the country, many Ethiopians have developed diabetes, a disease unheard of in the Third World.

• The First Children with Type 2 Diabetes Have Grown UP! (12/11/02) Alarming results for the first group of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In this group of people, who are now aged between 18 and 33 years, a high rate of deaths (9%), dialysis (6%), and miscarriage (38%), one toe amputation and one case of blindness have been reported. This high level of diabetes-related mortality and morbidity in the young points to a very bleak future for the increasing number of children now developing Type 2 diabetes. 

• Diabetics With Prior Foot Ulcer Prone to Falls (12/11/02) Falls are common among diabetic patients with prior foot ulcers. Researchers suggest that clinicians discuss the risk of falls with diabetic patients and advise on strategies to prevent fall-related injuries. 

• Carbohydrates - A 'Simple' or 'Complex' Problem (12/11/02) Eating a diet with less fat and more carbohydrates could lead to a modest but significant reduction in body weight.  According to an EU funded study, the group on a simple carbohydrate diet lost 0.9 kg, while those on a complex carbohydrate diet lost 1.8kg, revealing a relatively small difference between the two. However, in a sub-study with distinctly obese adults, the weight loss was greater.

• Heart Association Recommends Fish Oil (12/11/02) All omega-3 fatty acids offer protective benefits to the heart. It will also make the blood less likely to clot and cause a heart attack, protecting against irregular heartbeats that cause sudden cardiac death, and decreasing risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

• Is Vigorous Exercise Better Than Walking? (12/11/02) The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends moderate-intensity physical activity of at least 30 minutes on most, preferably all, days of the week. Walking and vigorous exercise yielded similar benefits.

• Usefulness of Home Blood Pressure Measurement in Type 2 Diabetic Patients (12/11/02) Recently, repeated home blood pressure (HBP) measurements in the morning for a long period have been shown to have a stronger predictive power for mortality in patients with hypertension than occasional casual/clinic blood pressure (CBP) measurements. Elevations of HBP in the morning in diabetic patients are strongly related to microvascular and macrovascular complications.

• Employees Who Control Their Blood Glucose Are More Productive (12/11/02) Studies show that those who control their BG earn $1700 more. Any improvement in glycemic control has been shown to reduce the risk for diabetes-related complications. Researchers found that those with higher hemoglobin A1c values had higher medical costs over a 3-year period.

• Wave Goodbye to Finger Sticks? (12/11/02) Instead of dreaded, painful finger sticks done several times a day, people with diabetes may someday be able to accurately monitor their blood sugar levels as easily as taking their temperature. They may employ infrared light waves and computers instead of needles and blood glucose meters by means of cutting-edge technology that uses the same principals of ultrasound but with better resolution.

• Dietary Advice Takes On Mediterranean Flavor (12/09/02) For several decades, experts on heart disease have promoted a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet as most effective in warding off the leading killer of Americans. It is not total fat but rather the kinds of fats consumed that have the main influence on coronary risk.

• Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Disease (12/06/02) A new study finds middle-aged men with the metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and death. Metabolic syndrome is characterized as having high blood pressure, blood lipid abnormalities, obesity, increased abdominal fat, high blood sugar levels, and insulin resistance.

• Diabetes Control Important for Expecting Mothers (12/06/02) A new study shows women with poorly controlled diabetes during early pregnancy have an increased risk of complications. They defined an adverse pregnancy outcome as spontaneous abortion, major congenital malformation, stillbirth, or infant death.

• Anti-Coagulation Drugs Found to Have Different Effects in Diabetics After Heart Attack (12/06/02) Researchers have found that drugs used to prevent blood coagulation appear to have different effects in heart patients with diabetes. These findings, coupled with an assessment of ease of administration and cost compared to other drugs, leads researchers from Duke University Medical Center to recommend the drug enoxaparin, which is a low-molecular weight heparin, for acute heart attack patients with diabetes.

• Protein In Eye May Help Fight Autoimmune Diseases in Other Parts of Body (12/06/02) A factor (protein) in the eye involved in the eye's "immune privilege" has prevented and halted autoimmune eye disease in animal models and promises to aid in preventing and treating other autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

• Combining Key Ingredients of Vegetarian Diet Cuts Cholesterol Significantly, Says Study (12/06/02) A diet combining a handful of known cholesterol-lowering plant components cut bad cholesterol by close to 30-percent. The reduction is similar to that achieved by some drug treatments for high cholesterol, suggesting a possible drug-free alternative for combating the condition.

• Portion Size Matters: Given Too Much, We Eat It (12/06/02) Almost nobody can stop eating at just one normal serving if there's extra food on their plate, Penn State researchers have shown, and this tendency coupled with the spread of megaportions may be contributing to the American obesity epidemic.

• Inflammation Triggers Heart Attacks (12/06/02) The evidence is overwhelming that inflammation is a central factor in cardiovascular disease, by far the world's biggest killer. Despite healthy cholesterol levels, new research shows many people are at high risk of heart attacks because of painless inflammation in the bloodstream. The inflammation comes from many sources and triggers heart attacks by weakening the walls of blood vessels, making fatty buildups burst. A large study published Thursday concludes it is twice as likely as high cholesterol to trigger heart attacks.

• CoQ10 Therapy Can Improve Glucose and Blood Pressure Control in Type 2 Diabetics (12/06/02) New study findings indicate that treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) may help adults with type 2 diabetes to stabilize blood glucose levels and lower their blood pressure.

• Glycemia Control Vital In Pre and Early Pregnancy Among Type 1 Diabetics (12/06/02) A significant relation between adverse outcome of pregnancy and poor glycemia control in early pregnancy in type 1 diabetics is shown in an investigation by British clinicians. They found that there was four-fold increase in adverse outcome, a four-fold increase in spontaneous abortion, and a nine-fold increase in major congenital malformation.

• Beer Has Heart Health Properties Too (12/06/02) Drinking an occasional beer with dinner may help reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a small study by Dutch researchers. An anti-inflammatory action of alcohol may help explain the link between moderate alcohol consumption and lower cardiovascular disease risk.

• Vitamin E Unlikely to Reduce Microvascular Complications in Diabetics (12/06/02) Vitamin E supplementation has no demonstrable effect on major cardiovascular outcomes, microvascular complications or glycemic control in diabetics at high risk for cardiac events.

• Keryx®_Brings Hope to People with Diabetics with Kidney Failure (12/06/02) Israel's Keryx Biopharmaceuticals is shepherding a drug through the final stages of U.S. clinical trials that can reduce albumin levels and gives hope to the three to four million U.S. diabetes sufferers who experience kidney failure along with their diabetes. The prognosis for patients suffering from what's known as end-stage kidney disease is grim at present and their only hope for survival is through a continuous regimen of kidney dialysis or from a kidney transplant.

• Researchers Shed Light on Genetic Defects That Cause Diabetes (12/06/02) Researchers visualize the protein that is mutated in most individuals having a form of diabetes called Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY). For years scientists have sought to identify the genetic basis for 'typical' type 2 diabetes, but this has proven to be incredibly difficult. Along the way, however, scientists have discovered pieces of the puzzle -- the genes that are mutated in more specialized forms of diabetes.

• Iron Overdose May Increase Heart Disease Risk (12/06/02) Iron overload has been implicated as a possible source of increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. An increasing number of people in modern industrialized societies are iron replete, rather than iron deficient.

• Care for US Patients with Diabetics Varies Among States (12/06/02) The level of care that diabetes patients receive in the United States varies widely from state to state, often falling far below current national recommendations. The new findings are based on a national survey including nearly 2 million Medicare patients between the ages of 18 and 75 who were diagnosed with diabetes.

• HRT and Women with Diabetes (12/03/02) Women with diabetes who are taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have an advantage when it comes to heart attacks. According to new research, HRT was linked to reducing the risk of heart attack in diabetic women who had not suffered a recent heart attack.

• Air Travel Information For Diabetics (12/03/02) Because of concerns over forgeries, prescriptions and doctors’ letters are not sufficient to allow people with diabetes to carry syringes and other equipment on board...

• New Safety Precautions From Committee on Safety of Medicines (12/03/02) Zyban is a drug licensed to help people to stop smoking. The Committee on Safety of Medicines [CSM] have received over 5,000 Yellow card reports of adverse reactions. they have stated that there are certain conditions where Zyban must NOT be prescribed and these include people treated with oral hypoglycaemic and those treated with insulin. Clearly this means that people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes should NOT be prescribed Zyban.

• Routine Urine Tests Not Advised For Diabetic Women (12/02/02) Women with diabetes do not need routine screenings to check for bacteria in their urine, as some doctors recommend, according to a new report. Such screenings currently are followed by antibiotic treatment if bacteria are present--even if the patient is not experiencing any symptoms of a urinary tract infection. But the new results, published in the November 14th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, show that antibiotic treatment did not help prevent symptomatic infections or complications from them.

• Niacin Safe for Treating Patients Who Have Diabetes and High Cholesterol (12/02/02) Treating diabetic patients with the cholesterol-lowering drug niacin does not result in increased heart attacks or mortality, despite historical evidence that niacin raises blood sugars.

• Low-Carb Atkins Diet Being Tested After Positive Results from a Small Study (12/02/02) After years of dismissing the Atkins diet, the medical establishment is at last putting it to a careful test and finding it might not be the nutritional foolishness they long assumed. A small study released Monday found that contrary to expectations, dieters' cholesterol levels do not shoot through the roof, and they take off more weight — at least in the short term — than do people on a standard low-fat regimen.

• Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes May Have Genetic Basis (12/02/02) Researchers describe a "familial clustering" in retinopathy secondary to type 2 diabetes mellitus. They observed a more than three-fold higher prevalence of retinopathy among siblings of patients with diabetic retinopathy.

• Insulin Pump Therapy Benefits Selected Patients With Poor Glycemic Control (12/02/02) Quality of life and glycemic control improved after only 16 weeks of insulin pump therapy.

• Women With Diabetes Have Special Needs Which Need to Be Addressed (12/02/02) The medical and psychological needs of women with diabetes should be examined in greater depth, as they experience the disease differently from men. New findings from a series of one-on-one interviews with women with diabetes from around the globe show that the role of the woman as family carer is negatively affected if they have diabetes or look after someone with the condition.

• Diabetes Treatment Approved (12/02/02) The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects some 15 million Americans. In clinical trials, Metaglip was shown to be more effective in controlling the blood sugar of type 2 diabetics than either metformin or glipizide used alone.

• Say "Nuts" to Diabetes (12/02/02) Just say "nuts" to diabetes, advises a new study by Harvard researchers. The study showed women who consume peanut butter or other forms of nuts five or more times a week have a 27-percent lower risk of getting the disease.

• 'Super-Sized' Teenagers Sue McDonald's (12/02/02) McDonald's Makes Kids Fat, Lawyers Say. Lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald's on behalf of New York children who have suffered health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. 

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