February 2003 Articles
February 2003 News Article Index
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Diabetes Deaths in Los Angeles County Jump 50% in a
Decade
(02/26/03) From 1990 to
2000, diabetes deaths soared 53% among residents of Los
Angeles County, according to health officials. "Increasing obesity is the
major factor driving the escalating rates of diabetes in Los Angeles and
across the nation.” Compared with whites and Asians/Pacific Islanders, the
risk of dying from diabetes was more than two times higher for blacks and
one-and-a-half times higher for Latinos.
Macrovascular Risk and Diagnostic Criteria for Type 2 Diabetes (02/26/03) With a HbA1c of 6%, there is a 75% increased risk of microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes.
Rosuvastatin Reduces LDL Cholesterol and Improves Lipid Profiles (02/26/03) All across dose ranges in reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and improving lipid profiles, rosuvastatin was more effective in patients with hypercholesterolemia. That, according to a report in the January 1st issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Obesity & Poor Glycemic Control Common for African-American Type 2’s (02/26/03) Average baseline HbA1c levels were 9.9% in patients aged less than 30 years. The authors found that several factors were associated with higher HbA1c at follow-up: younger age, longer duration of diabetes, higher body mass index, less frequent visits, and treatment with oral agents or insulin.
Lack of Diabetes Patient Education Standardization
Responsible for Poor Outcomes
(02/26/03) In an
outpatient setting, patients remember or understand
as little as half of what they are told by physicians. Consequently, it is
recommended that physicians elicit comprehension of new concepts from patients
and tailor subsequent provision of information to their needs, particularly
for patients with low functional health literacy.
Exercise-Induced Hypertension Flags Risk of Vascular
Disease
(02/26/03) Otherwise
healthy adults with exercise-induced
hypertension should receive aggressive cardiovascular risk-reduction
therapies, including treatments to reduce their lipid levels and blood
pressure. People with exercise-induced hypertension have an increased risk of
peripheral vascular disease, carotid disease, and left ventricular
hypertrophy, but are not at risk for coronary heart disease. This suggests
that exercise-induced hypertension may be a precursor to or marker of
significant vascular disease.
Focus Shifting to 'Non-HDL' Lipids
(02/26/03)
Non-HDL cholesterol—total cholesterol
minus HDL cholesterol—will be a major secondary therapeutic target.
HRT Shown to Reduce Diabetes Rate in Some Women (02/26/03) HRT can reduce diabetes by 35% in women with heart disease. The potential benefit to patients for one health outcome needs to be weighed against the risk for others, such as coronary events and breast cancer. In women with diabetes, HRT is associated with an increased risk of death from ischemic heart disease and from all causes.
Diabetes Prevention Efforts Achieving Good Results (02/26/03) Major public health decisions need to be made in treating impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to prevent type 2 diabetes. Patients with a long period of glucose intolerance have a 10-fold increased risk for developing diabetes. Diabetes risk was reduced by 31% among patients who were treated with metformin (which tends to restrain weight gain) and by 58% for patients who improved their lifestyle.
Help for Diabetic Nerve Damage (02/26/03) Proteins that are essential for normal nervous system development may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Hedgehog protein therapy coupled with additional antioxidant therapy could provide the first effective treatment for diabetic neuropathy.
Report Points To Pharmacists To Help Diabetes Patients (02/26/03) 25% of diabetes patients are not successful in controlling their condition, resulting in missed work, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits. "Pharmacists can provide training, counseling, and reminders to receive important tests and exams."
Hormone Therapy Riskier For Diabetics, Study Shows (02/21/03) Hormone-replacement therapy poses added risks for women with diabetes because it can increase their risk of heart disease, new research shows.
Diabetes Major Health Risk Here (02/21/03) The rate of diabetes and pre-diabetes in Cheboygan County, Michigan is nearly three times higher than the national average of known cases and has become the eighth-leading cause of death in the county.
Preventing Type 1 Diabetes (02/21/03) In recent years, conflicting studies linked cow's milk to diabetes in young children. A study of 200 newborns found those who had formula without cow's milk were 50 percent less likely to develop diabetes.
High-Protein Diet Enhances Weight Loss
(02/21/03)
Changes in the ratio of protein to
carbohydrate toward a higher protein diet can be effective in the control of
body weight with parallel improvements in blood lipids.
Synthetic
Antioxidants Key to Fighting Diabetes
(02/21/03)
A synthetic
antioxidant that can delay and prevent the onset of autoimmune diabetes in
mice could be a useful tool against diabetes.
Researchers report that the
antioxidant protected insulin-producing beta cells from lethal oxygen radicals
generated in diabetes. The synthetic antioxidant also blocked the ability of
the immune system to recognize beta cells, the target of the autoimmune attack
in diabetes.
First Comprehensive Anti-Obesity Legislation (02/21/03) State lawmakers in Maine Friday unveiled what experts are calling the nation's first comprehensive anti-obesity legislation. The legislation targets the sale of soft drinks and junk food in school vending machines throughout the state, calls for chain restaurants to display nutritional information, and would allow state transportation funds to be used to promote bicycling and other healthy forms of getting around.
Animal Fat Intake Might Be Associated With Diabetes Risk (02/20/03) Consumption of animal fat and not carbohydrates appears to be linked to the development of diabetes.
Intensive Treatment at Onset of Diagnosis of Diabetes Improves Quality of Care (02/20/03) Patients with diabetes diagnosed at screening achieve less tight blood pressure control than similar patients without diabetes. Primary care providers do not appear to manage diabetes diagnosed at screening as intensively as long-standing diabetes and do not improve the management of hypertension given the new diagnosis of diabetes.
Sugar Key to Memory Problems (02/20/03) Blood sugar has been thought to play a role, as diabetics have a greater risk of memory problems, possibly because diabetes harms blood vessels that supply the brain and other organs. Further, if confirmed the results indicate that controlling blood sugar levels through exercising and eating a healthy diet may help to protect the brain from memory loss associated with aging.
Ibuprofen Could Be Bad for Heart Patients
(02/20/03)
Patients who take low-dose
aspirin for cardioprotection should not take ibuprofen.
Fresh evidence adds to suspicions that ibuprofen
could be dangerous for most heart patients because it can block the
blood-thinning benefits of aspirin.
FDA Clears Critical Diabetes A1c Test For Home Use (02/17/03) Metrika, Inc., announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make its A1cNow diabetes monitor available to patients over-the-counter, without a prescription. A1cNow is the first and only test diabetes patients can now use at home to obtain immediate glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c or A1C) results - the gold-standard indicator of diabetes control and risk of serious long-term complications.
New Treatment Reduces Risks in Diabetics (02/17/03) The most serious complications of type 2 diabetes -- heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, and blindness -- may be slashed by as much as half by combining often-recommended lifestyle habits with a specific drug regimen when compared with usual care. This combination program incorporates a "heart-smart" diet, moderate exercise, and the daily intake of several vitamins, aspirin, and pharmaceuticals currently used by millions to lower blood pressure and cholesterol -- all strategies that have long been advocated for reducing risks of heart disease.
Normal Weight Elderly Still May Be At Risk For Developing Diabetes (02/17/03) Elderly men and women with normal body weight still may be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes if they have large amounts of muscle fat or visceral abdominal fat. The concept of the metabolically obese normal-weight individual is likely to be of great importance in understanding risk factors that drive the heightened risk of type 2 diabetes in relation to aging.
Cultural Values May Explain Low Vaccination Rates For Diabetic Minorities (02/17/03) Minorities with diabetes are less likely to be vaccinated for the flu and pneumonia than whites are - even when they have equal healthcare access, insurance and socioeconomic status. Cultural values held by minorities as well as healthcare providers may help explain this.
Drug May Help Diabetics' Eyes, Study Suggests (02/17/03) A synthetic form of vitamin B1 that is used in Europe to treat nerve problems has been found to prevent the most common form of diabetes-related eye disease in rats. Diabetic rats treated with benfotiamine for 36 weeks did not develop any of the retina damage found in a similar group of untreated rats.
Food Portion Sizes Have Increased Dramatically in US
Glyburide/Metformin Combination Reduces A1c by 1.7% over
Sulphonylurea and 1.9% Over Metformin
Overweight Type 2’s Benefit Significantly From Orlistat (02/12/03) Treatment with the lipase inhibitor orlistat in addition to a low calorie diet significantly reduces weight of overweight patients with type 2 diabetes. Orlistat patients also had significantly greater improvements in HbA1c, fasting glucose and postprandial glucose. Orlistat had the further benefit of reducing low density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly more than placebo.
Risk of Retinopathy Is Lower in Type 2 With Onset in Youth (02/12/03) In a recent study it was shown that, the risk of retinopathy in relation to disease duration is lower in those who developed diabetes at a young age than in those with onset in adulthood.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Linked to Diabetes
(02/12/03)
An emerging body of research has
linked a common but misunderstood gynecological disorder among women with one
of the most rapidly growing illnesses in the United States -- diabetes.
Huge Mistake – Heart Failure Patients Not Being Treated With Beta-blockers (02/12/03) This is a HUGE problem...and often a HUGE mistake because Beta-blockers increase survival by about 35%.
Low Insulin, Not Calorie Restriction Lengthens Your Life (02/12/03) A lean body devoid of fat may be more significant in determining lifespan than a calorie-restricted diet, according to a new study of genetically altered mice. The findings could open the possibility of a new drug that would fight obesity, and related illnesses like type 2 diabetes, by blocking insulin receptors in fat tissue. The drug would need to be targeted to fat only, however, as a loss of insulin sensitivity through out the body results in type 2 diabetes.
School Problems for Children with Type 1 Due to Other
Factors
(02/12/03)
Differences in academic performance
between diabetic and non-diabetic children stem mostly from other factors,
such as family income and behavioral problems.
100 Calories Less A Day Helps to Prevent Weight Gain and Diabetes (02/12/03) Cutting down by 100 calories will not make you lose weight - for that, your calorie deficit would have to be more like 500 calories. But it's a start and a basis on which to build. Exercise is the other way of closing the calorie gap - you could also get rid of those 100 unwanted calories by walking an extra mile (about 2,500 steps) a day - either all at once or divided up into small sections.
Care Demand Reduced Through More Effective Health
Promotion
(02/12/03) We need a
change of mindset from a consumerist approach to an acceptance of
personal and corporate responsibility for more healthy
lifestyles. The cost of health care continues to rise in the face of an
apparently insatiable demand. Unless the actual need for health care can be
reduced to manageable levels, the financial burden will probably become
economically unacceptable.
Diseases Linked to Obesity and Insulin Resistance
(02/12/03)
Peripheral Arterial Disease: Are You a Walking Time Bomb? (02/12/03) Eight to twelve million people in the United States are living with a condition that indicates a fivefold risk of death from heart attack or stroke. Peripheral arterial disease is caused by blockages to the arteries that supply the legs with blood. It is caused by the same risk factors that cause blockages in other arteries of the body, such as in the heart and brain. These risk factors include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
The United States of Obesity (02/11/03) What if an epidemic overtook America, an epidemic that killed 300,000 people a year, sickened millions and cost $117-billion annually? What if that epidemic had spread so rapidly in 10 years that it affected more than 60 percent of adults and, in less than 20 years, had almost tripled among children? Look around, it has happened. Americans have become the fattest people in the world, and it's killing us.
Banish The Beer Belly (02/11/03) Doctors have beaten the beer belly, with the help of testosterone.They doubled the blood level of the hormone in a group of patients and reduced their obesity by more than 15 per cent in just six months. At the same time, cholesterol levels and blood pressure also dropped. A London conference on the male menopause also heard how higher testosterone levels may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, as well as having beneficial effects on bone health, diabetes and depression.
Good Carb, Bad Carb (02/11/03) High-glycemic carbohydrates are bad because they leave the stomach quickly and trigger the rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin, which is soon followed by a crash in blood sugar that prompts renewed hunger. The result can be more calories consumed and more weight gained. More important, a calorie is still a calorie is still a calorie. No matter what combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrate you eat, if you take in more calories than you burn, you'll get fat. Bottom line? Stick to whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid refined carbohydrates as much as you can. Chances are, you'll be less hungry and much healthier.
Roche Reaches For Diabetes Fighter (02/11/03) Roche Holding AG, the world's No. 1 medical-test manufacturer, said Monday, Feb. 10, that it will acquire fellow Swiss company Disetronic Holding AG, the world's second-largest maker of insulin pumps. By combining the businesses, the companies are seeking to develop a more-integrated approach to diagnosing, treating and monitoring diabetes, a metabolic disorder in which the pancreas produces too little or no insulin.
Scientists Make Strides In Diabetes Battle (02/11/03) In the not-too-distant future, all five-year-olds may be given a simple and cheap blood test to see if they are at risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. Those who test positive would be given a shot -- a vaccine that would avert the onset of diabetes.
Obesity Rate Could Reach Nearly 40% In Five Years (02/10/03) Nearly four out of 10 Americans will be obese within five years if people keep packing on pounds at the current rate. Almost 65% are either obese or overweight, 10 to 30 pounds over a healthy weight, which increases their chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer and a host of other health problems.
AHA Endorses Fish Oil Supplements (02/05/03) In a major departure, the AHA (American Heart Association) said—for the first time—that a recommended nutrient could alternatively be consumed as a supplement. The AHA's new fish oil guidelines say patients with documented CHD (coronary heart disease) ideally should get their daily fish oil fix from an approximately 3-ounce serving of a fatty fish such as salmon, herring, trout, or sardines.This is the first pill supplement ever recommended by the AHA.
New Ways to Identify the Diabetes-Prone Before
Pre-Diabetes
(02/05/03)
New marker sialic acid
can predict the onset of diabetes even before weight gain or abnormal blood
sugar levels occur.
Scientists are finding new ways to help identify
diabetes-prone patients early, potentially averting complications such as limb
amputation, blindness and heart disease.
Liver Cells Converted
to Pancreas Beta Cells
(02/05/03)
Tissue switching could lead
to new diabetes treatment.
A study hints that one day portions of diabetics'
livers might be converted into pancreas tissue in the lab
to restore healthy, insulin-producing cells, so that their bodies can store
nutrients properly.
Diabetic Children With Asthma Have Fewer Hypoglycemic Episodes (02/05/03) Diabetic children with treated asthma experience significantly fewer episodes of hypoglycemia and better glycemic control than do children with diabetes alone.
Cardiovascular Risks In Diabetics Can Be Halved (02/05/03) Intense, long-term intervention for Type 2 diabetes cuts risk of cardiovascular (CV) and microvascular events by about half. Patients on the intensive therapy also had a significantly lower risk of CV disease, nephropathy, retinopathy and autonomic neuropathy than did those on conventional therapy.
Antihypertensive Therapy Found to be Suboptimal in Patients With Diabetes (02/05/03) The findings emphasize how clinicians need to be more aggressive in their management of blood pressure in diabetic patients with hypertension. Patients with diabetes also received much less intensive therapy for their high blood pressure than did those without diabetes. One reason for the less aggressive treatment, the researchers speculate, is that physicians may be unfamiliar with current guidelines that call for a target blood pressure of below 130/85 in diabetics.
Smoking Increases Risk of Diabetic Nephropathy Despite
ACE Inhibition
Maggots Best in Debriding Nonhealing Ulcers (02/05/03) Maggot therapy was more effective and efficient in debriding nonhealing foot and leg ulcers in male diabetic veterans than was continued conventional care. In addition to issues of efficacy and safety, future studies also must address the cost-effectiveness of maggot debridement therapy and conditions in which [it] is likely to be futile.
Blood Sugar Linked To Loss Of Memory (02/04/03) New research found that people who don't process blood sugar normally — a silent, pre-diabetic condition — are likely to suffer poor memory and even a shrinkage of the brain region crucial for recall. The good news: If the small study from New York University were confirmed, simple diet and exercise could help many people protect their brains from the fogged memory associated with aging.
Eat Out, Stick To A Healthy Diet - And Enjoy! (02/03/03) Sharing a meal out with family or friends is a pleasurable way to socialize. Having diabetes doesn't have to reduce this enjoyment! You can dine out, entertain, picnic and celebrate the holidays…while eating a healthful diet. Keeping diabetes under control involves making certain changes to your eating habits. Actually, most Americans would benefit from making these changes.
10 Exercise Trends for 2003 (02/03/03) The American Council on Exercise (ACE) -- a workout watchdog group -- says 2003 will be the year of the mind-body workout, senior participation, and a positive mind shift in how exercise is viewed. "The bottom line is, get moving," says McGee. "We have so many obese people. It's because they do less moving and more eating. It really doesn't matter how we move, it just makes a difference that we do it."
Young Diabetics Have High Stroke Risk (02/03/03) If you have diabetes, your risk of stroke is high -- even if you're relatively young. The risk of death from stroke in people with type 1 diabetes was higher at all age groups than in people without diabetes, and that risk increased with age. The risk for men with type 1 was three times higher, and for women it was almost four and a half times higher.
Diabetes Rate Has Doubled In New York City (02/03/03) New York City is facing an epidemic of diabetes, pointing to new figures showing that nearly 8 percent of adults in the city have the disease, double the rate of eight years ago. This rate, which mirrors national trends, is particularly high in the city's poorest neighborhoods, where obesity rates are also extremely high.
Healing Effects of Oxygen (02/03/03) Oxygen can do more than just breathe life into our lungs, according to a new journal report. It also has a role to play in helping heal wounds. The investigators believe this large case report indicates a role for topical oxygen in the treatment of chronic or acute hard-to-heal wounds.
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