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Tag: type 2 diabetes

  • Alzheimer’s Disease Linked To Type 2 Diabetes?

    Alzheimer’s disease has been linked with Type 2 Diabetes in a new study published by Neurology.

    The study suggests the possibility that people who suffer with Type 2 Diabetes may form more of the brain “tangles” associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

    The Alzheimer’s study followed 124 aging adults with Type 2 Diabetes and almost 700 without.

    Some participants had Alzheimer’s, while others had mild problems with memory and thinking.

    Some others were mentally sharp with no signs of any form of dementia.

    The study found that those with Diabetes had more thinning in the brain’s cortex and had higher levels of tau protein in their spinal fluid.

    Tau protein reportedly indicates tangles in the brain.

    One theory that researchers put out could be the cause of the link is that Type 2 Diabetes may cause brain abnormalities that pile on to other degenerative changes that ultimately lead to dementia.

    Senior researcher Dr. Velandai Srikanth, a geriatrician at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, admitted that the study shows only a correlation between Type 2 Diabetes and brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

    He said Type 2 Diabetes may or may not be the direct cause since there are many other factors to consider, like obesity. People that have Diabetes are often obese and obese people tend to have more of these tangles.

    High blood sugar, an occurrence in those with Type 2 Diabetes, could also be a factor, according to researchers.

    The study suggested that people with Type 2 Diabetes carried nearly twice the risk of forming Alzheimer’s brain tangles as those who don’t have it.

    Interesting stuff! If you have Type 2 Diabetes, have you experienced any memory loss or other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?

  • Diabetes: Surprising New Research Revealed

    Lack of exercise and obesity are high risk factors for people with type 2 diabetes. In order to help patients manage the disease, doctors recommend that they watch what they eat and do some form of physical activity every day. However, a new scientific review by Lauren M. Sparks and her colleague Natalie A. Stephens reveals some very surprising information.

    Sparks, Ph.D. of the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes at Florida Hospital and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in Orlando, believes that genetics may play a bigger role in what helps patients manage their type 2 diabetes. According to the research published by Sparks and Stephens in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, one in five patients do not benefit from physical activity.

    “But at this stage, we do not know who will and who will not respond to an exercise program,” said Sparks who believes that more research needs to be done in order to find out why some patients benefit from exercise and some do not. She added, “We can then ultimately develop novel strategies, while still using exercise, to help them in their quest to either prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes or to get their diabetes under control.”

    The research monitored 45 adults in their mid-50s with type 2 diabetes. All the participants exercised for nine months, some used treadmills three or four days a week. However, about 20 percent saw no changes in key measurements like HbA1c (a measure of blood glucose concentration over long periods of time), fat burning ability, Body Mass Index (BMI), and body fat.

    “We now know that about 15 to 20 percent of individuals do not respond to supervised exercise interventions – at least in terms of glucose control and muscle metabolism,” Sparks said. “And for many, it’s not from a lack of trying. They are making an effort.”

    Sparks believes that doctors should continue to tell their patients to exercise. There are clearly positive health benefits that come from regular physical activity. She hopes that her study sparks more research into determining why so many patients do not respond to exercise.

  • Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity Linked to Fast-Food Proximity, Shows Study

    It should come as no surprise that unhealthy foods such as those commonly served at fast-food restaurants are related to medical problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. A new study has gone even further, however, finding that the number of fast-food restaurants in a community can be seen as a predictor of such symptoms.

    The study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, found that an individual’s proximity to fast-food restaurants could be linked to their risk of type-2 diabetes and obesity. More specifically the study’s authors found that for every two additional fast-food restaurants in a neighborhood, that neighborhood could expect one additional person with diabetes.

    “This work has several notable strengths; namely, it is the first study, to our knowledge, to look at the association between the number of neighbourhood fast-food outlets and type 2 diabetes in a multi-ethnic population,” said Patrice Carter, a co-author of the study and a research associate at the University of Leicester. “Although it is not possible to infer causal effect, our study found that plausible causal mechanisms exist.”

    Another disturbing trend seen in the study’s data is that poorer, non-white communities were more likely to have a greater number of fast-food restaurants. People of non-white ethnicity were found to have more than twice the number of fast-food restaurants in their neighborhood compared to white Europeans.

    “We found a much higher number of fast-food outlets in more deprived areas where a higher number of black and minority ethnic populations resided,” said Dr. Kamlesh Khunti, a co-author of the study and a professor of primary care diabetes & vascular medicine at the University of Leicester. “This in turn was associated with higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes. The results are quite alarming and have major implications for public health interventions to limit the number of fast-food outlets in more deprived areas.”

    Khunti and his colleagues believe that this study could have a significant impact on future health policy, diabetes prevention, and community zoning laws. In the U.K. data from the study, which looked at over 10,000 people, has already been used to inform NHS Health Checks Programme recommendations.

  • Diabetes in Adolescents Linked to Antipsychotics

    As the prevalence of diabetes around the world rises, more researchers are turning their attention to the disease and its possible causes. Some medical researchers are focusing their efforts on juvenile diabetes, research that may help to curb rising diagnoses of type 2 diabetes among adolescents.

    A new study published in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found a peculiar link between diabetes and commonly used psychiatric drugs. Researchers at the Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark have uncovered what appears to be a link between type 2 diabetes and antipsychotics.

    The study found that adolescents diagnosed with psychiatric disorders were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they were also prescribed antipsychotic drugs. The risk of developing diabetes in children who were prescribed antipsychotic drugs was found to be 0.72 percent. This compares to just a 0.27 percent chance of developing diabetes for children who were diagnosed with a psychiatric condition but not exposed to antipsychotics. The type of psychiatric condition the children were diagnosed with was found to have no impact on their risk of developing diabetes.

    The study looked at 48,299 Danish youth who were diagnosed with psychiatric conditions between 1999 and 2010.

    The study’s authors believe their findings raise concerns about the use of antipsychotic drugs for non-psychiatric conditions, such as behavioral disorders. They advocate only prescribing antipsychotics to adolescents when other treatment options have been exhausted. The researchers also suggest that cardiometabolic monitoring should be standard when prescribing antipsychotics for adolescents, including fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C testing.

    “The use of antipsychotic drug treatment can be necessary for some of the psychiatric disorders diagnosed in children and adolescents,” said Dr. Rene Ernst Nielsen, lead author of the study and a psychiatry researcher at Aalborg University Hospital. “This study underscores the importance of following the current guidelines that antipsychotics should only be used in children and adolescents when other evidence-based and safer treatment options have been exhausted.”

  • Diabetes, Obesity Linked by Missing Protein

    It’s been clear now for decades that obesity is somehow linked to the development of diabetes. As Americans have grown to staggering proportions, diabetes diagnoses have risen accordingly, even among teens. Exactly why this is the case isn’t fully understood, but researchers are now closing in on some answers.

    A new study published in the journal Cell Reports suggests that the link between obesity and diabetes could be related to the absence of a specific protein integral to insulin signalling. Researchers from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have found that a protein dubbed NUCKS is simply missing in the bodies of obese people.

    The NUCKS protein is part of a process that allows the human body to respond to insulin hormones. Without it, the body has a more difficult time of regulating blood glucose levels, leading to insulin resistance and consistently high blood glucose levels associated with the development of diabetes.

    “It is alarming that obesity is a huge risk factor for many ailments, including diabetes,” said Vinay Teraonkar, lead scientist on the study and a researcher at the IMDB. “Having identified this protein, we are now a step closer towards removing one of these complications from individuals suffering from obesity.”

    According to the study’s authors, the NUCKS discovery is the first direct molecular link found between obesity and the risk of diabetes. The finding could also eventually lead to treatments for obese people such as drugs or prescribed lifestyle therapies that could raise the prevalence of NUCKS in their bodies, cutting their risk for developing diabetes.

    “IMCB is now focusing research on molecular mechanisms underlying diseases, which is important in developing future treatments for prevailing human diseases,” said Hong Wanjin, executive director for the IMCB. “We are excited to be a pioneer in uncovering a molecular link between these two common health problems. The incidence of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity has been rising over the years, and these findings will prove valuable in further developing therapeutic approaches for them.”

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Type 2 Diabetes Rises 30 Percent In Youth

    Type 2 Diabetes Rises 30 Percent In Youth

    Diabetes is a disorder of the metabolism, the way our bodies use digested food for energy, according to WebMD. Most of our food is converted into glucose, the type of sugar in the blood, where it is used by cells for growth and energy. For glucose to get into our cells there must be insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. But for people with diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin.

    Children with diabetes are on the rise, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the study, researchers found a 21 percent rise in type 1 diabetes in youth from the ages of birth to 19 years. They also found a 30.5 percent rise in type 2 diabetes in youth ranging from 10 to 19 years.

    The study is being published in the May 7 issue of JAMA, an issue with the theme of child health. It is being released early to coincide with Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting.

    In the study, the researchers wanted to see if there had been a legitimate rise in cases of diabetes among the youth from 2001 to 2009, and if the rise was associated with gender, age, and race or ethnicity.

    They write, “Understanding changes in prevalence according to population subgroups is important to inform clinicians about care that will be needed for the pediatric population living with diabetes and may provide direction for other studies designed to determine the causes of the observed changes.”

    The study population came from five centers located in California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington State. Data was also taken from selected Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico.

    Researchers found that in 2009 6666 of 3.4 million youth were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes compared to 4958 of 3.3 million youth in 2001. The prevalence rate for 2009 was 1.93 per 1000 youth. It increased across all demographic barriers, with the lone exception of the 0 to 4 age group for American Indians.

    For type 2 diabetes researchers found in 2009 819 of 1.8 million youth were diagnosed, compared to 588 of 1.7 million youth in 2001. The prevalence rate for 2009 was 0.46 per 1000 youth. The researchers write, “Significant increases occurred between 2001 and 2009 in both sexes, all age-groups, and in white, Hispanic, and black youth, with no significant changes for Asian Pacific Islanders and American Indians.”

    Although researchers in the discussion section speculated on causes of the rise of both types of diabetes amongst the youth of the population, they declined to offer a firm conclusion of causality, simply saying, “Further studies are required to determine the causes of these increases.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Genetic Mutation Kills Off Type 2 Diabetes

    U.S. researchers earlier this week released the results of a study based on the genetic testing of 150,000 people that found a rare mutation that protects individuals from Type 2 diabetes, even the obese or elderly.

    David Altshuler, co-senior author, deputy director and chief academic officer at the Broad Institute and a Harvard Medical School professor at Massachusetts General Hospital said the findings focus on the search to develop new treatment therapies for people with Type 2 diabetes.

    The genetic mutation reduces risk significantly, by two-thirds, and proves promising in the development of a new drug that act like the mutations.

    The mutation is effective in that it destroys a gene used by pancreas cells, where insulin is made. Individuals carrying the mutation seem to produce slightly more insulin and have slightly lower blood glucose levels throughout their lifespan.

    The study, published in Nature Genetics Sunday, notes that the mutation is extremely rare and that finding it was only recently possible, through the testing of a large group of people and vast amounts of data.

    Pfizer helped finance the study, and Amgen owns a company that played a large role in conducting the research. Both companies said they are establishing programs to develop drugs that mimic the mutations.

    ltshuler and colleagues studied the genome of aging, overweight people who had normal blood sugar levels.

    The initial analysis revealed a mutation in the gene SLC30A8 that stopped it from functioning — a discovery the research team found surprising. Previous studies in mice showed mutations in this gene increased the risk of type 2 diabetes.

    Scientists studied the genome of overweight and aging people who had normal blood sugar levels.

    The initial findings revealed a mutation in the gene SLC30A8 that stopped it from functioning.  Researchers found the results surprising because previous studies in mice showed mutations in this gene increased the risk of type 2 diabetes.

    This is the first time in diabetes research that a mutation that destroys a gene has proved beneficial, noted Louis Philipson, director of the Kovler Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago.

    Altshuler and his colleagues said the further genetic analysis of 150,000 patients exhibited that rare mutations in the gene SLC30A8 reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 65 percent. The results were seen in patients from various ethnic groups. The research team is hopeful the findings will prove useful in developing a broad range drug to fight Type 2 diabetes.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sleep Apnea May Contribute to Diabetes Complications

    Last summer, the Department of Veterans Affairs was tasked with a strange goal. The VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation asked the VA to find ways to address the epidemic that was claims being filed for those veterans suffering from sleep apnea.

    When one looks at the numbers of those claiming to be a victim of sleep apnea, one can understand the cause for alarm. Since the events of September 11, 2001, those veterans receiving compensation due to complications from sleep apnea increase 25-fold, with 13 percent of all veterans receiving compensation claiming benefits due to sleep apnea.

    Obstructive sleep apnea, or OAS, is the most common form of sleep apnea and is caused whenever the soft tissue surrounding the throat collapses in during sleep, obstructing breathing airways. The most common cause of OAS? Being overweight.

    Dr. Lisa Liberatore, an otolaryngologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, has stated that her clinics most oft given advice from those who suffer from sleep apnea is a little bit of exercise and a healthier diet: “Our approach to treating obstructive sleep apnea is always to address any weight issues. We have many examples of when patients lose weight their snoring and apnea reduces significantly. A proactive approach is even better. Telling and showing patients how weight gain — even modest amounts — can and will lead to sleep apnea is a powerful message.”

    Due to sleep apnea being caused mainly by being overweight or obese, it should come as no surprise that sleep apnea may have an adverse affect on one’s diabetes condition.

    A recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care reports that sleep apnea can worsen one’s longtime control over blood sugar levels in patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes.

    Those who suffer from sleep apnea average 4 hours per night of CPAP usage, a breathing machine which forces air into breathing pathways, keeping the throat open and the patient able to breathe. This low amount of CPAP usage means that most patients suffer from apneas, or pauses in breathing, during REM sleep. Researchers at the University of Chicago discovered in their study that proper REM sleep is key to reducing the amount of glycated hemoglobin, a measure of the amount of glucose in one’s body over longer periods of time.

    Those sleep apnea patients who wore their CPAP mask for 7 hours or more during the night saw a 1% decrease in levels of glycated hemoglobin, a positive sign for those suffering from diabetes.

    In light of all the information presented here, the task for the Department of Veterans Affairs should now be easy: If one wants to reduce the amount of benefits received from patients claiming to suffer from sleep apnea, doctors should recommend a healthier diet and exercise. But then again, that may make too much sense.

    Image via ThinkStock

  • How Soda Can Seriously Harm Your Health

    How Soda Can Seriously Harm Your Health

    Most people are already aware that soda pop is not a health food and is probably not a good drink choice. Now, there is more proof that it isn’t – as a recent report by Food MythBusters has shown some disturbing health effects of this bubbly and sugary drink that might have you off soda for good.

    Food MythBusters is a consumer friendly organization that reports and exposes the truth, good or bad, about our food industry.

    Asthma:

    Disorders linked to soda include asthma, compliments of the sodium benzoate contained in the drink, which is used as a preservative to add shelf life. Although it is not proven a cause, it is said to contribute to the disease and its symptoms.

    A French medical journal recorded a case of asthma in a young girl who was in and out of the hospital monthly due to asthma attacks. After 12 months of avoiding benzoates in foods, drinks and medications, she became asthma-free.

    Type 2 Diabetes

    The MythBusters report claims: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases dramatically — 80 percent — for soda sippers. The effects of soda to the now common disease, Type 2 diabetes, is common knowledge, especially for those who listen to their doctors.

    According to Health line: Type 2 Diabetes is a common and increasingly prevalent illness that is largely preventable. Nearly 26 million people in the United States have diabetes.

    Heart Disease

    Heart disease is the number one killer in America, and drinking soda can contribute to obesity, which leads to heart disease. Seventy percent of cardiovascular disease is related to obesity. High fructose corn syrup is not only in our beverages, but also in the biggest percentage of processed foods, and it may be poisoning our health. It has been associated with heightening the risk of metabolic syndrome. According to experts, obesity and heart disease go hand in hand.

    Obesity

    Soda is one of the main causes of the obesity crisis in America, obviously, people love their soda. But, with obesity on the rise not only in adults but also in children, it is becoming an expensive medical crisis, at 21 percent of U.S. healthcare costs.

    And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity contributes to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, hypertension, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and repertory problems, osteoarthritis and gynecological problems.

    Soda is not the sole culprit for many diseases and ailments, but it sure would be a good idea to understand that it is dangerous to human health.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • New Study to Examine Vitamin D, Diabetes Prevention Link

    The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced that a new clinical trial to research vitamin D’s role in diabetes prevention has begun. The “large-scale” study, nicknamed D2d, will look at around 2,500 people over the age of 30 with prediabetes. Researchers hope to determine whether vitamin D can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in such patients.

    “This study aims to definitively answer the question: Can vitamin D reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?” said Dr. Myrlene Staten, a project officer on the new study at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). “Vitamin D use has risen sharply in the U.S. in the last 15 years, since it has been suggested as a remedy for a variety of conditions, including prevention of type 2 diabetes. But we need rigorous testing to determine if vitamin D will help prevent diabetes. That’s what D2d will do.”

    The study will give half of study participants a 4,000 IU dose of vitamin D daily – five times the 600 IU to 800 IU intake the NIH says adults typically receive. The other half of study participants will receive a placebo. The NIH is currently seeking participants to volunteer in the D2d study.

    According to NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin Rodgers, almost 26 million Americans have diabetes (including Tom Hanks), and around 79 million more have prediabetes. Rodgers and his colleagues believe, based on previous studies, that vitamin D could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 25%.

    “Past observational studies have suggested that higher levels of vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing type 2 diabetes, but until this large, randomized and controlled clinical trial is complete, we won’t know if taking vitamin D supplements lowers the risk of diabetes,” said Dr. Anastassios Pittas, principal investigator on the new study and a professor of medicine at Tufts University.

  • Fruits Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

    Fruits Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

    The common admonishment for children to eat their fruits and vegetables may have more truth behind it than most common food adages. A new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health has partially confirmed the saying, linking fruits to a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes.

    The study, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at the fruit consumption habits of 187,382 people from a variety of studies conducted between 1984 and 2008. Researchers found that participants who ate more whole fruits such as grapes, apples, and blueberries were at a lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate less whole fruits. The study also found that fruit juice alone was associated with a greater risk for type 2 diabetes.

    “While fruits are recommended as a measure for diabetes prevention, previous studies have found mixed results for total fruit consumption,” said Qi Sun, a co-author of the study and a nutrition professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Our findings provide novel evidence suggesting that certain fruits may be especially beneficial for lowering diabetes risk.”

    The study found that those who ate at least two servings of whole fruits per week reduced their diabetes risk by up to 23% over those who ate only one serving of whole fruit per month or less. Those who drank one or more servings of fruit juice per day had an increased type 2 diabetes risk of up to 21%.

    Researchers stated that the high sugar content of fruit juice could explain its association with diabetes. However, of the whole fruits studied (grapes, grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, pears, apples, bananas, apricots, and cantaloupe) sugar content was not significantly associated with diabetes.

    “Our data further endorse current recommendations on increasing whole fruits, but not fruit juice, as a measure for diabetes prevention,” said Isao Muraki, lead author of the study and a nutrition research fellow at Harvard. “And our novel findings may help refine this recommendation to facilitate diabetes prevention.”

  • Weight Loss Doesn’t Lower Heart Risks For Diabetics, Shows Study

    A long-term study of weight loss among Type 2 diabetics has just concluded, yielding interesting results that have been published in the most recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The 11-year trial looked at more than 5,000 patients with Type 2 diabetes. The study was done by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh as part of the U.S. Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Researcher Group.

    Starting in 2001, patients were put onto two groups. One group received the study’s Intensive Lifestyle Intervention, which provided patients with a program for weight management and increased physical activity. The other group was given Diabetes Support and Education, which is only general health information for diabetics. The patients were between the ages of 45 and 75, had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and had a body-mass index of 25 or greater (the CDC’s definition of an overweight adult).

    After 11 years, the two groups were found to have no significant differences when it came to heart attack and stroke risks.

    “While the findings from the Look AHEAD study did not support that engagement in a weight-loss intervention was effective for reducing the onset of cardiovascular disease incidence or mortality, this does not mean that overweight adults with diabetes should not lose weight and become more physically active,” said John Jakicic, chair of the University of Pittsburgh’s Weight Management Research Center. “Rather, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence from this study to date that has shown that weight loss and physical activity were associated with numerous other health benefits.

    “These include improving physical function and quality of life, reduction in risk factors such as lipids and blood pressure with less reliance on medication, better diabetes control with less reliance on medication, improved sleep, psychological and emotional health benefits, and many others. Thus, adults with diabetes can begin to realize many of these health benefits with even modest reductions in body weight and modest increases in physical activity.”

    The study’s authors have speculated that a greater amount of weight loss than that seen in the study may be necessary for diabetics to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. It was also suggested that both groups’ cardiovascular health may have improved at a comparable rate due to the study providing all patients with annual feed back on their health.

    The study did find that its Intensive Lifestyle Intervention was effective at encouraging weight loss in patients. Those in the intervention group lost an average of 8.7% of their starting body weight after one year, and maintained an average of 6% off their starting weight loss at the end of the trial. The education group only averaged 0.7% of their body weight lost after one year, and only maintained an average of 3.5% off their starting body weight at the end of the study.

  • Diabetes Drug Approved by U.S. FDA Committee

    A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee this week approved the drug canagliflozin for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. The Endrocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA voted 10 to 5 to approve the drug.

    Canagliflozin, which Johnson & Johnson has given the proposed trade name of Invokana, will, if further approved by the FDA later this year, be the first of a new type of diabetes drugs to be available in the U.S. It is a selective glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor that blocks the reabsorption of glucose by the kidneys, which increases glucose excretion and lowers blood glucose levels. People with type 2 diabetes have kidneys that reabsorb greater-than-normal amounts of glucose back into the body.

    “We are pleased with the positive recommendation from the committee and look forward to working with the FDA to bring this important new therapy to patients in the U.S. to help them manage their type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Peter Stein, head of the Metabolism Development and Diabetes Disease Area departments at Janssen Research & Development, the Johnson & Johnson R&D company that developed the drug. “Today’s outcome represents an important step toward achieving that goal.”

    The approval came after the results of a phase 3 clinical trial were presented at diabetes conferences last year. According to Janssen, the trial, which looked at 10,285 patients, was the “largest late-stage development program for an investigational pharmacologic product for the treatment of type 2 diabetes” ever submitted to health authorities. The results showed that canagliflozin improved glycemic control and was associated with weight loss and lower blood pressure. The side effects of the drug included yeast infections and urinary tract infections.

  • Diabetes Drug Works Differently Than Was Previously Thought

    For half a century one of the most popular and most-prescribed classes of diabetes drugs has been biguanides, which includes the drug metformin. Metformin helps to keep liver glucose output in check, which, in turn, keeps blood sugar down in type 2 diabetes patients. Until now, however, doctors weren’t exactly sure how metformin, was accomplishing this feat.

    “Overall, metformin lowers blood glucose by decreasing liver production of glucose,” said Dr. Morris Birnbaum, a researcher at the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania. “But we didn’t really know how the drug accomplished that.”

    It was suggested in the past that metformin reduces glucose by activating an enzyme called AMPK. However, this hypothesis was shot down in 2010 when researchers found that mice without AMPK in their livers still responded to metformin, suggesting the drug works in a different way.

    Birnbaum and his colleagues this week published the results of a new study in the journal Nature. Their research found that metformin antagonizes the action of glucagon, which reduces fasting glucose levels. Metformin was also shown to accumulate AMP in mice, which leads to the blocking of glucagon-dependent glucose output from the liver.

    While the new discovery might be seen as an exercise in curiosity, the new study’s findings may lead to new drugs that work similarly to metformin. The study’s authors stated that new drugs could get around metformin’s affect on cell mitochondria, avoiding some of the side effects that go along with the drug.

    (Image courtesy Morris Birnbaum, M.D., Ph.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania/Nature)

  • Diabetes Ignored When Cancer Hits, Says Study

    A new study shows that people with type 2 diabetes who are diagnosed with cancer ignore their diabetes in favor of cancer treatment. However, uncontrolled high blood sugar weakens their immune systems and is more likely to kill them than cancer.

    The study, published in the journal Population Health Management, also showed that diabetics who received education about diabetes management after they were diagnosed with cancer were more likely to keep their blood sugar under control. They had fewer admissions to hospitals and emergency rooms, and their health care costs were also lower.

    “People with diabetes hear cancer and they think that it is a death sentence, so who cares about diabetes at this point?” said Dr. June McKoy, a co-author of the study and the director of geriatric oncology at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. “But if they’re not careful, it’s the diabetes that will take them out of this world, not the cancer. That’s why this education is so critical when cancer comes on board. Patients must take care of both illnesses.”

    Type 2 diabetes weakens patient’s immune system, putting them at higher risk for cancer and lowering their body’s ability to fight off cancer. For those with the disease, uncontrolled high blood sugar can cause kidney damage and blindness, or lead to foot amputation if blood vessels are damaged.

    “If you are not taking good care of your diabetes, your cancer suffers, too,” said McKoy.

    The study looked at five years worth of health records for 166,000 commercial insurance patients and 56,000 Medicare Advantage patients. Researchers found that 65.2% of patients who were educated about diabetes had their hemoglobin tested with a doctor at least twice over a period of three years. Among those who did not receive the education, only 48% had their hemoglobin tested over three years. The group of patients who received education had 416 emergency room visits over three years, while those who did not had 463 visits.

    “If you don’t have the power of education, you are flailing in the wind,” said McKoy. “You have to get this information and physicians really need to be information brokers for our patients. Having diabetes and then getting cancer can be overwhelming.”

  • Diabetes Treatment Drug Shows Encouraging Results in Trials

    At the 48th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) this week in Berlin, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, and Eli Lilly announced data from three analyses for linagliptin, a new type 2 diabetes treatment.

    The studies found that linagliptin lowered hemoglobin A1C in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes and adults with type 2 diabetes and renal disease. A1C provides an index of blood glucose control for the previous two to three months in people with diabetes. The companies stated that a fourth study found that adding linagliptin to basal insulin improved blood glucose control without an extra risk for hypoglycemia or weight gain, when compared to a placebo.

    Linagliptin is marketed in the U.S. as Tradjenta. It is a once-daily treatment that has been shown to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

    “We are committed to developing and providing therapeutic solutions, such as linagliptin, for adult patients with type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Christophe Arbet-Engels, vice president for the metabolic-clinical development and medical affairs division at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We look forward to continuing our ongoing clinical trial program to assess how linagliptin may address the various needs of these patients.”

    One of the analyses pooled data from seven phase three trials covering 1,331 patients. It showed that patients who used linagliptin alone or with other glucose-lowering therapies had a reduction in A1C of 0.62% at 24 weeks in elderly patients (those over 65 years old).

    Another post-hoc analysis showed that elderly patients treated with linagliptin showed a “significant reduction” in urinary albumin-to-creatine ratio, which measures glomerular integrity for patients with diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage).

    The third study looked at non-elderly patients treated with linagliptin and found a 0.53% reduction in A1C after 52 weeks.

  • Diabetes: American Teens Currently at High Risk

    Diabetes in American teenagers is at all time high, according to recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1999, nearly 9% of kids either had diabetes or pre-diabetes, though that number has jumped to an astronomical 23% in 2008. Interestingly, the percentage of obesity in children between the ages of 12 and 19 has essentially remained the same.

    Ashleigh May, an epidemiologist with the CDC, says that education and screening are important elements in preventing this problem from getting worse. “Pediatricians and other healthcare providers who work with adolescents need to be aware of, and follow through with, screening guidelines and recommendations for obesity and also other cardiovascular risk factors, and suggest appropriate behavioral interventions,” she explained.

    The June issue of Pediatrics presents findings of a biannual survey that involved 3,383 adolescents from across the nation. After interviewing each one and performing physical examinations, researchers found that body mass index directly relates to the child’s chance of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Nearly 49% of overweight children were at risk for developing problems, while 61% of those classified as obese could find themselves in dire straits if changes weren’t applied to their lifestyles. Kids with normal weight, meanwhile, had a 37% risk.

    Although cardiovascular disease is rare in children, factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and unhealthy cholesterol levels can ultimately lead to complications down the road.

    The silver lining is that risks for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol, are relatively the same as they were a decade ago.