Category Archives: Diabetes

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Its hard not to notice that the range of gluten-free foods available in supermarkets has increased massively in recent years. This is partly because the rise in the number of people diagnosed with coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity, and partly because celebrities, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Miley Cyrus and Victoria Beckham,have praised gluten-free diets. What used to be prescription-only food is now a global health fad. But for how much longer? New research from Harvard University has found a link between gluten-free diets and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Gluten is a protein found in cereals such as wheat, rye and barley. It is particularly useful in food production. For example, it gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and keep its shape, and providing a chewy texture. Many types of foods may contain gluten, including less obvious ones such as salad dressing, soup and beer.

Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week

Loaves of bread are seen at a Metro cash and carry store in Kiev, Ukraine, August 17, 2016. Gluten-free versions are not healthier than traditional bread. Valentyn Ogirenko/REUTERS

The same protein that is so useful in food production is a nightmare for people with coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly reacts to gluten as if it were a threat to the body. The condition is quite common, affecting one in 100 people, but only a quarter of those who have the disease have been diagnosed.

There is evidence that the popularity of gluten-free diets has surged, even though the incidence of coeliac disease has remained stable. This is potentially due to increasing numbers of people with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. In these cases, people exhibit some of the symptoms of coelaic disease but without having an immune response. In either case, avoiding gluten in foods is the only reliable way to control symptoms, that may include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.

Without any evidence for beneficial effects, many people without coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity are now turning to gluten-free diets as a healthy alternative to a normal diet. Supermarkets have reacted to meet this need by stocking ever growing free from ranges. The findings of this recent study, however, suggest that there could be a significant drawback to adopting a gluten-free diet that was not previously known.

What the Harvard group behind this study have reported is that there is an inverse association between gluten intake and type 2 diabetes risk. This means that the less gluten found in a diet, the higher the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The data for this exciting finding comes from three separate, large studies thatcollectively included almost 200,000 people. Of those 200,000 people, 15,947 cases of type 2 diabetes were confirmed during the follow-up period. Analysis showed that those who had the highest intake of gluten had an 80 percentlower chance of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who had the lowest levels of gluten intake.

This study has important implications for those who either have to avoid or choose to avoid gluten in their diet. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition that affects more than 400m people worldwidea number which is certain to increase for many years to come.

Collectively, diabetes is responsible for around 10 percentof the entire NHS budget and drugs to treat diabetes alone cost almost 1 billion annually. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes and remission is extremely rare. This means that once diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it is almost impossible to revert back to being healthy.

It is important to note that the data for this study was retrospectively gathered. This allows for very large numbers to be included but relies on food-frequency questionnaires collected every two to four years and the honesty of those recruited to the study. This type of study design is rarely as good as a prospective study where you follow groups of people randomly assigned to either have low- or high-gluten diets over many years. However, prospective studies are expensive to run and its difficult to find enough people willing to take part in them.

While there is some evidence for a link between coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes, this is the first study to show a link between gluten consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. This is an important finding. For those who choose a gluten-free diet because they believe it to be healthy, it may be time to reconsider your food choices.

James Brown, Lecturer in Biology and Biomedical Science, Aston University

Follow this link:
Gluten-Free Diets Actually Increase Risks of Type 2 Diabetes - Newsweek

Special to The Times

Diabetes self-management is important. People living with a diabetes diagnosis must learn to balance the food they eat, exercise and and have an understanding of the medicines they are prescribed. By managing their diabetes, people can prevent or delay diabetic complications such as blindness and amputations. People managing their diabetes can live long and healthful lives.

The Etowah County Extension Office will offer a Diabetes Empowerment Education Program from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 21 through April 25 at the Etowah County Annex Building, 3200-A W. Meighan Blvd.

DEEP sessions include providing information about risk factors for diabetes, complications because of diabetes, health literacy, issues with food (selection, portion sizes, label reading) and living with the diagnosis.

Donna Shanklin, Regional Extension Agent for human nutrition, diet and health, will facilitate the class.

Early registration is advised, as the class size is limited. People do not have to have diabetes to attend.

For more information, call 256-547-7936.

Originally posted here:
Diabetes education program on tap - Holmes County Times Advertiser

Science Daily

Research may provide solutions for the future treatment of diabetes Science Daily In a new study published in the journal Diabetes, researchers at the U of A examined the impact of resveratrol on the community of bacteria, or microbiome, in the gut of obese mice. The team found that feeding resveratrol to obese mice over a period of ... and more »

See the rest here:
Research may provide solutions for the future treatment of diabetes - Science Daily

Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, was a co-author of the study, which examined associations between the sickle cell trait and hemoglobin A1C.

A study has found that levels of hemoglobin A1C a biomarker frequently used to diagnose and manage diabetes are significantly lower in African-Americans with sickle cell trait, compared to those without.

The findings suggest the common blood sugar test may be missing diabetes diagnoses in patients with the trait, which affects up to 10 percent of African-Americans. People with sickle cell trait have inherited just one copy of the mutated sickle cell gene, and generally live normal lives without any symptoms of sickle cell disease.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was co-authored by Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, and Robert Liem, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation.

The hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) test provides a patients average blood glucose over the past three months, based on the amount of glucose that has bonded to hemoglobin in red blood cells. Although the test is commonly used, results can vary for some individuals, especially in those with hemoglobin variants such as sickle cell trait.

In the current, retrospective study of 4,620 African-Americans from two established cohorts, investigators compared HbA1c results between patients with and without sickle cell trait. They discovered that among those with the trait, the mean HbA1c was 5.7 percent, compared to 6.0 in those without even though the two groups showed similar blood glucose levels through other tests.

The test may be underestimating long-term glucose levels in patients with sickle cell trait, the authors noted, and lead to missed opportunities for diabetes diagnosis and intervention.

Robert Liem, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, was also a co-author of the JAMA study.

Clinicians need to be aware that among individuals with sickle cell trait, the use of HbA1c to screen for diabetes or pre-diabetes may be inaccurate, said Liem, also director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago. These data emphasize another reason why African-Americans need to know their sickle cell trait status.

While the investigators arent certain exactly why HbA1c appears to be less accurate in African-Americans with sickle cell trait, one theory is that red blood cells in those with the trait have a shorter life-span, thus giving glucose less time to build up on hemoglobin molecules.

The CARDIA trial was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) contracts HHSN268201300025C, HHSN268201300026C, HHSN268201300027C, HHSN268201300028C, HHSN268201300029C, and HHSN26820090004; the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and an intra-agency agreement between NIA and NHLBI (AG0005). The Jackson Heart Study was supported by contracts HHSN268201300046C, HHSN268201300047C, HHSN268201300048C, HHSN268201300049C, and HHSN268201300050C from the NHLBI and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The research was also supported by F31DK105791; Center of Innovation in Long-Term Services and Support, Providence VA Medical Center; K01DK095928; the intramural program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and NIMHD; the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); NHLBI grant K08HL125100; R01HL107816.

See the original post:
Sickle Cell Trait May Distort Diabetes Test Results - Northwestern University NewsCenter

(Reuters Health) - Women who got their first period at age 11 or earlier are at higher risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy, a recent Australian study suggests.

Being overweight is known to be a factor in early periods and also in whats known as gestational diabetes, but it did not fully explain the link between the two conditions, the researchers write in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Diabetes develops in as many as 9 percent of pregnant women in the United States and can carry serious health risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to have high blood pressure and go into premature labor, said lead study author Danielle Schoenaker, a research officer at The University of Queensland.

There are also consequences for the baby, which is more likely to grow faster and be larger at birth, Schoenaker told Reuters Health by email. In the longer term, both mothers and their children are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

To explore the link between womens age at first menstruation, known as menarche, and their risk of developing gestational diabetes, the study team analyzed data on nearly 5,000 women participating in the larger Australian Longitudinal Study on Womens Health between 2000 and 2012.

The women included in the analysis all reported a live birth during the study and had completed a questionnaire every three to four years, answering questions about when they had their first period and whether they were diagnosed or treated for diabetes during pregnancy. None had type 2 diabetes or a previous history of gestational diabetes at the start of the study.

The average age at which women got their first period was just under 13 years, researchers found.

Women who had their first period at or before age 11 were more likely to have been overweight in childhood, to engage in little physical activity as adults and to currently be overweight or obese.

Overall, 357 women, or about 7.5 percent of the participants, reported being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. These women were also more likely to be overweight or obese and to have a sedentary lifestyle at the beginning of the study.

Women who got their first period before age 11 were 51 percent more likely to develop gestational diabetes, compared with those who started menstruating at age 13.

This was true even after the researchers took into account things that might influence age at menarche or risk for gestational diabetes, including mothers education level, physical activity, previous children, a hormonal condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome and body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight.

Chronic disease risk, such as risk of type 2 or gestational diabetes may be programmed much earlier in life by exposures occurring during developmentally sensitive periods such as puberty, infancy or even intrauterine life, said Dr. Dana Dabelea, a professor at the University of Colorado Denver who studies gestational diabetes but was not involved in this research.

Interventions to address these health issues may need to start earlier to address the risk of diseases like diabetes, Dabelea said by email.

Women with early menarche are at increased risk of diabetes later in life so they should take additional precautions, especially active lifestyles and maintaining a healthy body weight, to mitigate this increased risk, Dabelea said.

Supporting healthy environments and behaviors from early in life are important strategies, and promoting healthy eating and physical activity should be a priority for young mothers and schools, and for all women throughout their lives, Schoenaker said.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2n66XQ5 American Journal of Epidemiology, online March 5, 2017.

(Reuters Health) - - Pain and other symptoms of chronic sinus problems might cause sufferers to miss work or school but depression is their biggest source of lost productivity, a small study suggests.

Days may get a lot longer for some doctors in training after the group that oversees medical education in the United States rolled back controversial rules limiting the number of hours first-year residents may work.

NFL teams violated federal laws governing prescription drugs, according to a Washington Post story based on sealed court documents contained in a federal lawsuit filed by former players against the league and reviewed by the newspaper.

Read more here:
Early first menstruation tied to pregnancy diabetes risk - Reuters

March 10, 2017 09:00 ET | Source: WellDoc Inc.

COLUMBIA, Md., March 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital health technology leader, WellDoc, announced today that Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, BC-ADM, a well-known and respected spokesperson who is passionate about improving the clinical and cost effectiveness of diabetes care and education, will join the Company in a consultative role. In this role, she will advise on further engagement with the expanding BlueStar user base, industry advocacy groups and business partners. Additionally, she will provide social media consultation and strategy, utilizing her long-term adoption and engagement with this medium with the diabetes community. BlueStar is WellDocs FDA-cleared, proven digital therapeutic, which provides real-time and timely individualized coaching and support, as well as diabetes educational tools that are actionable and personal.

Ms. Warshaw also recognizes the value novel devices and technologies bring to the evolution of healthcare delivery. She has been an involved member of the diabetes community for nearly four decades, and has been a strong advocate for diabetes educators and education, as well as for individuals living with diabetes.

Hope is a leader and advocate in the field of diabetes education, and we are excited that she is joining us as a consultant. She brings invaluable insight and counsel to our team, which already encompasses individuals who are passionate about providing solutions to improve diabetes care and self-management, said Kevin McRaith, CEO of WellDoc. Like many of us at WellDoc, Hope is focused on advocating for people with diabetes. Her participation alongside the WellDoc team will help ensure our users needs are consistently top-of-mind as we further enhance BlueStar and work to make it broadly available in the marketplace.

Ms. Warshaw is an accomplished author, having written books and articles for publications that are centered around nutrition and diabetes. She is also the Immediate Past President of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE)joining already highly recognized diabetes educators at WellDoc including Malinda Peeples (AADE Past President) and Janice MacLeod (Former AADE Regional Chapter President).

Its an exciting time at WellDoc as the Company focuses on rolling out BlueStar broadly, and there are many opportunities in the area of diabetes management, community building and advocacy, said Ms. Warshaw. WellDoc is leading the charge in digital health to tackle type 2 diabetes by arming individuals with a robust tool to help them manage their condition to achieve significant health outcomes.

About WellDoc WellDoc is the leading digital health company revolutionizing chronic disease management to help transform lives. Our groundbreaking digital health technology is guiding individuals through the complicated journey of living with chronic diseases, with a goal of improving their health and helping them to be more balanced. We are the first digital health company based on a life science business model, and our foundation is built on randomized clinical trials that demonstrate significant clinical outcomes. We have mastered diabetes management by taking an aggressive and innovative approach that utilizes sophisticated logic and precise algorithms, and integrates the most advanced mobile technology, behavioral insight, and diabetes education for those living with type 2 diabetes. Our FDA-cleared, proven digital therapeutic, BlueStar, provides real-time and timely individualized coaching and support, as well as diabetes educational tools that are actionable and personal. Our clinical evidence shows a 1.7 to 2.0 point A1C reduction for adults living with type 2 diabetes who used BlueStar. For more information, visit http://www.WellDoc.com and http://www.BlueStarDiabetes.com.

Related Articles

DELAPLANE, Virginia, UNITED STATES

WellDoc Inc. Logo

LOGO URL | Copy the link below

Formats available:

Excerpt from:
Diabetes Education Expert and Registered Dietitian Hope Warshaw Joins WellDoc as Consultant - GlobeNewswire (press release)

Alexa? Help pharma find patient solutions.

Thats what Merck & Co. is aiming for in its new partnership with Amazon Web Services to developdigital voice-enabled solutions for people living with chronic diseases.

Using Amazon Lex, the brains behind the Amazon Echo device and its well-known voice-enabled assistant Alexa, Merck plans to initially work on diabetes. Its first initiative will be a call to entrepreneurs, techies and industry types foran innovation challenge expected to begin within the next month.

The yet-to-be-named challenge will be run by strategy and innovation consultancyLuminary Labs. While specifics havent been released, the call to action will be open to solutions broadly enough that innovators of all stripes can come up with really novel ideas but being narrow enough to provide guidance and carefully evaluate submissions, said Sara Holoubek, founder and CEO of Luminary Labs.

An independent jury will evaluate the submissions based on their use ofvoice-enabled technology thataddresses Type 2 diabetes patient issues.

Merck's long-term planis to create tools for otherchronic diseases using the same Amazon Lex platform and the voice-enabled Alexa home system.

Analysts estimate Amazon will sell more than 110 million Amazon Echo devices over the next four years, and many are already pointing to healthcare as an important item on Alexa'seventual to-do list.

Users will soon go far beyond turning on lights or calling an Uber, and will venture deeper into healthcare, helping people better manage treatments and communicate with caregivers," Luminary noteson its website. "From reminding people of their nutrition plans to scheduling their insulin dosages, the Merck-sponsored Alexa challenge will call on developers to push the boundaries of voice technology for people with diabetes."

See more here:
Merck aims to put Amazon's Alexa to work on voice-enabled diabetes tools - FiercePharma

MannKind Corp. will sponsor a new television series this summer on the effects of poorly managed diabetes and its impact on people with the disease.

Reversed will air on Discovery Life Channel. It was created and will be hosted by Charles Mattocks, a celebrity chef and diabetes advocate.

MannKind is continually seeking platforms to increase awareness around the challenges, opportunities and success people living with diabetes encounter on a daily basis, said Michael Castagna, the companys chief commercial officer, in a statement.

The show will follow the lives of individuals affected by diabetes and their struggle to change their diet, exercise and mindset about the disease. It will feature experts such as diabetes educators, endocrinologists, therapists, nutritionists, and trainers, as well as celebrity guests who are also living with diabetes, to help encourage the contestants.

Mattocks, a nephew of Bob Marley, said, My uncle made an impact on the world through music and my vision is to impact health. Reversed is about changing the behavior of those with diabetes.

MannKind, the Valencia-based maker of Afrezza, an inhalable form of insulin, is working with Mattocks production company, Bella & Elle Media LLC.

Read more from the original source:
MannKind Corp. to sponsor TV series on tackling diabetes - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Can sweat patches revolutionise diabetes? BBC News And in extra tests on mice, the sensor was hooked up to a patch of tiny needles to automatically inject diabetes medication. The team at the Seoul National University were trying to overcome the need for "painful blood collection" needed in diabetes ... and more »

Continue reading here:
Can sweat patches revolutionise diabetes? - BBC News

by BARBARA MORSE SILVA, NBC 10 NEWS

New biomedical research shows promise in fighting a complication of diabetes.

Richard Clements, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Brown University and one of the researchers on this project, which was recently funded by the Brown University-based Advance Clinical and Translational Research initiative.

The lab-based, very preliminary research is looking at the vascular system in diabetics and why the blood vessels dont always dilate to accommodate increased blood flow. Thats important for several reasons.

"That can lead to a whole host of problems, said Clements. Vascular problems, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease as well as higher blood pressure."

As part of this research, discarded tissue from diabetic and non-diabetic patients is being used.

"That we can then take and mount in this set up and then we can give it all sorts of drugs without having to worry about patient safety because it's not in the patient anymore," explained Clements.

And then they can, in this lab, measure which drugs improve the condition. Right now, this research is only in the lab. But, eventually, it will involve animal and then human testing.

"This is kind of the beginning stages of what could, 10 years down the line, turn into some sort of treatment," said Clements.

This is one of the first pilot awards from the Brown University-based Advance Clinical Translational Research initiative, which received funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

The total of this five-year program award is $19.5 million. Its purpose is to fund collaborative research involving multiple partners, depending on the project, including researchers from Brown University, Lifespan, Care New England, the Providence VA Medical Center, URI and the Rhode Island Quality Institute.

Originally posted here:
Health Check: Research into diabetes complication - Turn to 10