Category Archives: Diabetes

By Karen Pallarito

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of all deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes in the United States are associated with diets that skimp on certain foods and nutrients, such as vegetables, and exceed optimal levels of others, like salt, a new study finds.

Using available studies and clinical trials, researchers identified 10 dietary factors with the strongest evidence of a protective or harmful association with death due to "cardiometabolic" disease.

"It wasn't just too much 'bad' in the American diet; it's also not enough 'good,'" said lead author Renata Micha.

"Americans are not eating enough fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, vegetable oils or fish," she said.

Micha is an assistant research professor at the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston.

The researchers used data from multiple national sources to examine deaths from cardiometabolic diseases -- heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes -- in 2012, and the role that diet may have played.

"In the U.S. in 2012, we observed about 700,000 deaths due to those diseases," Micha said. "Nearly half of these were associated with suboptimal intakes of the 10 dietary factors combined."

Too much salt in people's diets was the leading factor, accounting for nearly 10 percent of cardiometabolic deaths, according to the analysis.

The study identifies 2,000 milligrams a day, or less than 1 teaspoon of salt, as the optimal amount. While experts don't agree on how low to go, there is broad consensus that people consume too much salt, Micha noted.

Other key factors in cardiometabolic death included low intake of nuts and seeds, seafood omega-3 fats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and high intake of processed meats (such as cold cuts) and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Each of these factors accounted for between 6 percent and 9 percent of deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

"Optimal" intake of foods and nutrients was based on levels associated with lower disease risk in studies and clinical trials. Micha cautioned that these levels are not conclusive. Optimal intake "could be modestly lower or higher," she explained.

Low consumption of polyunsaturated fats (found in soybean, sunflower and corn oils) accounted for just over 2 percent of cardiometabolic deaths, according to the study. High consumption of unprocessed red meats (such as beef) was responsible for less than one half of 1 percent of these deaths, the analysis showed.

The take-home message: "Eat more of the good and less of the bad," Micha said.

Vegetable intake, for example, was considered optimal at four servings per day. That would be roughly equivalent to 2 cups of cooked or 4 cups of raw veggies, she said.

Fruit intake was deemed optimal at three daily servings: "For example, one apple, one orange and half of an average-size banana," she continued.

"And eat less salt, processed meats, and sugary-sweetened beverages," she said.

The study also found that poor diet was associated with a larger proportion of deaths at younger versus older ages, among people with lower versus higher levels of education, and among minorities versus whites.

Dr. Ashkan Afshin is acting assistant professor of global health at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

"I commend the current study's authors for exploring sociodemographic factors, like ethnicity and education, and their role in the relationship of diet with cardiometabolic disease," said Afshin, who was not involved in the study.

"This is an area that deserves more attention so that we may fully understand the connection between diet and health," he said.

The study doesn't prove that improving your diet reduces risk of death from heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but suggests that dietary changes may have an impact.

"It is important to know which dietary habits affect health the most so that people can make healthy changes in how they eat and how they feed their families," Afshin said.

The study was published March 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In an accompanying journal editorial, researchers from Johns Hopkins University urged caution in interpreting the findings.

According to Noel Mueller and Dr. Lawrence Appel, the results may be biased by the number of dietary factors included, the interaction of dietary factors and the authors' "strong assumption" that evidence from observational studies implies a cause-and-effect relationship.

Still, the editorialists concluded that the likely benefits of an improved diet "are substantial and justify policies designed to improve diet quality."

WebMD News from HealthDay

SOURCES: Renata Micha, R.D., Ph.D., assistant research professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston; Ashkan Afshin, M.D., Sc.D., acting assistant professor of global health, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle; March 7, 2017, Journal of the American Medical Association

Continued here:
Poor Diet Tied to Heart Disease, Diabetes Deaths - WebMD

Researchers at New York University's School of Medicine found that diabetes increased the risk of cancer death among Asians by an average of 26 percent, a statistic similar in the West.

Data for the new study drew on an analysis of 770,000 people with Type 2 diabetes throughout East and South Asia. Diabetics were followed for an average of 13 years to see if they developed cancer and what types. During that time more than 37,300 cancer deaths were identified.

Yu Chen, an epidemiology professor at the NYU School of Medicines Department of Population Health who was the study's lead author, says Asians with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to be diagnosed with rarer cancers than Westerners, including cancers of the liver, thyroid and kidney which was double the risk compared to non-diabetics in Asia.

There was also a 2.7 percent increased risk of cancer of the endometrium and a 1.7 percent higher risk of breast cancer among diabetic Asians compared to those who were not diabetic.

The number of cancers of the gallbladder and bile ducts in Asia were comparable to those in the West, according to Chen. Those sites are closer in the body to the pancreas, where insulin is made.

Chen thinks there may be several mechanisms at work, but data suggests that insulin may in some way stimulate the growth of cancer.

Patients with diabetes that have high levels of insulin, some cancers are very sensitive to insulin, so it may promote the tumor growing, she said.

The findings were published in the journal Diabetologia.

Chen said the study was undertaken because there's been little research on an association between diabetes and cancer in Asia.

She said the research suggests Type 2 diabetes should be added to the list of cancer risk factors, along with diet and cigarette smoking.

Cancer prevention needs to take into account for diabetes the lifestyles related to diabetes [which] may reduce the risk of diabetes and also cancer, she said.

Chen suggested that diabetics should receive more cancer screenings, in addition to medical interventions to reduce the risk of diabetes overall.

Read the original:
Study: Diabetes Linked to Cancer in Asia - Voice of America

Forbes

Can Silicon Valley Cure Diabetes With Low Carbs And High Tech? Forbes Imagine a treatment for Type 2 diabetes that requires neither surgery, medication nor calorie restriction, but rather relies on adherence to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, tracked by regular finger-stick checks of blood chemistry, and guided ... With $37 million in funding, health startup Virta aims to cure type 2 diabetes by watching what you eatTechCrunch Virta Health Launches to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes as New Study Demonstrates Reversal Possible without SurgeryBusiness Wire (press release) all 3 news articles »

Continue reading here:
Can Silicon Valley Cure Diabetes With Low Carbs And High Tech? - Forbes

Low carbohydrate diets should be considered for diabetes ... Science Daily Following a reduced carbohydrate diet can help to lower blood glucose levels, providing a safe and effective strategy for managing diabetes, new research ... and more »

Read more here:
Low carbohydrate diets should be considered for diabetes ... - Science Daily

VALLEY COTTAGE, New York, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Growing number of diabetics in the US, Canada and European countries has been compelling hospitals to keep artificial pancreas systems in stock. Government-funded organisations in North America and Europe are collaborating with local as well as global medical device manufacturers to meet the rising demand for artificial pancreas systems. A latest report published by Future Market Insights reveals that the value of artificial pancreas systems market in North America and Europe reached US$ 86.5 Mn by the end of 2016. The report also predicts that people suffering from diabetes in these regions will keep opting for artificial pancreas systems in order to control their blood sugar levels externally.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/430874LOGO )

Lifestyle of residents in Europe and North America is triggering the incidence of diabetes (type 1 as well as type 2) in these regions. Substantial rise in diabetic patients compels doctors, pathologists and endocrinologists to treat patients' malfunctioning pancreas superficially. The rate at which a physiological pancreas get replaced with a substitute (artificial pancreas system) will keep gaining momentum in this region. By the end of 2026, more than US$ 280 Mn worth of artificial pancreas systems will be sold in North America and Europe, registering a revenue growth at 12.6% CAGR.

Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-na-3058

Almost every artificial pancreas system sold in these regions will treat patients suffering from type 1 diabetes. In US, the occurrence of diabetes mellitus type 1 is expected to surge beyond control. The US artificial pancreas systems market is presently valued at just over US$ 40 Mn, and will account for over two-third of North America's artificial pancreas system revenues through 2026. Canada's artificial pancreas system revenues, on the other hand, will surge rampantly at 13.8% CAGR.

Hospitals will remain the largest distribution channel for artificial pancreas systems across North America and Europe. Although, the report does highlight a noticeable presence of e-commerce websites in global distribution of medical devices as critical as artificial pancreas systems. Among these regions, North America will remain dominant over Europe's artificial pancreas system market. Likewise, the demand for artificial pancreas systems will be fairly high in Western Europe, compared to Eastern Europe. Germany, France, the UK and Poland are leading European countries that are more likely to showcase revenue growth at over 11.5% CAGR.

Preview Analysis on North America and Europe Artificial Pancreas Systems Market Segmentation By Distribution Channel - Hospitals and E-Commerce; By Disease Indication - Diabetes Type 1 and Diabetes Type 2: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/north-america-and-europe-artificial-pancreas-systems-market

One of the largest company in North America & Europe's artificial pancreas systems markethas been identified as Illinois-based medical device manufacturer - Medtronic plc. With it, the UK-based Cellnovo is also being recognised as a prominent manufacturer of artificial pancreas systems. Other key players in the artificial pancreas systems market across North America and Europe include, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Dexcom Inc., Insulet Corporation, and Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.

More from FMI's Cutting-edge Intelligence:

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Excerpt from:
Rising Diabetes Incidence Rate in North America & Europe Driving Sales of Artificial Pancreas Systems - Yahoo Finance

Science Daily

Diabetes drug may be effective against deadly form of breast cancer, study suggests Science Daily The study, 'AKR1B1 promotes basal-like breast cancer progression by a positive feedback loop that activates the EMT program,' suggests that an inhibitor of this enzyme currently used to treat diabetes patients could be an effective therapy for this ... Diabetes drug may protect against deadly form of breast cancer ...UPI.com Diabetes Drug Fights Form Of Aggressive Breast Cancer - SFGateSFGate all 3 news articles »

See the original post here:
Diabetes drug may be effective against deadly form of breast cancer, study suggests - Science Daily

Nearly half of all deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes in the United States are associated with diets that skimp on certain foods and nutrients, such as vegetables, and exceed optimal levels of others, like salt, a new study finds.

Using available studies and clinical trials, researchers identified 10 dietary factors with the strongest evidence of a protective or harmful association with death due to "cardiometabolic" disease.

"It wasn't just too much 'bad' in the American diet; it's also not enough 'good,'" said lead author Renata Micha.

"Americans are not eating enough fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, vegetable oils or fish," she said.

Micha is an assistant research professor at the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston.

RELATED: Mediterranean Diet Plus Olive Oil a Boost to Heart Health?

The researchers used data from multiple national sources to examine deaths from cardiometabolic diseases -- heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes -- in 2012, and the role that diet may have played.

"In the U.S. in 2012, we observed about 700,000 deaths due to those diseases," Micha said. "Nearly half of these were associated with suboptimal intakes of the 10 dietary factors combined."

Too much salt in people's diets was the leading factor, accounting for nearly 10 percent of cardiometabolic deaths, according to the analysis.

The study identifies 2,000 milligrams a day, or less than 1 teaspoon of salt, as the optimal amount. While experts don't agree on how low to go, there is broad consensus that people consume too much salt, Micha noted.

Other key factors in cardiometabolic death included low intake of nuts and seeds, seafood omega-3 fats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and high intake of processed meats (such as cold cuts) and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Each of these factors accounted for between 6 percent and 9 percent of deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

"Optimal" intake of foods and nutrients was based on levels associated with lower disease risk in studies and clinical trials. Micha cautioned that these levels are not conclusive. Optimal intake "could be modestly lower or higher," she explained.

Low consumption of polyunsaturated fats (found in soybean, sunflower and corn oils) accounted for just over 2 percent of cardiometabolic deaths, according to the study. High consumption of unprocessed red meats (such as beef) was responsible for less than one half of 1 percent of these deaths, the analysis showed.

The take-home message: "Eat more of the good and less of the bad," Micha said.

Vegetable intake, for example, was considered optimal at four servings per day. That would be roughly equivalent to 2 cups of cooked or 4 cups of raw veggies, she said.

Fruit intake was deemed optimal at three daily servings: "For example, one apple, one orange and half of an average-size banana," she continued.

"And eat less salt, processed meats, and sugary-sweetened beverages," she said.

The study also found that poor diet was associated with a larger proportion of deaths at younger versus older ages, among people with lower versus higher levels of education, and among minorities versus whites.

Dr. Ashkan Afshin is acting assistant professor of global health at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

"I commend the current study's authors for exploring sociodemographic factors, like ethnicity and education, and their role in the relationship of diet with cardiometabolic disease," said Afshin, who was not involved in the study.

"This is an area that deserves more attention so that we may fully understand the connection between diet and health," he said.

The study doesn't prove that improving your diet reduces risk of death from heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but suggests that dietary changes may have an impact.

"It is important to know which dietary habits affect health the most so that people can make healthy changes in how they eat and how they feed their families," Afshin said.

The study was published March 7 in theJournal of the American Medical Association.

In an accompanying journal editorial, researchers from Johns Hopkins University urged caution in interpreting the findings.

According to Noel Mueller and Dr. Lawrence Appel, the results may be biased by the number of dietary factors included, the interaction of dietary factors and the authors' "strong assumption" that evidence from observational studies implies a cause-and-effect relationship.

Still, the editorialists concluded that the likely benefits of an improved diet "are substantial and justify policies designed to improve diet quality."

Read the original here:
Poor Diet Tied to Half of US Deaths From Heart Disease, Diabetes - Everyday Health (blog)

Medical News Today

Early periods associated with risk of gestational diabetes Science Daily "A large proportion of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy are overweight or obese, and encouraging those with an early start of puberty to control their weight before pregnancy may help to lower their risk of gestational diabetes," she said. Early period may indicate risk of diabetes during pregnancyMedical News Today Early Periods May Increase Women's Risk of Gestational DiabetesNDTV Early period may up gestational diabetes riskThe Tribune TheHealthSite all 20 news articles »

Continued here:
Early periods associated with risk of gestational diabetes - Science Daily

White Sox pitching prospect Dylan Covey is among the many players in spring training who have no idea where they will head when the teams pack up for the regular season.

A Rule 5 draft pick in December, Covey would have to make the big-league roster out of spring training or be put on waivers and offered back to the Athletics, per major-league rules.

But at 25, Covey already is a pro at dealing with the unpredictable.

His biggest life-altering twist came in 2010 after the Brewers drafted the right-hander 14th overall one spot behind Chris Sale out of his California high school. Covey was nearing the signing deadline when a blood test from a team physical revealed he had Type 1 diabetes.

That gave him just days to figure out how to proceed.

Covey said the Brewers offered him the slot value of $1.7 million, less than what he asked for before the diagnosis, but he and his family decided to turn it down. He instead attended the University of San Diego, closer to home and his physician, while he learned to manage his disease.

"Maybe not financially speaking, but as far as my health, which is obviously more important, I think it was the right decision," Covey said. "I had all of the resources there. I'm sure the Brewers would have been great with it too, but just being so unfamiliar with it all, it was really a comfort thing. I didn't know what to expect."

When the Sox asked about Covey this offseason, he told them the diabetes "is not even an issue anymore." He knows how to eat and has an insulin pump to manage it, and he said his body is "like a normal person's now."

It took a while to get there.

The first year and a half after his diagnosis were "really tough," he said. Covey learned about counting carbohydrates and taking insulin. He lost weight before the diagnosis, and after putting it back on, he worked to turn it into muscle.

Meanwhile, he pitched 34 1/3 innings as a freshman at San Diego, though in retrospect he said he should have redshirted.

"Learning to do that at first is tough because you don't really think about how many carbohydrates you're eating every time you take a bite of food," said Covey, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds. "It was definitely an adjustment period I had to go through."

After three seasons at San Diego, the A's drafted Covey in the fourth round in 2013, and he signed for $370,000. He worked his way to Double A in 2016 and had a 1.84 ERA in six starts before an oblique injury. He returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, going 4-0 with a 4.74 ERA, before the Sox picked him up at the winter meetings in December.

It has been a more difficult journey than Covey could have imagined as a teenager.

"Who knows what would have happened if I had signed in 2010," Covey said. "It has been a little bit longer of a path, but I'm happy for the situation I am in right now with the White Sox."

The Sox are giving Covey a shot to show what he can do this spring.

He gave up two earned runs on three hits in his first one-inning appearance against the Rockies last month, an outing pitching coach Don Cooper chalked up to "anxiousness."

But he pitched two scoreless innings on 16 pitches in his start against the Padres on Friday, and he's scheduled to start again Saturday.

"He had a nice outing the other night, got nothing but ground balls," Cooper said. "He's a two-seam guy, so he's real strong with his sinker, arm-side, down and in to righties, down and away to lefties. ... I told him, now we're on the move, and now we've got to see if he can carry it into the next one."

The Sox rotation is full, barring a trade, but the club could keep Covey as a long reliever or spot starter. They also could try to strike a trade with the A's if they like what they see this spring.

Covey said he is staying focused amid the "little bit of pressure."

"If I don't make the team, I go back to the situation I was in before," Covey said. "I've just got to go out and do my best every time, and hopefully my actions prove to them that I'm worth the pick they used to get me."

Intention to start: Pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez has made it known he hopes to remain a starter when he reaches the majors, and manager Rick Renteria reiterated Monday the Sox are sticking with that plan for now.

Renteria said he was happy with how Lopez located in his second start Sunday, when he allowed one earned run on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts in three innings.

"First inning was a little rough, but obviously he settled down and did a nice job," Renteria said. "He was commanding all of his pitches and looked very good."

WBC update: Sox minor-leaguer Alex Katz pitched a scoreless inning in Team Israel's 2-1, 10-inning victory over South Korea to open the World Baseball Classic. Katz hit one batter and had one strikeout in the seventh.

ckane@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribKane

Read the original here:
With diabetes under control, pitcher Dylan Covey tries to stick with White Sox - Chicago Tribune

When pregnant mothers have diabetes, their children may have altered fat cells that make metabolic diseases in adulthood more likely, a small Danish study suggests.

Babies of mothers with diabetes may be exposed to high blood sugar levels in the womb, a condition known as fetal hyperglycemia.

"Fetal hyperglycemia affects fat stem cells and these defects can be detected several years later," said lead study author Ninna Schioler Hansen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

In lab tests, adult offspring of women who had diabetes during pregnancy appeared to have larger fat cells and more leptin, a protein made by fat cells that influences hunger.

"If (high blood sugar) or diabetes is present during pregnancy, our study supports the importance of aiming at normal blood glucose levels to reduce the negative impact on the cells of the unborn baby," Hansen added by email

"Women who are lean and fit before pregnancy have a reduced risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy," Hansen said.

Hansen's team studied 206 adults, including some whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy, others whose mothers developed a condition known as gestational diabetes during pregnancy, and a control group with mothers who didn't have diabetes at all.

Adult offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy showed "fundamental changes" in the size of their fat cells, their ability to store fat as well as the way their bodies produced the hormone leptin, which influences appetite regulation in the brain, Hansen said.

It's possible that differences between adults with and without mothers who had diabetes during pregnancy might be explained by other factors that happened during fetal development, the authors note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Even so, the results offer clues to explain the increased diabetes risk among children born to mothers with diabetes, said Dr. Joachim Dudenhausen, an obstetrics and gynecology researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York who wasn't involved in the study.

Changes induced by hyperglycemia in the mother "can be responsible for diabetes of the child in later life," Dudenhausen said by email.

The best prevention is for women to start pregnancy at a normal weight and gain a healthy amount of weight while they're growing their babies.

Women who start out at a normal healthy weight should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, while women who are overweight to start should gain no more than 25 pounds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"One of the highest risk factors for gestational diabetes is being overweight before and during pregnancy," Dudenhausen said.

Read more from the original source:
Diabetes in pregnancy tied to altered fat cells in adult offspring - Fox News