News & Articles

Men's susceptibility to serious health conditions may be influenced by low exposure to testosterone in the womb, new research suggests. Understanding why some men have less of the hormone than others is important because testosterone is crucial for life-long health. Low levels of the hormone have been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Bariatric surgery has positive effects not only on weight loss but also on diabetes and heart disease. Researchers have shown that the health benefits are not caused by a reduction in the stomach size but by increased levels of bile acids in the blood. These findings indicate that bile acids could be a new target for treating obesity and diabetes.

Imaging of the coronary arteries with computed tomography angiography provides an accurate assessment of arterial plaque and could have a dramatic impact on the management of diabetic patients who face a high risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events, according to a new multicenter study.

Certain prenatal risk factors are associated with the development of chronic kidney disease in children, according to a study. Future studies should investigate whether modifying these factors could help protect children’s kidney health. Risks for certain types of kidney disease may arise before birth, and researchers suspect that the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be programmed prenatally. These may include birth weight, maternal diabetes, and maternal overweight/obesity.

New early-warning signs of the potential loss of sight associated with diabetes have been detected by researchers. This discovery could have far-reaching implications for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, potentially impacting the care of over 25 million Americans. These important early-warning signs were invisible to existing diagnostic techniques, requiring new technology based on adaptive optics.

The first MRI scan to show 'brown fat' in a living adult could prove to be an essential step towards a new wave of therapies to aid the fight against diabetes and obesity. Brown fat has become a hot topic for scientists due its ability to use energy and burn calories, helping to keep weight in check. Understanding the brown fat tissue and how it can be used to such ends is of growing interest in the search to help people suffering from obesity or at a high risk of developing diabetes.

Higher maternal body mass index (BMI) before or in early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal death, stillbirth, and infant death, with women who are severely obese having the greatest risk of these outcomes from their pregnancy, according to a study. The authors suggest that several biological mechanisms could explain the association found in this study, including that being overweight or obese has been associated with increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational hypertension, and congenital anomalies, conditions that have been strongly associated with risk of fetal and infant death.

Cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the United States have nearly doubled since 1988, suggests new research, with obesity apparently to blame for the surge. The researchers also found that the burden of the disease has not hit all groups equally, with alarming increases in diabetes in blacks, Hispanics and the elderly.

Scientists have gained new insights into the molecular process of how some people get type II diabetes, which could lead to new ways of preventing people from getting the condition. The research, which took place on Mount Everest, assessed the mechanisms by which low oxygen levels in the body -- known as hypoxia -- are associated with the development of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when cells fail to respond to insulin in the body. Insulin enables the body to regulate sugar levels. Too much sugar can be toxic and leads to type II diabetes.

Women with diabetes are 14 percent less likely to be screened for breast cancer compared to women without diabetes, according to a study. "Managing the demands of a chronic condition such as diabetes is challenging for many women, leaving other preventative actions, like screening for cancer, to fall by the wayside," said a physician and author. "Our study found having diabetes posed a significant barrier to breast cancer screening even after considering a woman's socioeconomic status, a known contributor to disparities in care among women."

Low doses of atrasentan, an endothelin receptor A inhibitor, lowered urinary protein excretion by 36% in patients with diabetes and kidney disease in a new study. Atrasentan also lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels without causing major side effects.

Two new studies have provided more evidence to clarify the role of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. In the first long-term study, NAFLD was shown to contribute to the progression of early atherosclerosis independently of traditional CVD risk factors. In a second long-term study, it was confirmed as a significant long-term risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus (DM).

By manipulating a biochemical process that underlies cells' energy-burning abilities, investigators have made a novel discovery that could lead to a new therapy to combat obesity and diabetes. The new findings show that reducing the amount of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) protein in fat and liver dramatically reduces the development of obesity and diabetes in mice.

New information about the consequences of overeating high-calorie foods has been identified by researchers. Not only does this lead to an increase in white fat cell production, the type prominent in obesity, but it also leads to the dysfunction of brown fat cells, the unique type of fat that generates heat and burns energy.

The pathological atrophy of skeletal muscle is a serious biomedical problem for which no effective treatment is currently available. Those most affected populations are the elderly diagnosed with sarcopenia and patients with cancer, AIDS, and other infectious diseases that develop cachexia.

A phase II trial of efatutazone with erlotinib in patients with refractory non-small cell lung cancer produced results that suggested that while efatutazone did not improve the efficacy of erlotinib, there is hope that lessons from the trial will allow researchers to make better future use of the drug or other drugs in its class.

Adult patients with diabetes who trust their medical provider and feel included in treatment decisions are significantly more likely to take and maintain a newly prescribed antidepressant medication, according to a new study. The study included 1,500 patients with long-standing diabetes, who were prescribed antidepressants.

A common treatment for people with type 2 diabetes could cause longer-than-normal periods of the low blood sugar reaction hypoglycemia, which may result in increased health risks to people with diabetes. The treatment is the use of the peptide GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) in combination with insulin, which is now used throughout the world as a standard therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Gastric banding can play a vital role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in people who are overweight and not obese, according to new research. "This is the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that treatment of type 2 diabetes in overweight people by substantial weight loss is safe and hugely beneficial," the lead author said. "As there are no alternative options that can achieve such a result, this study indicates a potentially attractive path for the overweight person with diabetes and for those providing the care."

Scientists thought they basically knew how the most common drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes worked, but a new study reveals unexpected new aspects of the process. These findings could eventually lead to more potent anti-diabetic drugs with fewer serious side effects.

Sweden -- the country already thought to have the second highest prevalence of type 1 diabetes in the world -- could have 2-3 times more adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes than previously estimated, new research shows. Current estimates in Sweden are based on the Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden (DISS), which has been around since 1983. The DISS is one of very few registers to record data on adolescents and young adults and therefore findings from the DISS study have had implications for diabetes research and care in many countries.

With the ability to deliver light inside the body in a predictable manner and to host a variety of genetically engineered cells, hydrogels may help address current challenges with applying optogenetic approaches in clinical care. Optogenetics is a relatively new technique that harnesses light to activate or inhibit light-responsive proteins that control specific cell functions.

Over-reliance on genetic-centered approaches in predicting, diagnosing and treating disease will lead to few future scientific breakthroughs, cautioned a researcher who co-authored an article that advocates for a greater emphasis on the body's metabolites in understanding illnesses. "To augment the value of genetic data, the scientific community needs to add additional information from things like metabolomics -- the analysis of metabolites within an organism," said the lead author.

Sleep apnea has been linked with elevated blood sugar levels, suggesting people with the condition could be at an increased risk of cardiovascular illness and mortality. The results of the study found that levels of glucose concentration were significantly linked with the severity of sleep apnea.

The results from a 23-year follow up a randomized controlled trial showed that people with impaired glucose tolerance randomized to lifestyle interventions had significantly reduced death rates from cardiovascular disease and all-causes, compared to those patients randomized to the control arm.

Improved thinking. Decreased appetite. Lowered blood pressure. The potential health benefits of dark chocolate keep piling up, and scientists are now homing in on what ingredients in chocolate might help prevent obesity, as well as type-2 diabetes. They found that one particular type of antioxidant in cocoa prevented laboratory mice from gaining excess weight and lowered their blood sugar levels.

Elevated levels of the neuroprotein GDNF may help fight the weight gain and health problems associated with a high-fat diet, new research finds. More than one-third of people in the US are obese. Obesity and its related health problems -- including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, insulin resistance, and belly fat -- affect so many, yet effective treatments to date are very few.

Both pregnant women with diabetes and with type 2 diabetics have high levels of a fat metabolite that impairs pancreatic cells from secreting insulin. These findings suggest that blocking the effects of this fat metabolite may help prevent and treat diabetes.

The latest results from a 25-year study of diet and aging in monkeys shows a significant reduction in mortality and in age-associated diseases among those with calorie-restricted diets. The study, begun in 1989, is one of two ongoing, long-term U.S. efforts to examine the effects of a reduced-calorie diet on nonhuman primates.

The blood pressure medication angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors appear to reduce major cardiovascular events and death, as well death from all other causes, in patients with diabetes, while angiotensin II receptor blockers appear to have no such effect on those outcomes, research shows.

Wounds may heal more quickly if exposed to low-intensity vibration, report researchers. The finding, in mice, may hold promise for the 18 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes, and especially the quarter of them who will eventually suffer from foot ulcers. Their wounds tend to heal slowly and can become chronic or worsen rapidly.

The most common cause of severe diarrhea in children, the rotavirus infection, has been shown to accelerate the development of type 1 diabetes in mice. The research found that it may be the "bystander effect" that causes the rotavirus infection to accelerate the onset of type 1 diabetes. The "bystander effect" suggests that the virus provokes a strong activation of the immune system, which then spills over, allowing the immune system to attack not only the viral intruder but some of the body's own cells, in this case the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Bariatric surgery is a highly effective and durable treatment for type 2 diabetes in obese patients, enabling nearly all surgical patients to be free of insulin and many to be free of all diabetic medications three years after surgery, a study shows.

Diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening but preventable condition, remains an important problem for youth with diabetes and their families. Data from a new study "suggest that more needs to be done to begin reducing DKA rates in the future. Previous research suggests that increased community awareness of type 1 diabetes, including parental education and closer monitoring of signs and symptoms of diabetes, may be effective tools," authors state.

Although some research has suggested that metformin, a medication often used in the treatment of diabetes, may have favorable effects on ventricular (heart) function, among patients without diabetes who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; a procedure such as stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, treatment with metformin did not result in improved ventricular function.

Adolescents with stronger muscles have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new study that examined the influence of muscle strength in sixth grade boys and girls. Stronger kids also have lower body mass index (weight to height ratio), lower percent body fat, smaller waist circumferences, and higher fitness levels, according to the study that suggests that muscle-strengthening activities may be important to kids' heart health.

Use of the drug aleglitazar, which has shown the ability to lower glucose levels and have favorable effects on cholesterol, did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke among patients with type 2 diabetes and recent heart attack or unstable angina, according to a study.

It appears healthy postmenopausal women who drink two or more diet drinks a day may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems, according to research. In fact, compared to women who never or only rarely consume diet drinks, those who consumed two or more a day were 30 percent more likely to suffer a cardiovascular event and 50 percent more likely to die from related disease.

People with celiac disease may have a near two-fold increased risk of coronary artery disease compared with the general population, according to research. The study is the first to look at the association between celiac disease and coronary artery disease and adds to the evolving understanding of how systemic inflammation and autoimmune processes might influence cardiovascular disease development. Data also showed a slightly higher risk of stroke among people with celiac disease compared to controls.

Men suffering from sexual dysfunction can be successful at reversing their problem by focusing on lifestyle factors and not just relying on medication, according to research. Researchers have highlighted the incidence of erectile dysfunction and lack of sexual desire among Australian men aged 35-80 years.

A combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors is believed to cause autoimmune (type 1) diabetes. A new study gets at the mechanisms by which rotavirus infection contributes to autoimmune diabetes in a mouse model of the disease.

Diabetics with major depressive symptoms had an 85% higher risk of developing kidney failure, results of a new study have concluded. Minor depressive symptoms were not significantly linked with the development of kidney failure among diabetics overall.

A receptor called B7-1 is expressed by kidney cells during the progression of kidney disease in diabetic mice and humans. Targeting this receptor with an available drug called CTLA4-Ig, or abatacept, helps to maintain kidney function in mice, research concludes. "The next steps will be to test anti-B7-1 drugs in individuals with diabetes and diabetic nephropathy to see if they can abrogate the progression of the disease in humans as well," said a lead author.

Rates of diabetes are unusually high among Mexican-Americans who live near the U.S. Mexico border and new research finds that those dealing with depression and anxiety in this population are less likely to properly manage their diabetes. “Given the high prevalence of depression and anxiety found in this border community, providers should regularly assess for depression and anxiety and either provide or refer to treatment when symptoms arise,” concluded the main author.

Altered islet cell function and reduced insulin clearance contribute to excessive post-meal insulin response in patients experiencing low blood sugar symptoms -- hypoglycemia -- following gastric bypass surgery, research has found. The findings are part of an ongoing effort by UC researchers to better understand the effect of gastric bypass surgery on glucose metabolism and islet function.

Although heart attack death has declined across all regions of the United States, it is proportionately higher in the South, possibly related to the uneven distribution of socioeconomic and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, according to research.

Adoption of a Mediterranean diet is linked to a lower risk of diabetes, especially among people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to research. The main researcher said he believes the Mediterranean diet, in particular, lowers the risk of diabetes by helping to guard against obesity.

If current trends continue, Australia's Generation X will overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, including rates of obesity and diabetes, which could have huge implications for healthcare and the workforce. Researchers compared the health status of Baby Boomers (born from 1946-1965) and Generation X (1966-1980) at the same age range of 25-44 years and found that Generation X had significantly poorer levels of self-rated health, and higher levels of obesity and diabetes compared with Boomers, with no real difference in physical activity between the two groups.

A single instrument that can conduct a wide range of biological scans in a fraction of the time and cost of industry standard equipment has been developed. It uses considerably less material and ultra-sensitive detection methods to do the same thing. ScanDrop, is a portable instrument no bigger than a shoebox that has the capacity to detect a variety of biological specimen. For that reason it will benefit a wide range of users beyond the medical community, including environmental monitoring and basic scientific research.

It's not the size of the stomach that causes weight loss after a specific type of bariatric surgery, but rather a change in the gut metabolism, say researchers. They have found that following vertical sleeve gastrectomy, there is a change in bile acids that bind to a nuclear receptor called FXR. In the absence of FXR, the researchers showed, weight-loss success and improvement in diabetes from vertical sleeve gastrectomy is reduced.

People with type 2 diabetes who report good self-management behavior have a reduced mortality risk. This was the result of a population-based study emphasizing the great importance of patient behavior in the diabetes treatment process. "Patient-centered services, such as diabetes education, self-management training and information services therefore make a valuable contribution to good patient care and should continue to be expanded," stated the researchers.

Direct evidence has been shown that fetal brain response to a dose of sugar given orally to its mother is associated with the mother's insulin sensitivity. This may indicate that the risk of subsequent obesity and diabetes may be pre-programmed in the womb. The authors conclude: "Lower maternal insulin sensitivity is associated with slower fetal brain responses. These findings provide the first evidence of a direct effect of maternal metabolism on fetal brain activity and suggest that central insulin resistance may be programmed during fetal development."

A mathematical model can predict with more than 90 percent accuracy the blood glucose levels of individuals with type 1 diabetes up to 30 minutes in advance of imminent changes in their levels -- plenty of time to take preventative action. A person's blood glucose levels fluctuate in response to his or her insulin dose, meal intake, physical activity and emotional state. How great these fluctuations are depends on the individual, explain the researchers.

Adding information about glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a measure of longer-term blood sugar control, to conventional CVD risk factors like smoking and cholesterol was associated with little improvement in the prediction of CVD risk, according to a study that included nearly 300,000 adults without a known history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Scientists have found that a simple blood test, which can read DNA, could be used to predict obesity levels in children. Researchers used the test to assess the levels of epigenetic switches in the PGC1a gene - a gene that regulates fat storage in the body. Epigenetic switches take place through a chemical change called DNA methylation, which controls how genes work and is set during early life. The test, when carried out on children at five years old, differentiates between children with a high body fat and those with a low body fat when they were older.

Watch out for weight gain within a year of giving birth, to prevent new risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, experts say. While it has long been believed that not losing 'baby weight' for several years after pregnancy carries long-term risks of diabetes and heart disease, this research team aimed to test this theory by tracking risk factors and weight in the first 12 months after giving birth.

A newly created method of placing stem cell-derived pancreatic cells in capsules under the skin to replace insulin is tested in diabetic disease models. The method is successful without producing likely complications. The study confirms the viability of combining stem cells and 'encapsulation' technology to treat insulin-dependent diabetes.

The international guidelines on the drug-based therapy of diabetes mellitus specify which factors need to be taken into account during treatment. Factors such as age, the duration of the condition, life expectancy, the social environment and co-morbidities all have a part to play. “What’s missing in this checklist, however, is gender,” states an expert in gender medicine.

Evidence increasingly suggests that insufficient or disturbed sleep is associated with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, and addressing poor quality sleep should be a target for the prevention -- and even treatment -- of these disorders. Addressing some types of sleep disturbance -- such as sleep apnea -- may have a directly beneficial effect on patients' metabolic health, say the authors. But a far more common problem is people simply not getting enough sleep, particularly due to the increased use of devices such as tablets and portable gaming devices.

Rates of blindness and impaired eyesight have plummeted over the past 20 years in the developed world. But macular degeneration has replaced cataract as the leading cause of blindness in rich countries, reveals an analysis of the available.