July 8, 2008, 8:56 PM CT

Trans-fatty acids and insulin sensitivity

Trans-fatty acids have been the topic of a lot of negative health news, but in the July Journal of Lipid research, a dietary study in rats suggests that trans-fats do not increase the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes, which may ease at least one area of concern.

Epidemiological studies indicate that chronic consumption of trans-fats may alter muscle insulin sensitivity, as their unusual molecular shapes can reduce muscle's ability to burn energy; in turn, reduced fat oxidation may promote insulin resistance.

The data in this area has been conflicting, so Beatrice Morio and his colleagues undertook a detailed study in rats. They gave rats an eight-week diet enriched in either industrial trans-fats (processed oils), natural trans-fats (dairy fat), or regular unsaturated fats.

In none of the cases did the diet alter the rat's insulin or glucose responses, nor did it significantly affect their muscle capacity. The scientists confirmed their rat studies in cell culture studies by incubating muscle cells with either trans-fatty acids or oleic acid (olive oil); as in the rats, there were no noticeable difference in the insulin sensitivity of the cells.

So while trans-fatty acids are still relatively unhealthy, these findings do show that muscles can utilize them, whether natural or industrial, much like regular fats; thus, trans-fat metabolites won't accumulate in muscles and increase the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

July 1, 2008, 9:51 PM CT

Dietary Adherence Associated with Better Glucose Control

A study by scientists at the Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that adherence to prescribed dietary recommendations is linked to better glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes.

"In recent years, diabetes management has been focused around new medications and technologies," said Lori Laffel, M.D., senior author of the paper, which is reported in the recent issue of Diabetes Care. "In this study, we were encouraged to identify the unique importance of diet on blood sugar control in children and teens with type 1 diabetes".

Laffel is Chief of Joslin Diabetes Center's Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section and an Investigator in the Joslin Section on Genetics and Epidemiology.

The study surveyed the parents of 119 children and teens ages 9-14 years and asked how closely they followed prescribed dietary behaviors, such as estimating carbohydrate intake, matching the child's insulin dose to carbohydrate intake and the quality of the diet itself, in terms of intake of sweets and fats.

Subjects who most closely adhered to the dietary recommendations had lower A1C levels - a measurement of average blood glucose deemed the best way to estimate overall glucose control. Lower A1C levels mean better glucose control.

Children who adhered closely or fairly closely to the prescribed dietary recommendations showed an A1C level of up to almost a full point lower than those who were least adherent. Those who adhered the least had an average A1C of 9 percent, while those who adhered more closely to the recommendations had an average A1C between 8.1 and 8.4 percent, depending on their level of adherence......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

July 1, 2008, 8:51 PM CT

A step towards better diabetes treatment

In today's issue of the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism Uppsala scientists are presenting new findings that shed light on the processes that determine the release of the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin. The discovery is based on the development of image analysis methods that make possible the detailed study of events immediately inside the plasma membrane of the insulin-secreting cells.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is a universal messenger molecule that controls a number of different functions inside the cell. For example, it plays a role in the release of insulin from the beta cells in the pancreas (see Facts). It is well-known that the production of cAMP explains how certain hormones can amplify insulin secretion. On the other hand, it has been unclear to what extent cAMP also contributes to the major release of insulin triggered by an increase in blood sugar (glucose).

Anders Tengholms research team at Uppsala University has developed methods that make it possible for the first time to measure both the secretion of insulin and the cAMP concentration in individual beta cells. The results show that ATP, the energy-rich molecule that is produced when glucose is metabolized, causes an increase in cAMP concentration right at the cell membrane where the release of insulin takes place. This increase varies rhythmically and coincides with similarly regular variations in another stimulant messenger, the calcium ion, resulting in pulsatile secretion of insulin......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

June 16, 2008, 10:17 PM CT

Hearing loss is common in people with diabetes

Hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes in comparison to those who do not have the disease, as per a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"Hearing loss may be an under-recognized complication of diabetes. As diabetes becomes more common, the disease may become a more significant contributor to hearing loss," said senior author Catherine Cowie, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), who suggested that people with diabetes should consider having their hearing tested. "Our study found a strong and consistent link between hearing impairment and diabetes using many different outcomes."

The scientists discovered the higher rate of hearing loss in those with diabetes after analyzing the results of hearing tests given to a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. The test measured participants' ability to hear low, middle, and high frequency sounds in both ears. The link between diabetes and hearing loss was evident across all frequencies, with a stronger association in the high frequency range. Mild or greater hearing impairment of low- or mid-frequency sounds in the worse ear was about 21 percent in 399 adults with diabetes in comparison to about 9 percent in 4,741 adults without diabetes. For high frequency sounds, mild or greater hearing impairment in the worse ear was 54 percent in those with diabetes in comparison to 32 percent in those who did not have the disease......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

May 26, 2008, 8:37 PM CT

Cocoa could be a healthy treat for diabetic patients

For people with diabetes, sipping a mug of steaming, flavorful cocoa may seem a guilty pleasure. But new research suggests that indulging a craving for cocoa can actually help blood vessels to function better and might soon be considered part of a healthy diet for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Flavanols, natural plant compounds also found in tea, red wine, and certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for cocoas healthful benefits. In fact, as per new research reported in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), after diabetic patients drank specially formulated high-flavanol cocoa for one month, blood vessel function went from severely impaired to normal.

The improvement was as large as has been observed with exercise and a number of common diabetic medications, the scientists noted. These findings suggest that it may be time to think not just outside the box, but inside the cup, for innovative ways to ward off cardiovascular diseasethe number one cause of death in diabetic patients.

Medical therapys alone often do not prevent complications of diabetes that are linked to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, said Malte Kelm, M.D., a professor and chairman of cardiology, pulmonology and vascular medicine at the University Hospital Aachen and the Technical University Aachen, in Aachen, Gera number of. Physicians should be increasingly looking to changes in lifestyle and new approaches to help in addressing the cardiovascular risks linked to diabetes......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

May 11, 2008, 10:15 AM CT

Caught "red-handed" for the first time

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis working with diabetic mice have examined in unprecedented detail the immune cells long believed to be responsible for type 1 diabetes.

Scientists were able to examine the immune cells from isolated insulin-making structures in the pancreas known as the islets of Langerhans. They caught the immune cells, known as dendritic cells, "red-handed" carrying insulin and fragments of insulin-producing cells known as beta cells. This can be the first step toward starting a misdirected immune system attack that destroys the beta cells, preventing the body from making insulin and causing type 1 diabetes.

The results, reported online in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, push researchers a step closer to finding ways to treat this condition.

"Now that we've isolated dendritic cells from the pancreas, we can look at why they get into the pancreas and determine which of the materials that they pick up are most critical to causing this form of diabetes," says senior author Emil R. Unanue, M.D., the Paul and Ellen Lacy Professor of Pathology. "That may allow us to find ways to inhibit dendritic cell function in order to block the disorder."

The American Diabetes Association estimates that 1 million to 2 million Americans suffer from type 1 diabetes, which is also called juvenile diabetes because it frequently develops in children......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

May 5, 2008, 8:18 PM CT

Gene linked to severe diabetic eye

Scientists at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah and collaborative institutions have identified a gene called erythropoietin (EPO) that contributes to increased risk of severe diabetic eye and kidney diseases, called retinopathy and nephropathy.

The sight-threatening form of diabetic retinopathy, termed proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), is the most common cause of legal blindness in working-aged adults in the United States, accounting for 10% of new onset blindness overall. Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney disease, called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), in the U.S. and the Western world.

Led by Kang Zhang M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Division of Ophthalmic Genetics at the Moran Eye Center and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Utah, the study will be published online on May 5, 2008 in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Zhang explains the significance of the discovery: We know that the development of PDR and ESRD in diabetic patients can be inherited. Eventhough genetic factors are known to be important in the susceptibility (or resistance) to these complications, until now the genes involved have been mostly unknown.

How did the scientists discover that this gene is involved in PDR and ESRD" In this study the scientists compared 1,618 people with PDR and ESDR, and 954 diabetes patients without any eye or kidney disease in three separate populations. Their studies demonstrate that if a person has a copy of mutant EPO gene, they have an increased risk of developing PDR and ESRD during their lifetime......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

March 16, 2008, 9:27 PM CT

Protein reverses diabetic retinopathy in mice

Two major eye diseases and leading causes of blindnessage-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathycan be reversed or even prevented by drugs that activate a protein found in blood vessel cells, scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine and several other institutions have announced in a new study.

Damage from both diseases was prevented and even reversed when the protein, Robo4, was activated in mice models that simulate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, as per Dean Y. Li, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study published March 16 in Nature Medicine online.

Robo4 treated and prevented the diseases by inhibiting abnormal blood vessel growth and by stabilizing blood vessels to prevent leakage. Abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage are two primary factors in both age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. But the studys ramifications go beyond eye diseases.

Serious infections such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), for example, kill people when an infection destabilizes blood vessels, allowing fluids to leak into the lungs. Tumors hijack blood vessel growth to feed on nutrients and grow. Eventhough this study did not prove Robo4 would treat those diseases, Li believes it merits investigation......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

February 28, 2008, 10:14 PM CT

ADVANCE diabetes trial

Data from the ADVANCE Study, involving 11,140 high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes, provides no evidence of an increased risk of death among those patients receiving aggressive therapy to lower blood glucose.

This contrasts findings from the 10,251 patient ACCORD trial which halted the intensive glucose control arm of the study 18 months early because a data review revealed that patients who received intensive therapy to lower blood glucose are at higher risk for death. While the trial will continue, patients will be transitioned from the intensive therapy arm (targeting A1c levels of <6.0 %) to the less intensive, standard therapy arm (targeting A1c levels of 7.0 to 7.9%).

Unlike what we saw in ACCORD, a rigorous review of ADVANCE data by the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee shows that the therapy strategy of intensively lowering blood sugar does not pose greater risk to our patients with type 2 diabetes, says Canadian lead investigator and member of ADVANCE Management Committee Dr. Pavel Hamet, professor of Medicine, Canada Research Chair of Predictive Genomics at Universit de Montral and Chief, Gene Medicine Services at Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral. ADVANCE is a landmark study and will continue as planned to completion. The results will provide crucial information to help us better reduce the significant health risks linked to type 2 diabetes......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source

February 7, 2008, 9:25 PM CT

Diabetes Drug To Treat Depression

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are seeking individuals who have depression and are overweight to volunteer for a study evaluating whether a diabetes drug might help improve mood.

The five-year, NIH-funded study seeks 200 people with depression who are overweight and at risk for developing diabetes. Participants will be screened for depression and insulin resistance, one of the first signs of developing diabetes. Those who qualify will be treated and followed for 16 weeks.

"We've studied patients who have both diabetes and depression, but now we're focusing on patients who have insulin resistance rather than type 2 diabetes," says co-investigator Gregory S. Sayuk, M.D., assistant professor of medicine. "Often these individuals will be overweight or have abnormal blood glucose levels. Those physical traits can affect mood, and we want to better understand how."

All qualified participants will receive the antidepressant drug sertraline (Zoloft) and diet and exercise counseling. Half will receive additional therapy with a diabetes drug, metformin (Glucophage), while the others will receive an inactive substance called a placebo. After the initial 16 weeks of therapy, the scientists will follow participants whose mood improves for an additional six months to monitor for depression......... Posted by: Josly2006      Read more         Source