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Screen Everyone Over 45 for Diabetes: U.S. Task Force

Posted 7 Oct 2014 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 – Every American over the age of 45 should be screened for both type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, a U.S. task force has recommended. "For people with abnormal blood sugar, changes in their lifestyle, such as eating healthier and exercising more often, can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The best way to do that is to participate in a program that supports these behaviors. That's why we're recommending that people who are at increased risk be screened," Dr. Michael Pignone, a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, said in news release from the independent panel of health experts. Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist and clinical investigator at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, endorsed the task force's recommendation. "With diabetes and its major contributor, obesity, now at epidemic levels in the United States, the new U.S. ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Pre-Diabetes

Gout May Be Linked to Raised Diabetes Risk: Study

Posted 6 Oct 2014 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 – Gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis, appears to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in women, a new study finds. Researchers followed more than 35,000 gout sufferers in the United Kingdom and found that women with gout were 71 percent more likely to develop diabetes compared with people without gout. For men, the increased risk was 22 percent. "Gout seems to be contributing to the risk of diabetes independently of other diabetes risk factors, such as obesity," said lead researcher Dr. Hyon Choi, from the division of rheumatology, allergy, and immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Gout causes intense pain and swelling in single joints, most often the feet, especially the joint at the base of the big toe. More than 3 million Americans suffer from the condition, men more often than women, according to the American College of ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Gout

Gene Study Finds No Proof Vitamin D Guards Against Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 1 Oct 2014 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 – There's no genetic evidence that high levels of vitamin D can prevent type 2 diabetes, a new study says. Some previous research had suggested that elevated levels of vitamin D might protect people against type 2 diabetes, raising the possibility of a link between vitamin D deficiency and the blood sugar disease. In this study, British researchers investigated the association between diabetes risk and vitamin D by focusing on genes that control blood levels of vitamin D. They found no connection between different variants of these genes and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The results were published Sept. 30 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. "Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by increasing concentrations of vitamin D are not currently justified. Observational studies that show a strong and consistent ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Insufficiency

Can Exercise Prevent Type 2 Diabetes? Your Genes May Be Key

Posted 30 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 – For millions of overweight Americans, regular exercise remains a prime weapon against excess weight and the threat of type 2 diabetes. However, a new study suggests that the battle may be tougher for some than for others, depending on their genes. "While physical activity generally promotes good health, it may not be as effective for everyone when it comes to preventing or treating type 2 diabetes," said one expert, Dr. Ruth Loos, director of the Genetics of Obesity and Related Metabolic Traits Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City. While it's long been known that physical activity can cut diabetes risk, the influence of genes on this protective effect hasn't been clear, according to background information from the study. In the study, researchers led by Dr. Yann Klimentidis of the University of Arizona examined interactions ... Read more

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Obesity Isn't Sole Cause of Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 25 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2014 – Although the type 2 diabetes epidemic is commonly linked to being overweight or obese, excess weight isn't the only factor driving the trend, new research suggests. In just the past few months, at least three new studies have reported on other factors that may underlie a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. These factors include genetic mutations, a lesser-known hormone called amylin, as well as disturbances in the body's natural clock. The idea that type 2 diabetes isn't only caused by obesity isn't a new one. "Genetics is a big factor in type 2 diabetes. Certain ethnic groups get type 2 diabetes at much higher rates, and at much younger ages than other groups," said Dr. Christine Resta, an endocrinologist at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City. "Obesity is clearly part of type 2 diabetes for most people. But the diagnosis is probably about 50 percent luck, due ... Read more

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Can All Work and No Play Make You Diabetic?

Posted 24 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 – Working long hours may increase your risk for diabetes, a new study suggests. But the finding seems to depend on your job. Researchers examined data from prior studies involving more than 222,000 men and women in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia who were followed for an average of 7.6 years. The initial analysis revealed no difference in the risk of type 2 diabetes among people who worked more than 55 hours a week and those who worked 35 to 40 hours a week. However, further analyses showed that people who worked more than 55 hours a week at manual labor or other types of "low socioeconomic status jobs" were 30 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who worked 35 to 40 hours a week. This increased risk remained even after the researchers accounted for diabetes risk factors such as smoking, physical activity levels, age, sex and ... Read more

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Diabetes Rates Leveling Off in U.S.

Posted 23 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 – Overall adult diabetes rates appear to have leveled off during the past four years in the United States, in stark contrast to the two decades prior, which saw a doubling of the chronic disease, according to a new federal study. The total number of people living with diabetes increased an average 0.6 percent annually between 2008 and 2012 while the number of new cases actually fell an average 5.4 percent, researchers for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. That compared with an average 4.5 percent annual increase between 1990 and 2008, they said. Not all groups in the United States have benefited, however. Diabetes rates continue to rise for blacks, Hispanics, the aging and the poorly educated, according to the report published in the Sept. 24 Journal of the American Medical Association. "We are beginning to see a slowing of the ... Read more

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Diabetes Drug Metformin May Affect Thyroid in Some Patients

Posted 22 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2014 – Metformin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, may raise the risk of low levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) among patients with an underactive thyroid, a new study suggests. The researchers cautioned that low TSH levels may be associated with heart problems and broken bones, although a cause-and-effect link was not established in this study. Among those in the study with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), there were 495 incidences of low levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone per year compared with 322 in the normal thyroid group, the report published Sept. 22 in the CMAJ concluded. Among patients treated for an underactive thyroid, metformin was linked with a 55 percent higher risk for low TSH levels, compared to those who were taking sulfonylurea for their diabetes. "The results of this longitudinal study confirmed that the use of metformin ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Metformin, Glucophage, Janumet, Glucophage XR, ActoPlus Met, Glumetza, Glyburide/Metformin, Janumet XR, Avandamet, Glucovance, Jentadueto, Metformin/Pioglitazone, Glipizide/Metformin, Kombiglyze XR, Fortamet, Riomet, Kazano, ActosPlus Met, PrandiMet

Trulicity Approved for Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 22 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 – Trulicity (dulaglutide) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90 percent of diabetes cases in the United States. The drug contains a hormone that helps stabilize blood sugar at normal levels, the agency said in a news release. Trulicity's safety and effectiveness were evaluated in clinical trials involving 3,342 people with type 2 diabetes. The drug has been studied as a standalone treatment and in combination with other therapies, the agency said. Trulicity's label has a boxed warning that some lab rodents given the drug developed a certain type of thyroid tumor called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). While it's not known if the drug could cause the same problem in people, those at risk of developing MTC shouldn't be given the drug, the FDA said. The drug also should not be given to people ... Read more

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Tight Blood Sugar Control Doesn't Prevent Strokes in Diabetics: Study

Posted 19 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 – A six-year study of people with type 2 diabetes found that intensively lowering blood pressure had a long-lasting effect in preventing heart attacks, strokes and deaths. But intensive blood sugar control didn't produce those benefits, the researchers found. For the study, investigators followed nearly 8,500 participants of a completed diabetes trial. Some participants had had their blood pressure and blood sugar levels strictly controlled, while others had received standard care. The researchers wanted to assess the long-term effects of the intensive control, which ended when the trial concluded. "One of the points of doing this study was to see if lowering blood sugar for five years might, down the track, translate into protection against stroke and heart attack – it didn't," said researcher Dr. Bruce Neal, a professor of medicine at the University of Sydney ... Read more

Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Type 2, Hypertension, Ischemic Stroke - Prophylaxis

FDA Approves Trulicity - Another Weekly Injectable Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 19 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new type 2 diabetes drug, Trulicity, on Thursday. Trulicity is part of a class of once-a-week injectable drugs that help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. "Trulicity is a new treatment option, which can be used alone or added to existing treatment regimens to control blood sugar levels in the overall management of type 2 diabetes," Dr. Mary Parks, deputy director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation II, said in an agency news release. About 26 million Americans have type 2 diabetes. More than 90 percent of all diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes, according to the FDA. The disease causes high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious complications including heart disease, vision problems and nerve and kidney damage. Trulicity (generic name dulaglutide) is a type of drug called a ... Read more

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FDA Approves Trulicity (dulaglutide) for Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 18 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

September 18, 2014 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Trulicity (dulaglutide), a once-weekly subcutaneous injection to improve glycemic control (blood sugar levels), along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes affects about 26 million people and accounts for more than 90 percent of diabetes cases diagnosed in the United States. Over time, high blood sugar levels can increase the risk for serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage. "Type 2 diabetes is a serious chronic condition that causes blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal,” said Mary Parks, M.D., deputy director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Trulicity is a new treatment option, which can be used alone or added to existing treatment regimens to control blood sugar ... Read more

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Artificial Sweeteners May Raise Blood Sugar Levels: Study

Posted 17 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 – Diabetics and dieters who turn to artificial sweeteners to soothe their sweet tooth may not be doing themselves any favors, a new Israeli study suggests. Artificial sweeteners can potentially make blood sugar levels rise despite containing no calories, researchers found in human and mouse studies. That's because saccharine and its counterparts appear to alter the bacteria residing in the intestines in ways that can impair some people's ability to process glucose, the researchers report in the Sept. 17 issue of Nature. That means rather than helping the current epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the United States, artificial sweeteners could potentially be contributing to the problem, according to the study. The researchers found that mice fed artificial sweeteners developed higher blood sugar levels compared to mice drinking plain water or even ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Pre-Diabetes

Combo Diabetes Therapy Outperforms Other Treatments, Study Finds

Posted 12 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 – Combining insulin with a relatively new hormone-like drug appears to be a safer and more effective way to treat type 2 diabetes than current methods, a new review suggests. The drug belongs to a new class of injectable medications called "glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists" (GLP-1), which mimic the behavior of a gut hormone. It's already available as a treatment for diabetes, either used alone or in combination with basal insulin. But researchers say the current analysis is the first to confirm its superiority as part of a combined intervention. "The cornerstone of type 2 diabetes management is to try to get blood sugar levels as normal as possible," explained study author Dr. Ravi Retnakaran, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. "Unfortunately, we have a lot of trouble getting there in most patients, because of the limitations and side effects ... Read more

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Diabetics Face Much Greater Risk of Heart Damage, Study Says

Posted 11 Sep 2014 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 – Using a new ultra-sensitive test, Johns Hopkins researchers found that people with diabetes may have a sixfold higher risk of heart failure even if their cholesterol is low and they appear otherwise healthy. Results of the new study suggest that people with diabetes and pre-diabetes may be suffering undetectable – but potentially dangerous – heart muscle damage, the researchers concluded. This heart damage is occurring regardless of a diabetic's cholesterol levels, which had no effect on test results, said lead author Elizabeth Selvin. She co-director of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Training Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Even if we treat people with diabetes with statins, we may not be able to fully address the increased risk of death and heart failure in that population," Selvin said. "This underscores the need for ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Heart Disease

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Diabetic Ketoacidosis (in DM Type II), Diabetic Coma (in DM Type II), Diabetes Mellitus

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