Kidney Disease and Increased Mortality Risk in Type 2 Diabetes

Among individuals with both diabetes and kidney disease, standardized mortality was 31.1% (95% CI, 24.7%–37.5%), representing an absolute risk difference with the reference group of 23.4% (95% CI, 17.0%–29.9%), adjusted for demographics, and 23.4% (95% CI, 17.2%–29.6%) when further adjusted. We observed similar patterns for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality. In conclusion, those with kidney disease predominantly account for the increased mortality observed in type 2 diabetes.

via Kidney Disease and Increased Mortality Risk in Type 2 Diabetes.

AAP Offers First Clinical Guidance for DM2

Up to one in three new diabetes cases diagnosed in people younger than 18 is type 2 diabetes, noted the AAP in its clinical guidelines. Health experts link the growing prevalence of this condition among youths to the rising prevalence of childhood obesity.

Seventeen percent of children and adolescents in the U.S., or 12.5 million people, age 2 to 19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 1980, the prevalence of obesity in this age group has nearly tripled, the CDC says.

via AAP offers first clinical guidance for type 2 diabetes – amednews.com.

U-Shaped Link for BMI at DX With Mortality in DM2

U-Shaped Link for BMI at Diagnosis With Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes | insureintell.com.

CONCLUSIONS Patients categorized as normal weight or obese with T2DM within a year of diagnosis of T2DM exhibit variably higher mortality outcomes compared with the overweight group, confirming a U-shaped association of BMI with mortality. Whether weight-loss interventions reduce mortality in all T2DM patients requires study.

via The Association Between BMI Measured Within a Year After Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and Mortality.

HT – Hank George

U.S. Diabetes Prevalence Soars

From 1995 to 2010, the median age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes for all 50 states, the District of Columbia (D.C.), and Puerto Rico rose from 4.5% to 8.2% Linda Geiss, MA, of the CDC, and colleagues reported in the Nov. 16 issue of Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.

via U.S. Diabetes Prevalence Soars.

and MMWR link Increasing Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes — United States and Puerto Rico, 1995–2010.

Maybe the demise of Twinkies wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Gila Monster News – From Lizard to Laboratory… and Beyond

While studying the effects of exendin-4 on the pancreas, Dr. Egan and her colleagues found that it also seemed to have beneficial effects on the brain. Specifically, GLP-1 stimulates the growth of neurites (developing neurons) in cell culture, and both GLP-1 and exendin-4 protect mature neurons against cell death. In fact, research increasingly suggests that there may be a link between some neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic dysfunction. The hope is that drugs, such as exendin-4, that enhance metabolic function may also be useful in the treatment of neurologic disease.

Building on these findings, Dr. Egan and others in the NIA Intramural Research Program have tested exendin-4 in cellular and mouse models of several neurodegenerative diseases. The results are promising. For example, using a mouse model of Huntington’s disease, they found that exendin-4 reduces the accumulation of the mutant huntingtin protein, which is implicated in the disease’s onset and progression. The treatment also improved motor function and extended the survival time of the Huntington’s disease mice.

In other studies, investigators found that exendin-4 significantly reduced levels of amyloid beta protein (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease) and its precursor molecule in mice models of the disorder. It also proved beneficial in cellular and animal models of another neurodegenerative disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

via National Institute on Aging | The Leader in Aging Research.

Health Toll of Fast Food Spreads Eastward

Eating Western-style fast food on a regular basis significantly increased the risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease in a large Asian cohort, investigators reported.

The diabetes odds increased by 27% and CHD risk by 56% among Singapore residents who ate fast food at least twice a week.

The results changed little with overall dietary pattern, energy intake, or body mass index (BMI), as reported online in Circulation.

via Medical News: Health Toll of Fast Food Spreads Eastward – in Cardiovascular, Atherosclerosis from MedPage Today.