Thanks to mailings and websites that claim statin medications are harmful or unnecessary, many patients are confused about whether they should take them. That’s unfortunate, because the medication not only helps prevent heart attacks and strokes but also lowers the chance of developing peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, in which the arteries in the feet… Continue reading Don’t Fall for These Six Internet Myths about Statins
Tag: Diabetes
Gene Variant Could Lead to Missed Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis in African-Americans
Researchers have found a gene variant that occurs only in African Americans and could cause underdiagnosis of A1c blood testing for diabetes among a group known to have a higher risk for the illness. The discovery was part of a study that identified 60 gene variants – 42 for the first time – that can… Continue reading Gene Variant Could Lead to Missed Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis in African-Americans
Why Olives and Olive Oil Help Fight Diabetes and Obesity
A research team at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In… Continue reading Why Olives and Olive Oil Help Fight Diabetes and Obesity
Peripheral Artery Disease: What You Need to Know
As we age, it is common to be concerned about heart disease or high blood pressure. But many people don’t know that those conditions are also related to another common health issue, peripheral artery disease (PAD). Unfortunately, many patients are not diagnosed until it has progressed. PAD is caused when hardening of the arteries deprives… Continue reading Peripheral Artery Disease: What You Need to Know
A New Way to Help Diabetes Patients
Researchers have developed a method of identifying those diabetes patients who are at most risk for being admitted to an emergency room or hospital because of very low blood sugar. The results of the research, led by investigators from Kaiser Permanente, was published in JAMA Internal Medicine in August 2017. Advances in care and improved… Continue reading A New Way to Help Diabetes Patients
Report: More than 100 Million Americans Have Diabetes or Prediabetes
Everyone agrees that diabetes is a growing problem that affects millions of people. But the latest figures are even more astonishing and disturbing than most people might have thought. Here, from the federal government, are the newest statistics on this critical disease: More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes,… Continue reading Report: More than 100 Million Americans Have Diabetes or Prediabetes
Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Risk of Weight Gain, Heart Disease, and Other Health Issues
Artificial sweeteners may be associated with long-term weight gain and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, according to a study published in July 2017 in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Manitoba’s George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation and… Continue reading Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Risk of Weight Gain, Heart Disease, and Other Health Issues
A New View of Diabetes Management
Heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and exacerbated by type 2 diabetes, yet diabetes treatment regimens tend to focus primarily on blood sugar maintenance. Researchers now say that this usual approach to type 2 diabetes management can cause patients to be at risk for heart attack and stroke. Results from four recent… Continue reading A New View of Diabetes Management
A New Era in Diabetes Treatment?
A drug used to treat people with type 2 diabetes also significantly reduces the risk of both cardiovascular and kidney disease, according to new research. The study, by The George Institute for Global Health, based in Newtown, Australia, has major implications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The illness affects around 450 million people… Continue reading A New Era in Diabetes Treatment?
Sleep and Heart Disease
People who have a common set of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes – and who sleep less than six hours daily – are about twice as likely to die of heart disease or stroke as are people who don’t have those risk factors, according to new research. For those with the same factors who did… Continue reading Sleep and Heart Disease
How to Safely Use Test Strips and Glucose Meters
From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), advice on the smartest ways to use test strips and glucose meters. Using a glucose meter to check and monitor blood sugar is a daily part of life for millions of Americans with diabetes. Glucose meters and test strips are medical devices regulated by the FDA. And… Continue reading How to Safely Use Test Strips and Glucose Meters
Ginger May Help Fight Obesity and Related Disorders
If you are overweight or obese, you’ve probably already heard about metabolic syndrome, a set of symptoms that ups your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. Paring off pounds can improve your health, and now a team of researchers in China has shown that adding ginger to your diet may help you.… Continue reading Ginger May Help Fight Obesity and Related Disorders
Moderate Exercise and Chronic Disease
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found how just one session of moderate exercise can also act as an anti-inflammatory. The findings have encouraging implications for chronic diseases like arthritis, fibromyalgia and for more pervasive conditions, such as obesity. The study, recently published online in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, found… Continue reading Moderate Exercise and Chronic Disease
A Better Blood Sugar Test for Diabetes
According to a release from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, new method for estimating blood sugar levels can cut diagnostic errors by more than 50% compared to the current widely used blood test, according to a 2016 study of more than 200 diabetic patients. This finding opens the door to personalized diabetes… Continue reading A Better Blood Sugar Test for Diabetes
Fructose and Metabolic Disease
Investigators have found further proof that consuming too much of the sugar fructose is linked to a global rise in metabolic disease. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. It was conducted in mice and corroborated in human liver samples, unveiing a metabolic process that could upend previous ideas about how the… Continue reading Fructose and Metabolic Disease
Regenerative Bandage Heals Diabetic Foot Wounds Faster
A Northwestern University team has developed a new treatment for diabetic foot ulcers, a severe and potentially deadly complication of diabetes. Called a “regenerative bandage,” the novel material heals diabetic wounds four times faster than a standard bandage and has the added benefit of promoting healing without side effects. The study was published online in… Continue reading Regenerative Bandage Heals Diabetic Foot Wounds Faster
A “Double” Drug for Diabetes
Researchers are developing a new class of drugs that could treat both Type 2 diabetes and bone fractures – a hazard associated with diabetes. In addition to its more obvious ills, type 2 diabetes is a condition closely associated with bone fractures, A new study, co-led by Patrick R. Griffin, a professor on the Florida… Continue reading A “Double” Drug for Diabetes
Diabetes and Eye Disease
Diabetes affects other organs besides the kidneys. It often affects vision. Experts from the National Eye Institute share what diabetic eye disease is, and how it can be managed. Diabetic eye disease comprises a group of eye conditions that affect people with diabetes. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema (DME), cataract, and glaucoma.… Continue reading Diabetes and Eye Disease