Young adults with a history of depression have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a Canadian team.
"Our results are very important because the typical onset of depression occurs between 20 and 30 years of age," Dr. Jeffrey A. Johnson told. "These are the people who are at highest risk of developing depression and, based on our study results, they seem to have the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes."
Diabetes and depression often co-exist, and "depression is associated with worse outcomes in people with diabetes," Dr. Johnson and colleagues from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, write in the journal Diabetes Care.
It is not been entirely clear, however, whether people with a history of depression are somehow predisposed to developing diabetes, they explain.
The researchers used databases of Saskatchewan Health to identify 33,257 cases of type 2 diabetes among people at least 20 years of age, and each was matched to two nondiabetic "controls." The records were also used to any ascertain history of depression.
Patients with newly diagnosed diabetes were more likely to have a history of depression than were those without diabetes (4.9 percent vs. 3.8 percent, respectively).
This increased risk remained after taking into account various factors, "but was limited to subjects 20 to 50 years of age," the researchers report.
They note that there are several mechanisms that may be involved with this association. Depressed individuals are more likely to experience weight changes and less likely to partake in healthy behaviors such as exercise, both of which may increase the risk of diabetes.
Another possible explanation, according to the team, is that many of the medications used to treat depression cause weight gain and sedation, and may contribute to the development of diabetes.
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Strength Training May Aid in Type 2 Diabetes
Strength training might help women with type 2 diabetes improve their body's use of insulin, new research suggests.
In a small study of obese, postmenopausal women, investigators found that a regimen of aerobic exercise and strength training was better than aerobic activity alone when it came to improving insulin sensitivity.
Type 2 diabetes arises when the body loses sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that shuttles the sugars from food into body cells to be used for energy. Obesity is a major risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and diet and exercise modification is one strategy for controlling the condition.
It's been unclear, though, whether there are added benefits from bulking up an exercise regimen with resistance training, which aims to build muscle. Such training could improve insulin sensitivity by boosting muscle mass and cutting fat stores in the body, according to the authors of the new study.
To test this idea, they randomly assigned 28 obese women to one of three groups: one that followed 16 weeks of supervised aerobic exercise and strength training; one that followed an aerobic regimen only; and one that continued with their usual diabetes care.
At the end of the study, women in both exercise groups had less abdominal fat and greater muscle mass. But only the strength-training group, which had a bigger increase in muscle density, showed improved insulin sensitivity in tests.
Darcye J. Cuff, of St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, and her colleagues report the findings in the November issue of Diabetes Care.
According to the researchers, the findings suggest that the changes resistance exercise produced in abdominal fat and muscle mass were behind the improvements in insulin sensitivity. Adding strength training to aerobic workouts, they conclude, might be the best exercise regimen for improving insulin resistance.
In a small study of obese, postmenopausal women, investigators found that a regimen of aerobic exercise and strength training was better than aerobic activity alone when it came to improving insulin sensitivity.
Type 2 diabetes arises when the body loses sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that shuttles the sugars from food into body cells to be used for energy. Obesity is a major risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and diet and exercise modification is one strategy for controlling the condition.
It's been unclear, though, whether there are added benefits from bulking up an exercise regimen with resistance training, which aims to build muscle. Such training could improve insulin sensitivity by boosting muscle mass and cutting fat stores in the body, according to the authors of the new study.
To test this idea, they randomly assigned 28 obese women to one of three groups: one that followed 16 weeks of supervised aerobic exercise and strength training; one that followed an aerobic regimen only; and one that continued with their usual diabetes care.
At the end of the study, women in both exercise groups had less abdominal fat and greater muscle mass. But only the strength-training group, which had a bigger increase in muscle density, showed improved insulin sensitivity in tests.
Darcye J. Cuff, of St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, and her colleagues report the findings in the November issue of Diabetes Care.
According to the researchers, the findings suggest that the changes resistance exercise produced in abdominal fat and muscle mass were behind the improvements in insulin sensitivity. Adding strength training to aerobic workouts, they conclude, might be the best exercise regimen for improving insulin resistance.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Child Vaccinations Do Not Cause Diabetes
Routine childhood vaccinations do not increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study of more than 700,000 Danish children.
The study, led by Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, looked at all Danish children born from 1990 through 2000 and found that diabetes rates were not higher regardless of what types of vaccines were administered.
"The study will, one hopes, be the last one that is necessary to disprove an association between immunization and diabetes," said Dr. Lynne Levitsky of Massachusetts General Hospital.
In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, where the study appears, Levitsky said researchers "should now move on to the most important tasks" of finding what actually causes the blood sugar disease and, perhaps, a way to prevent it.
In addition, the study found siblings of children who had diabetes -- and were therefore more likely to develop the condition themselves -- were not more likely to become diabetics if they were vaccinated.
The Hviid team also looked to see if the vaccinations increased the risk of diabetes two, three or four years later in life. They found it did not.
The fact that doctors are doing a better job of getting children immunized against a dozen often-serious diseases had prompted speculation vaccines might contribute to the growing incidence of childhood diabetes.
But there is already evidence from previous studies that a yet-to-be-discovered environmental factor makes the body stop producing the insulin it needs to process blood sugar.
The study, led by Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, looked at all Danish children born from 1990 through 2000 and found that diabetes rates were not higher regardless of what types of vaccines were administered.
"The study will, one hopes, be the last one that is necessary to disprove an association between immunization and diabetes," said Dr. Lynne Levitsky of Massachusetts General Hospital.
In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, where the study appears, Levitsky said researchers "should now move on to the most important tasks" of finding what actually causes the blood sugar disease and, perhaps, a way to prevent it.
In addition, the study found siblings of children who had diabetes -- and were therefore more likely to develop the condition themselves -- were not more likely to become diabetics if they were vaccinated.
The Hviid team also looked to see if the vaccinations increased the risk of diabetes two, three or four years later in life. They found it did not.
The fact that doctors are doing a better job of getting children immunized against a dozen often-serious diseases had prompted speculation vaccines might contribute to the growing incidence of childhood diabetes.
But there is already evidence from previous studies that a yet-to-be-discovered environmental factor makes the body stop producing the insulin it needs to process blood sugar.
High Cholesterol in Diabetes May Harm Vision
Aggressive treatment to lower high cholesterol in patients with type 1 diabetes, also known as "juvenile diabetes," an autoimmune disease that typically develops at a young age, could protect their vision as well as their cardiovascular health, a new study suggests.
Harvard researchers found that individuals with the highest levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol, had twice the risk of developing a visual problem called macular edema, or fluid in the macula of the eye, compared with those with the lowest LDL levels. Subjects with the highest ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol had a fourfold increased risk of this eye disorder.
Clinically significant macular edema is the leading cause of vision loss in diabetics, Dr. Debra A. Schaumberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital and colleagues note. While high blood sugar has been tied to the development and progression of disease of the retina, the relationship between blood glucose control and clinically significant macular edema is not as clear.
Schaumberg and her colleagues analyzed data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, which included 1,441 patients with type 1 diabetes followed for an average of 6.5 years. Study participants' cholesterol levels were checked annually.
The study, published in the medical journal Diabetes, is the largest investigation of its kind to-date to evaluate the relationship between clinically significant macular edema and blood cholesterol levels.
Patients in the top quarter of total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio had 3.84 times the risk of clinically significant macular edema compared with those in the lowest quarter. Those with the highest LDL levels were 1.95 more times likely to develop clinically significant macular edema.
When the patients' blood sugar levels were considered, the relationship between cholesterol levels and clinically significant macular edema was weaker, although the association remained significant.
However, no relationship was seen between cholesterol levels and the progression or development of diabetic retinopathy.
The results indicate that high cholesterol, especially the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, are risk factors for clinically significant macular edema, Schaumberg and her colleagues conclude. The findings may also lend further support to current treatment guidelines that recommend aggressive lowering of high cholesterol in diabetic patients, they add.
Harvard researchers found that individuals with the highest levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol, had twice the risk of developing a visual problem called macular edema, or fluid in the macula of the eye, compared with those with the lowest LDL levels. Subjects with the highest ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol had a fourfold increased risk of this eye disorder.
Clinically significant macular edema is the leading cause of vision loss in diabetics, Dr. Debra A. Schaumberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital and colleagues note. While high blood sugar has been tied to the development and progression of disease of the retina, the relationship between blood glucose control and clinically significant macular edema is not as clear.
Schaumberg and her colleagues analyzed data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, which included 1,441 patients with type 1 diabetes followed for an average of 6.5 years. Study participants' cholesterol levels were checked annually.
The study, published in the medical journal Diabetes, is the largest investigation of its kind to-date to evaluate the relationship between clinically significant macular edema and blood cholesterol levels.
Patients in the top quarter of total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio had 3.84 times the risk of clinically significant macular edema compared with those in the lowest quarter. Those with the highest LDL levels were 1.95 more times likely to develop clinically significant macular edema.
When the patients' blood sugar levels were considered, the relationship between cholesterol levels and clinically significant macular edema was weaker, although the association remained significant.
However, no relationship was seen between cholesterol levels and the progression or development of diabetic retinopathy.
The results indicate that high cholesterol, especially the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, are risk factors for clinically significant macular edema, Schaumberg and her colleagues conclude. The findings may also lend further support to current treatment guidelines that recommend aggressive lowering of high cholesterol in diabetic patients, they add.
