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 cure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes cure. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Feeding Cereal Too Soon Raises Diabetes Risk in babies
Babies with a family history of diabetes who were introduced to cereals before or after the recommended age of four to six months had a higher risk of developing a precursor to the disease, researchers said on Tuesday.
Two teams of researchers -- one from the University of Colorado at Denver and the other from the Diabetes Research Institute in Munich, Germany -- produced similar findings in multi-year studies of at-risk children that were both published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
They found that infants at risk of diabetes who were fed fiber or rice cereals before they reached the recommended age of four months were four to five times more likely to develop an autoimmune response that destroys islet cells in the pancreas than babies introduced to cereal between four and six months.
The destruction of islet cells, which make insulin and other hormones, is thought to lead to Type I diabetes, which often runs in families and affects two out of 1,000 Americans.
The Colorado study also indicated that infants not fed cereal until age seven months or later -- beyond the four-to-six month recommended window -- were also at higher risk for developing the disease precursor, study author Jill Norris wrote.
There are various theories about why fiber and rice cereals might trigger cell destruction in the pancreas in infants at risk of diabetes, Norris wrote.
One theory is that the immature infant's gut reacts to the gluten in cereal with an excessive immune system response. In older infants with bigger appetites, the trigger may be the body's response to the larger amounts of cereal consumed.
Another theory posed is that infants not fed cereal during the critical developmental stage between four and six months lack key nutrients such as vitamin E and zinc, which causes the immune system to overreact.
An editorial in the journal said parents should not misconstrue the findings as saying that infant cereals cause diabetes, nor should they be overly concerned about feeding their children fiber or rice cereals.
"At this stage, cautious interest might seem the appropriate response" to the studies, wrote Mark Atkinson of the University of Florida, Gainesville, and Edwin Gale of the University of Bristol, England.
Some young children who develop the precursor condition do not develop diabetes, the editorial said.
Two teams of researchers -- one from the University of Colorado at Denver and the other from the Diabetes Research Institute in Munich, Germany -- produced similar findings in multi-year studies of at-risk children that were both published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
They found that infants at risk of diabetes who were fed fiber or rice cereals before they reached the recommended age of four months were four to five times more likely to develop an autoimmune response that destroys islet cells in the pancreas than babies introduced to cereal between four and six months.
The destruction of islet cells, which make insulin and other hormones, is thought to lead to Type I diabetes, which often runs in families and affects two out of 1,000 Americans.
The Colorado study also indicated that infants not fed cereal until age seven months or later -- beyond the four-to-six month recommended window -- were also at higher risk for developing the disease precursor, study author Jill Norris wrote.
There are various theories about why fiber and rice cereals might trigger cell destruction in the pancreas in infants at risk of diabetes, Norris wrote.
One theory is that the immature infant's gut reacts to the gluten in cereal with an excessive immune system response. In older infants with bigger appetites, the trigger may be the body's response to the larger amounts of cereal consumed.
Another theory posed is that infants not fed cereal during the critical developmental stage between four and six months lack key nutrients such as vitamin E and zinc, which causes the immune system to overreact.
An editorial in the journal said parents should not misconstrue the findings as saying that infant cereals cause diabetes, nor should they be overly concerned about feeding their children fiber or rice cereals.
"At this stage, cautious interest might seem the appropriate response" to the studies, wrote Mark Atkinson of the University of Florida, Gainesville, and Edwin Gale of the University of Bristol, England.
Some young children who develop the precursor condition do not develop diabetes, the editorial said.
Early Diabetes Leads to Early Heart Disease
The ever-increasing waistlines of young adults in the U.S. have led to more and more cases of type 2 diabetes in young people -- and these young people are having far too many heart attacks and strokes, new research suggests.
In the study, young adults -- younger than 45 -- with type 2 diabetes were many times more likely to have a heart attack than their peers who did not have diabetes. The increased risk was most pronounced in women.
It's no secret that diabetes promotes the development of heart disease, but the increased risk associated with diabetes was much greater in younger adults than in older people, researchers report in the November issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
"Our study showed that young adults, especially women, with type 2 diabetes have a much higher risk of heart disease at an age when heart disease essentially does not exist unless you have type 2 diabetes," says study author Dr. Teresa A. Hillier of Kaiser Permanente Northwest/Hawaii in Portland, Oregon.
Hillier noted that it is well known that both obesity and type 2 diabetes are rapidly increasing in both children and young adults. "I believe that obesity may well be altering the usual course of type 2 diabetes to make it more aggressive in these younger adults," she said.
Hillier and a colleague, Kathryn L. Pedula, based their findings on a study of nearly 8,000 people who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Participants were enrollees in the Kaiser Permanente Northwest health maintenance organization.
The researchers divided participants into two groups based on whether they had been diagnosed before or after turning 45, and compared them with "control" groups of people matched for age who did not have diabetes.
Diabetes increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in both age groups, but the increased risk was much larger in younger people.
People who had been diagnosed before age 45 were 14 times more likely to have a heart attack and 30 times more likely to have a stroke than their non-diabetic peers. In contrast, older people with diabetes were four times more likely than their peers to have a heart attack and three times more likely to have a stroke.
In younger adults, women were most likely to have a heart attack, according to the report.
In addition, there were several signs that diabetes was more severe in younger adults. People who developed diabetes before age 45 were more likely to need insulin, and they were also more likely to develop a diabetes complication called microalbuminuria -- a sign of kidney impairment -- which also increases the risk of heart disease.
"As individuals, communities and as a nation, we have got to do more to become healthier in our eating habits, exercise and body weight," Hillier said.
The good news is that modest weight loss and physical activity can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One study, she pointed out, found that people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes were able to cut their risk in half by losing 7 percent of their weight and walking 30 minutes a day half an hour a week.
Type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes, is closely linked to obesity. This type of diabetes usually develops in adulthood, although as the nation's young people become heavier and heavier, more and more younger people are developing the disease.
In people with type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels rise as the body becomes resistant to insulin, the hormone that processes sugar in the body. While type 2 diabetes used to be primarily a problem of middle and old age, new cases of the illness among people 30 to 39 have risen 70 percent in the last decade.
In the study, young adults -- younger than 45 -- with type 2 diabetes were many times more likely to have a heart attack than their peers who did not have diabetes. The increased risk was most pronounced in women.
It's no secret that diabetes promotes the development of heart disease, but the increased risk associated with diabetes was much greater in younger adults than in older people, researchers report in the November issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
"Our study showed that young adults, especially women, with type 2 diabetes have a much higher risk of heart disease at an age when heart disease essentially does not exist unless you have type 2 diabetes," says study author Dr. Teresa A. Hillier of Kaiser Permanente Northwest/Hawaii in Portland, Oregon.
Hillier noted that it is well known that both obesity and type 2 diabetes are rapidly increasing in both children and young adults. "I believe that obesity may well be altering the usual course of type 2 diabetes to make it more aggressive in these younger adults," she said.
Hillier and a colleague, Kathryn L. Pedula, based their findings on a study of nearly 8,000 people who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Participants were enrollees in the Kaiser Permanente Northwest health maintenance organization.
The researchers divided participants into two groups based on whether they had been diagnosed before or after turning 45, and compared them with "control" groups of people matched for age who did not have diabetes.
Diabetes increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in both age groups, but the increased risk was much larger in younger people.
People who had been diagnosed before age 45 were 14 times more likely to have a heart attack and 30 times more likely to have a stroke than their non-diabetic peers. In contrast, older people with diabetes were four times more likely than their peers to have a heart attack and three times more likely to have a stroke.
In younger adults, women were most likely to have a heart attack, according to the report.
In addition, there were several signs that diabetes was more severe in younger adults. People who developed diabetes before age 45 were more likely to need insulin, and they were also more likely to develop a diabetes complication called microalbuminuria -- a sign of kidney impairment -- which also increases the risk of heart disease.
"As individuals, communities and as a nation, we have got to do more to become healthier in our eating habits, exercise and body weight," Hillier said.
The good news is that modest weight loss and physical activity can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One study, she pointed out, found that people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes were able to cut their risk in half by losing 7 percent of their weight and walking 30 minutes a day half an hour a week.
Type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes, is closely linked to obesity. This type of diabetes usually develops in adulthood, although as the nation's young people become heavier and heavier, more and more younger people are developing the disease.
In people with type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels rise as the body becomes resistant to insulin, the hormone that processes sugar in the body. While type 2 diabetes used to be primarily a problem of middle and old age, new cases of the illness among people 30 to 39 have risen 70 percent in the last decade.
Stem cells give hope for diabetes cure
Scientists in the US have used stem cells from human bone marrow to successfully treat diabetic mice with high blood sugar and damaged kidneys, a treatment they hope can be adapted for humans as well.
The team from New Orleans' Tulane University injected a group of mice with stem cells. After three weeks, they were shown to be producing higher levels of mouse insulin than untreated mice and had lower blood sugar levels.
The injections also appeared to halt damaging changes taking place in the glomeruli - the bulb-like structures in the kidneys that filter blood, said the study that featured in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researcher Darwin Prockop said: "We are not certain whether the kidneys improved because the blood sugar was lower or because the human cells were helping to repair the kidneys.
"But we suspect the human cells were repairing the kidneys in much the same way they were repairing the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas."
Stem cells are immature cells that have the capacity to turn into any kind of tissue in the body.
The scientists hope it can be adapted to treat diabetes in humans and are planning to carry out trials.
The team from New Orleans' Tulane University injected a group of mice with stem cells. After three weeks, they were shown to be producing higher levels of mouse insulin than untreated mice and had lower blood sugar levels.
The injections also appeared to halt damaging changes taking place in the glomeruli - the bulb-like structures in the kidneys that filter blood, said the study that featured in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researcher Darwin Prockop said: "We are not certain whether the kidneys improved because the blood sugar was lower or because the human cells were helping to repair the kidneys.
"But we suspect the human cells were repairing the kidneys in much the same way they were repairing the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas."
Stem cells are immature cells that have the capacity to turn into any kind of tissue in the body.
The scientists hope it can be adapted to treat diabetes in humans and are planning to carry out trials.
