Endocrinology News
'Diabetic effect' in dolphins offers new hope for type 2 diabetes cure
Dolphins are the only animals apart from humans to develop a natural form of type 2 diabetes, according to new research. The discovery offers important insights into a disease that is linked to one in 20 deaths. American scientists have discovered that bottlenosed dolphins show a form of insulin resistance very similar to that seen in human diabetes. Unlike patients with the condition, the marine mammals can turn this state on and off when appropriate, so it is not normally harmful.
FDA reports says Avandia can hurt heart: report
Confidential U.S. government reports recommend that GlaxoSmithKline Plc's diabetes drug Avandia be pulled from the market because it can hurt the heart, The New York Times reported on Friday.The newspaper said the findings, which it said it obtained, reported that if all diabetics now taking Avandia were given Takeda's Actos drug instead, about 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure would be averted each month because Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, can be harmful to the heart.
Insulin pumps may be better than shots
Pumps that deliver insulin to the body as needed may be more effective than insulin injections for helping people with type 1 diabetes keep their blood sugar under control, according to a new review of 23 studies comparing the two approaches.
New Guidelines Urge A1C Test for Diabetes Diagnosis
In its latest set of clinical guidelines, the American Diabetes Association is promoting a more prominent role for the hemoglobin A1C blood test in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Long used in the management of diabetes, the A1C blood test measures average blood sugar levels for the previous two to three months. The new guidelines call for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at A1C levels above 6.5 percent, and prediabetes if the A1C levels are between 5.7 and 6.4 percent.
Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Functional Mobility in Older Adults
Archives of Internal Medicine
Health risks associated with subclinical hypothyroidism in older adults are unclear. Our objective was to compare the functional mobility of people aged 70 to 79 years by thyroid function categorized by thyrotropin (TSH) level as euthyroid (0.4 to <4.5 mIU/L), mild subclinical hypothyroid (4.5 to <7.0 mIU/L), or moderate subclinical hypothyroid (7.0 to 20.0 mIU/L with a normal free thyroxine level) cross-sectionally and over 2 years. Generally, well-functioning 70- to 79-year-old individuals with subclinical hypothyroidism do not demonstrate increased risk of mobility problems, and those with mild elevations in TSH level show a slight functional advantage.
Fast Eating Limits Gut Hormones That Induce Fullness
Eating too fast can lead to overeating because gulping down food limits the release of hormones in the gut that trigger the feeling of being full, Greek researchers have found. For the study, volunteers ate 300 milliliters of ice cream at different rates. Blood levels of glucose, insulin, lipids and gut hormones were measured before and after consumption of the ice cream. Participants who took 30 minutes to finish the ice cream had higher concentrations of the gut hormones peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide and also tended to feel more full than those who took less time to eat the ice cream.
