Uric Acid May Help Spot Diabetic Kidney Disease Early

Elevated levels of uric acid in the blood may be an early sign of diabetic kidney disease in people with type 1 diabetes, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston noted that increased uric acid levels may appear before any significant change in urine albumin levels, the standard screening test for diabetic kidney disease.

In the study, the researchers checked serum uric acid concentration and urine albumin levels... read more

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Genetic Screening for Diabetes No More Useful than Traditional Methods

Genetic testing to see someone’s predisposition to type 2 diabetes is not significantly better than an assessment based on traditional risk factors for the disease, such as weight, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, two new studies show.

One of them, published in the Nov. 20 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, was led by diabetes researcher James B. Meigs, MD, MPH, of Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at... read more

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Genetic testing no better predictor for diabetes

Want to know your diabetes risk? No need to visit a genetic testing laboratory! A new study published in the Nov 20 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that use of a set of 16 genetic variants is not significantly better than use of common clinical risk factors when it comes to predicting the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The study was conducted by researchers from Lund... read more

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Arthritis Hits More Than Half of Diabetics

Arthritis strikes more than half of the 20.6 million American adults who have diabetes, and the painful joint condition may be a barrier to exercise among these patients, a new government report shows.

Being physically active helps people manage both diseases better by controlling blood sugar levels and reducing joint pain, according to the report in the May 9 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control... read more

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Diabetes Boosts Liver Cancer Risk in Hepatitis, Cirrhosis Cases

Diabetes doubles the risk of liver cancer in patients with chronic hepatitis C with advanced fibrosis, or cirrhosis, a Dutch study reports.

Researchers at the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam analyzed data on 541 European and Canadian patients with chronic hepatitis C with advanced cirrhosis. Of those patients, 85 had diabetes. Patients with more severe fibrosis were more likely to have diabetes.

"The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 10.5 percent for patients... read more

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Doctors Urged to Look for Link Between Type 2 Diabetes, Sleep Apnea

The ties being found between type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) indicate these disorders have major implications on public health, the International Diabetes Federation warns.

Up to 40 percent of people with OSA, a common breathing disorder, also have diabetes, recent studies suggest. Likewise, more than half of the people with type 2 diabetes suffer from some form of sleep disorder. Another recent study suggests treating OSA with continuous positive airway pressure... read more

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Fitness a Key Element in Determining Male Diabetic's Longevity

SUNDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- If you're a man with type 2 diabetes, how long you live may be determined more by how physically fit you are than by how much you weigh.

A new study expected to be presented in San Francisco this weekend at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society found that physical fitness appeared to be more important than weight in estimating a male diabetic's longevity.

"Death rates were the... read more

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Diabetes Drug May Prevent Early Puberty in Young Girls

The diabetes drug metformin slows the onset of early puberty and reduces the risk of insulin resistance in girls at risk for both conditions, a Spanish study concludes.

"The findings indicate that we can slow down puberty. This is important, because when puberty is faster in girls, the appearance of menses occurs earlier, and this sequence of events may ultimately result in a shorter adult height," senior author Dr. Lourdes Ibanez, of the... read more

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Unhealthy Meals Dull Older Diabetics' Memory

Older adults with type 2 diabetes are apt to have memory problems after eating a meal loaded with fat, but a new study has found the damage can be undone if they take antioxidant vitamins along with the unhealthy food.

However, the researchers emphasize, it is better to eat healthy foods and not rely on vitamins to undo the cognitive harm.

"What we are aiming for is for people to actually eat healthier meals,"... read more

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Newer Blood Pressure Drug Better for Some Heart Patients, Diabetics

A new study offers a possible alternative to heart patients and diabetics who need to keep their blood pressure under control but who cannot tolerate the standard treatment of ACE inhibitors.

Reporting at the European Society of Cardiology in Munich on Sunday, Canadian researchers said they found that the angiogenesis-receptor blocker (ARB) known as telmisartan worked well for the 20 percent of patients with vascular disease and high-risk diabetes who can't take ACE inhibitors. The... read more

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