And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
—John 8:32
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Macular edema is two to five times more common in type 2 diabetics taking pioglitazone or rosiglitazone, according to an article published June 11, 2012, by MedPage Today. The original research was reported in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The macula is the dark area in the middle of the right half of this retina photo
The macula is the most sensitive part of the retina at the back of your eyeball. Edema, or watery swelling, of the macula can impair vision.
Very few patients in the U.S. use rosiglitazone any longer because of concerns about heart toxicity. Pioglitazone has recently been implicated as a cause of bladder cancer.
Filed under Diabetes Complications, Drugs for Diabetes
The prevalence of type 1 diabetes in U.S. adolescents rose by 23% between 2001 and 2009, according to University of Colorado researchers.
The journal Pediatrics just recently published an article stating that the incidence of diabetes and prediabetes in U.S. adolescents increased from 9% in 1999 to 23% in 2008. From that report, however, I couldn’t tell how much of the increase was type 1 versus type 2.
No one knows why type 1 diabetes in youths is increasing. The rise in type 2 diabetes is likely related to higher obesity rates.
Filed under DM Prevalence
Tabata’s team used stationary bicycles
I’m interested in HIIT as a means to achieve fitness in much less time than the 150 minutes a week of exercise recommended by various public health authorities. I don’t like to exercise, so I’m searching for a program with substantial benefits at only 60-90 minutes a week! Can I get a “Amen!”?
Why didn’t the authors at least mention the oft-cited and apparently pioneering work of Izumi Tabata et al from 1996?
References:
Gibala et al. Adaptations to low-volume, high-intensity interval training (preliminary draft). Journal of Physiology, doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.224725
Tabata, I., et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Medicine and Science in Sports and Medicine, 1996 Oct;28(10):1327-30.
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Filed under Exercise
Keys lived his last years in Pioppi, Italy, not near the Tower of Pisa
Here’s her take on Ancel Keys, the father of cardiovascular epidemiology and the what we now consider the healthy Mediterranean diet. She is funny. Warning: Her post is only for serious nutrition science geeks.
Too bad he’s not alive to defend himself. He died young, almost reaching 101. Check out his New York Times obituary.
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Filed under Mediterranean Diet
Skyler Tanner slaughters some sacred cows in his blog post June 4, 2012. I pulled these bullet points from his post. Click on his embedded links for details.
Filed under Exercise, Overweight and Obesity
Older adults with high olive oil consumption have a lower risk of stroke, according to French investigators.
Caprese salad: mozzarella cheese, basil, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil
The Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, has long been linked to lower rates of stroke. French researchers wondered if that might be related to higher olive oil consumption. Triglyceride esters of oleic acid comprise the majority of olive oil, and oleic acid blood levels reflect olive oil consumption.
Have you heard of monounsaturated fatty acids? Oleic acid is one.
Over 7,000 older adults without history of stroke were surveyed with regards to olive oil consumption. Oleic acid plasma levels were measured in over a thousand of the study participants. Over the course of five years, 175 strokes occurred.
Compared with those who never used olive oil, those with the highest consumption had a 41% lower risk of stroke. The researchers made adjustments for other dietary variables, age, physical activity, and body mass index.
In looking at the plasma oleic acid levels, those in the highest third of levels had 73% lower risk of stroke compared to those in the lowest third.
Results suggest that the olive oil in the Mediterranean diet may help explain the diet’s protection against stroke. The researchers didn’t suggest an amount of olive oil that would reduce stroke risk. I suggest at least one or two tablespoons (15–30 ml) a day, on average. Olive oil is a key component of the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet and Advanced Mediterranean Diet.
Reference: Samieri, C. et al. Olive oil consumption, plasma oleic acid, and stroke incidence: the Three-City Study. Neurology, Published online before print June 15, 2011, doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318220abeb
Filed under Health Benefits, Mediterranean Diet, Stroke
MedPage Today reports that another study links pioglitazone with bladder cancer in the U.K. I’m not sure how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will react to this.
We have 11 classes of drugs for treatment of diabetes. Thiazolidinediones, aka glitazones or TZDs, are one class. Pioglitazone and rosiglitazone are the only two drugs in the class, at least in the U.S. Rosiglitazone is already highly restricted due to concern about heart toxicity.
This latest news confirms my inclination to treat type 2 diabetes with weight management, exercise, and a low-carbohydrate diet, when able.
Filed under Drugs for Diabetes
-Steve
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TV’s “The Biggest Loser” weight-loss program works great for overweight diabetics and pre diabetics, according to an article May 30, 2012, in MedPage Today. Some quotes:
For example, one man with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 9.1, a body mass index (BMI) of 51, and who needed six insulin injections a day as well as other multiple prescriptions was off all medication by week 3, said Robert Huizenga, MD, the medical advisor for the TV show.
In addition, the mean percentage of weight loss of the 35 contestants in the study was 3.7% at week 1, 14.3% at week 5, and 31.9% at week 24…
The exercise regimen for those appearing on “The Biggest Loser” comprised about 4 hours of daily exercise: 1 hour of intense resistance training, 1 hour of intense aerobics, and 2 hours of moderate aerobics.
Caloric intake was at least 70% of the estimated resting daily energy expenditure, Huizenga said.
At the end of the program, participants are told to exercise for 90 minutes a day for the rest of their lives. Huizenga said he is often told by those listening to him that a daily 90-minute exercise regimen is impossible because everyone has such busy lives.
“I have a job and I work out from 90 to 100 minutes per day,” he said. “It’s about setting priorities. Time is not the issue; priorities are the issue.”
Of the 35 participants in this study, 12 had prediabetes and six had diabetes. This is a small pilot study, then. I bet the results would be reproducible on a larger scale IF all conditions of the TV program are in place. Of course, that’s not very realistic. A chance to win $250,000 (USD) is strong motivation for lifestyle change.
PS: Although not mentioned in the article, these must have been type 2 diabetics, not type 1.
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Filed under Exercise, Overweight and Obesity, Weight Loss
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Bible Verse of the Day
Diabetic Mediterranean Diet 