Author: Staff Writers

Lessons from the Diabetic Capital of the World: Central Chronicle has said India is the, “diabetic capital of the world with 50.8 million (7.1%) of its people suffering from diabetes.” Why is diabetes so prevalent in this country and what can the rest of the world learn from this pandemic?

The U.S. government has been quoted as saying that roughly 8% of the U.S. population has developed diabetes. The most current figure for total diabetes cases in the U.S. is around 24 million. This should put into perspective the total number of people who live in India.

If you think that a simple intellectual diet of information would be enough to combat the disease in India you may not understand some of the forces at work there. Central Chronicle suggests, “A rapid shift in… dietary habits and lifestyles is resulting in a rapid rise in obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Hence a proper and healthy diet remains the cornerstone of prevention and management of these diseases.”

The article describes the profound growth in consumption of fast food compounded with convenience food snacks. This is believed to have contributed substantially to the rise in cases of diabetes within India.

As a guideline the article indicates, “The daily carbohydrate intake, derived from whole wheat, unpolished rice, barley, buckwheat, oats, millet, whole pulses, legumes, and whole fruits like guava/apple etc, should be around 50-60% of total calorie intake.”

It seems clear from the article that the prevailing belief among many in India is that a change in diet has been the leading cause of the rise in diabetes among the people in this Asian country. The Central Chronicle article suggests several guidelines that could help the people of India.

• Visible fat (oil, butter, ghee) and invisible fat (from cereals and pulses), together should be less than 30% of total energy. This can be got by consuming 4 to 5 teaspoonfuls of a combination of two or more vegetable oils. Correct cooking methods like boiling, steaming, roasting, grilling etc, instead of frying can minimize the visible fat intake.
• Trans fatty acids should be less than 1% of the total energy. These are found abundantly in bakery products, ready to use soups and gravies and foods prepared in margarine and vanaspati ghee. Hence it is best to avoid these products.
• Ideal protein intake is 1gm/day for every one kilo of body weight. Thus for the average Indian male, this could be obtained from two bowls of cooked pulses, or 2 pieces of lean chicken/fish meat, or 500ml of double toned milk, or 9 servings of wheat flour. This much of protein will provide 10-15% of the total calories.
• Salt intake should be less than 5gm per day. So, we Indians need to drastically curtail the ever so popular consumption of salted potato chips (a big favourite of children), pickles, and salty fried snacks.
• Sugar in very small amounts and water in excess (about 8-10 glasses) every day, should cap it all.
• Apart from this, it is important to take small frequent meals at intervals of 3-4 hours. While eating out (which has become increasingly popular, even in small towns in India), one should choose small portion sizes of healthy snacks. Beverages like buttermilk, coconut water, fresh lime with water are excellent substitutes for aerated and high calorie drinks. (Source: Central Chronicle)

Having information still remains useless unless that information is used to facilitate change. No one changes without the desire to make the change. The trend toward diabetes will be altered only when people choose for themselves a lifestyle that welcomes positive lifestyle changes and pay attention to what is consumed.

Diabetes and the Words We Say: What if the words you say and the disposition you choose had a direct bearing on your health? A new report suggests it does.

ABC.com recently reported that when we allow ourselves to become angry and utter words that cause additional anger we may be flooding our bodies with hormones and proteins that are damaging to our health.

This report states, “Pennsylvania State University researchers have found a “physiological marker” showing that words can have a significant impact on a person’s health. Scientists have known for at least a decade that stress can cause a rise in proteins that have been linked to cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.

“But psychologist Jennifer Graham at Penn State reports that choosing words that reflect thoughtfulness, or rationality, or perhaps just caring, can reduce the increase in proteins, called cytokines, such as Interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. During stress, those proteins normally go up, thus impairing the immune system.”

It seems that people who actually do care for others, who express both empathy and sympathy may have better overall health than those who are either apathetic or worse yet, angry.

There is an old proverb that says a careful word turns away wrath. The words we choose to say impact the health of the person we talk to – and it impacts our own health.

If you are in a position where you must constantly confront others you may find an overall impact on your health.

Let’s look at this from the perspective of someone who spends time online. It is possible to become involved in a forum or respond to a blog in which you allow your emotions to gain control of your response. You may feel good about your response initially, but may end up regretting – then fretting – over the posted response. If ugly words are traded back and forth you may find elevated stress and all the hormones related to that stress are pouring into your blood stream. Now consider this concept in your relationships with a loved one. If we can learn to control our words and develop a lifestyle that is genuinely concerned with the well being of others we may see a difference in how we ultimately feel.

We exist in a time when stress seems to be the norm, but we are also paying for that stress in terms of bodily damage. We may not be able to escape every stress, but we can learn to manage our response in a way that promotes both physical and psychological health.

The ABC.com report provides ample evidence of how the body responds to stress and arguments between married partners.

One of the proteins released in the heat of stressful arguments is cytokines. MedicineNet.com describes this element as, “A small protein released by cells that has a specific effect on the interactions between cells, on communications between cells or on the behavior of cells. The cytokines includes the interleukins, lymphokines and cell signal molecules, such as tumor necrosis factor and the interferons, which trigger inflammation and respond to infections.”

So in a very real sense your argument could impact inflammations, make infections worse, create conditions for the growth of tumors and ultimately create an environment where diabetes and cardiovascular disease can take over.

We were once told to keep quiet, then later to say whatever was on our minds. Perhaps the new rule is to speak the truth, but do so kindly. Your health is impacted when you chose not to.

The Role of Morbid Obesity in Diabetes: It’s no secret – the American population is growing. This growth is not just in numbers, but also in total size. New reports indicate that 1/5th of all Type 2 diabetics are morbidly obese. What’s the cause for this growth and how can we make changes?

DiabetesInControl suggests, “Among the reasons for the increase in obesity among diabetics and the overall population are inexpensive food, larger portion sizes and consumption of sugary soda.”

That seems pretty straightforward and you have to admit there are restaurants that seem to provide a portion large enough to feed a small country, but the choice as to what we eat and how much we consume is ultimately ours to make.

As to the numbers DiabetesInControl reports, “62.4 percent of U.S. adults with Type 2 diabetes are obese, and 20.7 percent are morbidly obese. Among African American adults with Type 2 diabetes, 1 in 3 is morbidly obese.”

Dr. Holly Kramer is a kidney specialist and lead author of the report cited in DiabetesInControl. Kramer believes there are, “substantial public health implications,” in these findings. Kramer said, “Between the survey periods 1976-1980 and 2005-2006, there was a 141 percent increase in the rate of morbid obesity among adults with Type 2 diabetes.”

Mosby’s Medical Dictionary describes morbid obesity as, “an excess of body fat, or weight of 100 pounds over ideal body weight, that increases the risk of developing cardiac and endocrine disturbances, including coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, as well as some kinds of cancer.”

This condition tends to propel a diabetic forward into advanced medical need and at the same time projects an inability to manage health and wellness without intervention.

DiabetesInControl suggests, “Diabetics already are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, and obesity further increases this risk, especially among women. Obesity also increases other diabetes complications, including end-stage kidney disease. Other obesity complications include sleep-disordered breathing, arthritis and fatty liver disease.” This can add to the stress of attempting to manage your diabetes on your own.

TopNews.co.uk suggests a secondary indicator of diabetes potential. “Recent research has revealed that people who snore heavily and frequently are at least 50% more at risk of developing diabetes than those who sleep quietly. As per the study, which was undertaken at the Yale University in US to study a ‘snoring-related condition called sleep apnea’, people who snore regularly are more prone to experiencing changes in the body’s metabolism and this can lead to diabetes,” it reported.

The common points of reversal for those moving towards diabetes are to reduce portion size (remember the stomach was designed to hold food the equivalent size of your fist) and to exercise. These two seem easy enough, yet the stress of 21st century living can make self-control and body discipline a difficult prospect for most. Sometimes the change you need to make would be beneficial for your entire family. By making health objectives a family mission you could end up with a scenario where family members work to keep each other accountable for wise choices and may spur each other into improved levels of physical activity. One alternative for those who are morbidly obese is gastric bypass surgery, but many physicians view this alternative as a last resort.

Diabetes: Universal Health Dilemma: Because Diabetic Live is based in the United States we will generally provide coverage that comes from the United States. However for this report we take a look at information from a few other countries that also struggle with a growing number of citizens who live with diabetes.

According to DiabetesAustralia there are a number of facts their organization considers important in their response to diabetes. Consider the following.

• An estimated 275 Australians develop diabetes every day. The 2005 Australian AusDiab Follow-up Study (Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study) showed that 1.7 million Australians have diabetes but that up to half of the cases of type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed. By 2031 it is estimated that 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes (Vos et al., 2004).
• The total financial cost of type 2 diabetes is estimated at $10.3 billion. Of this, carer costs were estimated as $4.4 billion, productivity losses were $4.1 billion, health system costs were $1.1 billion and $1.1 billion was due to obesity.
• A reduction in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes will not only result in cost savings in the health budget, but increased participation and productivity in the workforce and, most importantly, better health outcomes and quality of life for Australians.
• There is no doubt diabetes is a serious health crisis but it’s not all bad news. Up to 60% of cases of type 2 can be prevented and we know that good blood glucose control and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can significantly improve the complications associated with diabetes.
• 275 Australians develop diabetes every day.
• Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease.
• About 890,000 Australians are currently diagnosed with diabetes. For every person diagnosed, it is estimated that there is another who is not yet diagnosed; a total of about 1.7 million people.
• The total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is estimated at 3.2 million.
• As the sixth leading cause of death in Australia, it is critical we take action.
• Up to 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented. (Source: Diabetes Australia)

Ironically this information is not significantly unique when compared to many other locations in the world – including the United States.

On our border to the north in Canada the citizens there are part of a nationalized health plan, but some are concerned about the care diabetic residents are receiving. Consider the following.

According to The Gazette a Canadian Institute for Health Information report, “Found care for those with diabetes varied across regions and income levels. The study found that only 32 per cent of diabetes patients across the country received four key medically recommended regular tests for the ailment.”

In some locations diabetic testing on these four key medical areas was as low as 21%. For your reference the four areas viewed as important in the study included, “Blood glucose levels, urine protein, dilated eyes and to check their feet for sores or irritations.” While most practitioners conducted one or more tests it was rare that a practitioner would conduct all four on a diabetic patient in Canada.

This information is causing many Canadians to demand national standards that focus on the diabetic patient in order to improve the level of care provided to their patients.

A Sensible Approach to Christmas: For some reason when Christmas rolls around it can be easy to begin naming all the things you love. Your emotions are tied to tastes, scents and sights of the holiday. When you have diabetes you may find your emotional wants in conflict with what your body needs.

If you’re like me you might hear the tune “Favorite Things” rolling through your mind as you consider what you like best about the holiday.

Fudge squares on nice plates and brownies with caramel
Mom’s homemade stuffing and warm ‘taters drizzled
With butter or cream – and maybe some cheese
These are a few of my favorite things

When the bird’s done
When the pie’s won
When I’m feeling full
I simply remember my favorite things
So why do I feel so bad.

It can be easy to think that at Christmas we can allow ourselves to fully enjoy ourselves – especially if we have done an exceptional job at managing our diabetes. However, the things that cause your body problems the other 364 days of the year WILL cause problems December 25th. Our stomachs will still only need total mealtime food roughly the size of a balled fist.

If you have minimized carbohydrates as part of your diabetes management (most type 2 diabetics will) you will find your body won’t do well if you infuse lots of carbs in one meal.

This brings up the topic of carb management. It will be helpful if you can get a handle on the approximate carbs you will find in traditional Christmas foods. For instance bread that is light and high in fiber will be a better choice than bread that is heavy. Squash will have less negative impact on your blood sugar than potatoes.

It will not be especially helpful to set aside physical activity during the holidays. It may seem to be an inconvenience, but the truth is it will be important to your enjoyment of the holiday. If you have swings in your blood sugar levels you will not be able to engage in holiday festivities the way you may like. It is likely you can find another family member that would welcome the opportunity to walk with you or if your climate allows it, ride a bike.

You can use certain proteins to help offset a potential blood sugar spike caused by carbs. For instance eating almonds after a meal with abundant carbs can help reduce a spike in blood sugar. On the other hand if you suffer from low blood sugar you should have juice or other active food product that can help raise your blood sugar to acceptable levels if required.

In most cases your host or hostess may not know enough about diabetes to be sensitive to what you may need. You will need to kindly assume the role of personal protector by graciously declining certain foods and enjoying those that can help you maintain positive health. The end result will be a better overall holiday experience with family and friends.

One way to add a positive spin to your holiday experience is to bring one or two of your own diabetic friendly recipes that will allow you an increased comfort level and offer you an opportunity to dialogue with your host or hostess about diabetes.

Here’s to a great Christmas and a New Year in which diabetes advances may lead to a cure.

Prostate Cancer Therapy: Diabetes Risk: Common treatments for prostate cancer in men may create an environment in which Type 2 diabetes can develop more easily. More than 37,000 men were involved in the four-year study led by a researcher from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

According to TheGlobeAndMail.com, “More than one in five men who undergo androgen deprivation therapy – a form of castration common after prostate cancer treatment – subsequently develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes they otherwise would not have.”

The core finding of the report discovered in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, “shows that the risk of heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death and diabetes in men who underwent ADT was 20 to 30 per cent higher than the risk in men who did not undergo the therapy.”

What Increased the Diabetic Risk?
TheGlobeAndMail.com reported, “The risks were highest in men taking a class of medications called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which induce chemical castration. These drugs, which are injected by a physician or implanted under the skin every few months, include leuprolide (brand name Lupron) and goserelin (Zoladex).”

A second procedure features a similar risk; “Men who opted for orchiectomy (surgical removal of the testicles) also had elevated rates of heart disease and diabetes.”

Are There Other Options?
The role of therapy for prostate cancer can’t be minimized, but if the therapy increases, other and equally problematic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes often develop. The statistics from this new report suggests that, “men who took oral androgen agonists after prostate surgery did not have higher rates of disease. The drugs, taken in daily pill form, include flutamide (Euflex) and bicalutamide (Casodex).”

Because prostate cancer is generally a slow growth disease it can be easy for doctors to view testosterone deprivation as a positive answer to slow or eliminate this hormonal based cancer. Ironically there appears to be evidence that suggests it has been known for a long time that most approaches to prostate cancer treatment elevates multiple risks. Yet these treatments are being conducted on men at younger ages. TheGlobeAndMail.com report states, “Almost one-quarter of the men under 55 and more than half the men over 75 received ADT, even though there is no firm evidence that treatment reduces mortality.”

The reintroduction of this evidence with new statistics in a fresh study may cause patients and physicians to work together to identify a treatment that takes all aspects of individual health into consideration. There is some evidence to suggest that chemical or medical castration has not proven to directly impact human mortality in connection with prostate cancer. On the other hand there is mounting evidence to suggest that this procedure can ultimately lead to more pronounced health risks.

TheGlobeAndMail.com report states, “An estimated 500,000 men in North America have undergone androgen (testosterone) deprivation therapy, and their ranks are increasing by 40,000 a year.”

While prostate cancer is a troubling condition its effects may be minimized because of its slow growth. Physicians may wonder if it is in the patients best interests to potentially minimize one risk at the expense of multiple new risks. If the physician truly believes in the Hippocratic oath of, “First do no harm” then there must be consideration given to other troubling conditions such as diabetes in men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and elect to undergo testosterone reduction therapies.

Those Most Prone to Gestational Diabetes: According to PR Newswire, “More than 10 percent of women of Chinese and Korean heritage may be at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy.”

Kaiser Permanente conducted the study funded by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The full report can be found in the December issue of the Ethnicity and Disease journal.

The report states, “Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, and Samoans are also at higher-than-average risk – while Caucasian, Native-American, and African-American women have a lower-than-average risk.” The study followed 16,000 women in the state of Hawaii due to the high diversity of ethnicities in that Pacific island state.

To be clear the type of diabetes discussed in this report is gestational diabetes (GDM) that can, “lead to serious pregnancy and birthing complications, including early delivery and C-sections. It can also increase the child’s risk of developing obesity later in life.”

The reason this study has become important is because it is the first time multiple specific ethnicities were broken down in an effort to identify risk associations.

The PR Newswire reports states, “Researchers divided Asians into five ethnic sub-groups and found some striking differences: Korean and Chinese women have the greatest risk of developing GDM. Filipinos are next, but Japanese and Vietnamese women have the same risk as the rest of the population. Among three groups of Pacific Islanders, Samoans and other Pacific Islanders (including women from Fiji and Tahiti) have a higher-than-average risk, while women classified as Native Hawaiians are at average risk. Caucasian, Native-American, and African-American women have the lowest risk for developing GDM.”

Kathryn Pedula, MS, a researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research explains why her company views this as a landmark discovery, “All pregnant women and their caregivers need to be educated about gestational diabetes, but it is especially important for women in these ethnic groups at higher risk.”

The 16,000 + participants in the study were women who delivered babies through Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. Some women had more than one child during the study so the report actually reflects more than 22,000 births from 1995-2003.

Winston F. Wong, MD, MS is a medical director of Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit Disparities Improvement and Quality Initiatives. He told PR Newswire, “While we cannot eliminate the increased risk of prenatal diabetes among our Korean and Chinese patients, we use this kind of research to alert and empower our health care professionals and physicians to reduce disparities and achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients and their children.”

As part of this multi-year study mothers-to-be were, “screened for gestational diabetes between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. If they have GDM, they are treated as part of routine care. More than 20 percent of women in the study had elevated glucose levels.”

MayoClinic.com describes Gestational Diabetes as, “Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs only during pregnancy. Like other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects the way your body uses sugar (glucose) — your body’s main source of fuel. Gestational diabetes can cause high blood sugar levels that are unlikely to cause problems for you, but can threaten the health of your unborn baby.

“Any pregnancy complication is concerning, but there’s good news. You can manage gestational diabetes by eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and, if necessary, taking medication. Taking good care of yourself can help ensure a healthy pregnancy for you and a healthy start for your baby.”

Record Breaking Cyclist Tackles Diabetes: He’s won more awards than most cyclists will ever see. He survived testicular cancer and has evoked passion in many who want to see an end to cancer. Lance Armstrong is a much-celebrated figure, but at the moment he’s not thinking about the 2010 tour de France – he’s thinking about diabetes.

Armstrong became impassioned with sports when he started as a swimmer back in Texas as a boy. He would later advance to triathlons and then on to cycling. Many sports organizations have named him sportsman of the year and he has defied the odds in overcoming health difficulties that has resulted in the death of many.

In 2004 he started the Lance Armstrong Foundation. A yellow rubberized bracelet that read “Livestrong” was a key to raising funds for the organization. Millions of bands have sold and Armstrong uses his cycling as a way to raise awareness for the needs of cancer patients. More than 70 million of these wristbands have been sold at $1 per band. The money raised has gone to cancer research.

No one can fault Armstrong for his passion for cancer research. After all the cause was very personal. His passion propelled the cause and raised awareness. However, at the dawn of a new decade Armstrong is adding a new cause to his health awareness plate.

According to BusinessWire.com, “LIVESTRONG.COM, an online destination for health, fitness and lifestyle-related information… announced the launch of MyPlate D, a free online nutrition tracking tool designed to empower people with diabetes to take control of their disease and to help those who are at risk make healthier choices. LIVESTRONG.COM began testing this new tool in conjunction with National Diabetes Month and is now releasing it to a wider audience to raise awareness of the disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million adults and children in the United States — nearly 8 percent of the population — have diabetes.”

Lance Armstrong is quoted as saying, “LIVESTRONG.COM was created to help consumers take action and reduce their risks for diseases and illness by making small, positive changes in their daily lives. MyPlate D was really just the next step in developing an all-encompassing and cohesive resource for risk reduction.”

BusinessWire.com describes the new service by saying, “MyPlate D includes comprehensive nutrition information which enables users to track calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates for more than 625,000 food items. The tool also allows users to view their overall nutrition, as well as in-depth data about specific foods to balance their nutritional intake with daily activities and exercise.”

Armstrong has been very active in developing online tools and using social media to enhance his position on health related issues and the MyPlate D program is an expansion of the belief that many people are getting information online so, by extension, this program has the potential to reaching out to many who might not attend a local class on a particular subject or may be too embarrassed to ask questions about diabetes.

The new service will also have a community function by allowing users to interact with each other while utilizing tools that can help them reach and maintain personal health objectives. Francine R. Kaufman, M.D. and LIVESTRONG.COM expert said, “We designed MyPlate D to give users the tools to make better choices, and immediately see how changes in diet impact their overall health.”

Diabetic Benefits in Coffee and Tea: Do you consider coffee drinking to be a vice that you might need to give up in order to maintain optimum health? Maybe the vice is actually a source of improved health and diabetes avoidance? New evidence seems to support the claim.

According to EndocrineToday.com, “Drinking three to four cups of tea and regular or decaffeinated coffee per day was associated with a 5% to 10% lower risk for diabetes, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.”

Research seemed to indicate it isn’t necessarily the caffeine that helps either. Those who participated in the study could drink either caffeinated or decaffeinated version of coffee and as long as they drank more than three cups a day they experienced about a 25% reduction in the likelihood of diabetes development. The results were very similar for those who enjoyed drinking tea.

The key seems to be the total volume of product consumed. The benefits decrease when fewer than 3 cups are consumed in a day.

And just so you don’t think this is a small study, consider this…

“Researchers pooled data on 18 studies during 1966 and 2009 including 457,922 participants that examined the association between coffee consumption and risk for diabetes. Six studies included 225,516 participants and assessed the association with decaffeinated coffee; seven studies included 286,701 participants and assessed the association with tea consumption.”

To add counterbalance to the report EndocrineToday.com also quoted Lars Rydén, MD PhD. “Coffee helps, but other things are even more important. Those who are overweight should reduce their body weight by 5% to 10% and include physical activity such as a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day. Then those people who are at risk of developing diabetes will reduce this risk by 40% to 50%. It is interesting to consider why a beverage like coffee has a beneficial effect. It is obviously not the caffeine, as decaffeinated coffee has the same efficiency as caffeinated coffee. Coffee may contain antioxidants but the studies have not measured the number of chemicals in the blood which is important.”

In other words an individual should not automatically conclude that the consumption of coffee or tea would be the only thing they are required to do in order to avoid the development of diabetes. We all need to be conscious of the need to make wise choices in what we eat and to add physical challenges to our daily list of things to do.

Another word of caution comes from Dr Victoria King, of Diabetes UK who told the BBC, “Without full information about what other factors may be influencing the type 2 diabetes risk of the studies’ participants – such as their physical activity levels and diet – as well as what the active ingredient in tea or coffee appears to be, we cannot be sure what, if anything, this observed effect is down to,” according to RedOrbit.com.

While more calls are made for additional studies it is theorized that perhaps the, “magnesium, lignans, or antioxidants,” in the coffee and tea may account for the reduction in diabetes risk.

While physicians are encouraging their patients to exercise, eat right and lose some weight those same doctors may also now be less inclined to restrict their patients from drinking coffee and/or tea.

When Obesity Doesn’t Always Mean Diabetes: It’s well documented that obesity and diabetes go hand in hand. However a chance encounter with a gene not previously linked to diabetes may have researchers reconsidering what they know, how they apply that knowledge and what it may ultimately mean to overweight patients.

ScienceDaily.com reports, “The chance discovery of a genetic mutation that makes mice enormously fat but protects them from diabetes has given researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, USA, new insights into the cellular mechanisms that link obesity to Type 2 diabetes. Dr Gerald Denis and his colleagues report their findings in the current issue of The Biochemical Journal.”

The gene is known as Brd2 and, “In mice where there had been a single, genetic change in the Brd2 gene, fortuitously reducing its expression, the mice became severely obese — but did not go on to develop Type 2 diabetes. This result was very surprising because in both ‘mice and men’, chronic obesity commonly leads to Type 2 diabetes, with its life-threatening consequences, including heart disease, kidney and nerve damage, osteoporosis, blindness and circulation problems in the feet that can require amputation.”

You need to understand that the ‘fat’ mice would have been comparable to a man weighing 600 pounds. According to ScienceDaily.com the overweight mice, “Exercised at the same levels as normal mice and, in comparison, lived for a surprisingly long time.”

This same report indicates, “There is an urgent need for a much deeper biological understanding of the forces that link obesity and diabetes, in order to design new drugs and therapies for treatment.”

There are some individuals who are obese, yet do not develop diabetes. It is believed that an individual can be overweight and non-diabetic with a correctly functioning metabolism. It is when the metabolism slows down that diabetes can develop. Dr Denis is quoted by ScienceDaily.com as saying, “Studies have shown that these individuals have a reduced ‘inflammatory profile’. Inflammation caused by normal immune cells called macrophages leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes — this inflammation is typically seen in connection with obesity but it is the inflammation that is a trigger for diabetes, not the obesity itself. The mechanisms that explain this protection from diabetes are not well understood.”

In describing what may be happening in the body of the individual Dr. Denis said, “Much like these protected obese humans, the Brd2-deficient mice have reduced inflammation of fat and never develop failure of the beta cells in the pancreas that is associated with Type 2 diabetes.”

The research on Brd2 was at least partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and Dr Denis was quick to point out, “The strong influence of Brd2 levels on insulin production and action suggest that Brd2 is likely to be a promising target for diabetes treatment, but also imply that overactive Brd2 might cause diabetes. The ways in which Brd2 affects the immune system may also play a part in Type 1 diabetes, further studies to determine this are needed.”

These finding are reported in concert with other studies that are looking to genetic manipulation to turn off genetic triggers that can result in diabetes. Obviously this type of research is not taken lightly and needs additional findings to confirm the true value of the information that may be best described as preliminary.