Diabetes Archive

Lifestyle changes are vital, but new medications may help.

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Two of the most prevalent health problems in this country — type 2 diabetes and heart disease — are closely linked. People with diabetes are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease than those without diabetes. An array of overlapping risk factors (such as being overweight and having high blood pressure and cholesterol levels) probably explains part of this association.

On the plus side, a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, coupled with regular moderate exercise (at least 30 minutes daily, most days of the week) can help people dodge the dangers associated with both heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Even so, most people with type 2 diabetes must also take the drug metformin (or other medications) to help reduce their high blood sugar levels, the hallmark of the disease.

As the number of people with diabetes continues to climb, the problem is especially acute for members of many ethnic and racial minority communities. Greater awareness of this situation is required to bring improved care and treatment to everyone who needs it.

Factors that harm your heart may be bad for your brain.

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During middle age, factors that leave you prone to a heart attack or stroke — high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking — may raise your risk of developing dementia a quarter-century later, new research suggests. All three things affect your vascular (blood vessel) health.

The recent study, which adds to the growing evidence linking heart health to brain health, has elements that make findings especially reliable, says Dr. Gad Marshall, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor of neurology. "For understanding the vascular risks for dementia, this study is as close to definitive as we can get," he says.

Research we're watching

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Close to a third of Americans say they use artificial sweeteners on a daily basis. Popular examples include aspartame (Equal, Nutra­Sweet), sucralose (Splenda), and stevia (Truvia, Pure Via). They're all available in packets and are also added to soda, yogurt, and other foods.

But do these sugar substitutes actually help you lose weight? New research suggests they do not. In fact, these zero-calorie additives may have the opposite effect — and possibly even increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

All women, regardless of risk, should focus on preventing diabetes.

Can a blood test act as a crystal ball, alerting you to a health hazard that may await you down the road? Researchers say they've found one that may do just that for diabetes. It could help predict whether women — even ones with no other signs of the disease — may develop the condition in the future.

In a study published online June 21 by the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, researchers showed that in many cases, a test called lipoprotein insulin resistance (LPIR) did a better job, at predicting which women would go on to develop diabetes, says Dr. Samia Mora, one of the study authors and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. In many cases, it was more accurate than traditional measures — such as

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Many Americans may be living with the precursor condition to type 2 diabetes without even knowing it, according to a report released July 18, 2017, by the CDC. The National Diabetes Statistics Report found that more than 84 million people in the United States likely have prediabetes — higher-than-normal blood sugar levels.

Prediabetes can turn into full-blown type 2 diabetes — meaning the body doesn't respond to insulin, a hormone that helps cells absorb blood sugar for energy. Type 2 diabetes increases the risk for vision loss; heart disease; stroke; kidney failure; amputation of toes, feet, or legs; and even early death. The report found that almost one in four people with diabetes is undiagnosed.