September 11, 2019 — A new study in Diabetologia tells us that shortness may heighten a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes. Over seven years, researchers observed a higher risk for type 2 diabetes among shorter people in a cohort of 2,500 individuals. Age, lifestyle, education, and waist circumference didn’t explain it. Even after accounting for those factors, the […]
September 4, 2019 — Is some knowledge ever enough? A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association begs that question. Researchers found that patients with diabetes and obesity were less likely to die or have other major bad outcomes if they have bariatric surgery. The list of bad outcomes includes heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney […]
August 26, 2019 — Believe it or not, your body has an organ that serves as an efficient little heater. It’s brown fat. Obesity geeks might call it brown adipose tissue. Or BAT for short. For some time now, BAT has fascinated obesity scientists. Adding to their excitement is a new study last week in Nature. The research documents […]
August 25, 2019 — For African American men, a new study tells us frequent church attendance predicts double the risk of obesity. That’s versus men who seldom attend. But in these data, researchers found no such link for women. Health in Faith-Based Settings Keisha Bentley‑Edwards used data from the National Survey of American Life. It’s a fascinating study with […]
August 20, 2019 — We have a problem. Right now, roughly a hundred million people in the U.S. have obesity. This is a chronic disease that leads to diabetes, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, liver disease, osteoarthritis, and a host of other conditions. But for the most part, people receive no medical care for obesity. A new report […]
August 19, 2019 — The nature of liver disease is shifting in the U.S. Over the last three decades, hepatitis C has dropped by nearly half. But over that same time, we’ve seen more liver disease due to obesity and diabetes. In fact, NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) has grown in almost perfect synchrony with obesity and type 2 […]
June 29, 2019 — Food and beverage marketers have one very clear mission. Encourage people to drink and eat more. Thus, they innovate, they formulate, and they communicate. And it all advances a singular purpose – sell more. Superfood, healthy food, food fads – they’re all part of the marketing machine. More than ever, that machine relies on academic […]
June 10, 2019 — If the recent news of diabetes incidence going down seemed like great news, let’s remember there’s a flip side to that. In youth, type 2 diabetes is still rising. At the American Diabetes Association (ADA) scientific meeting, researchers spelled out the implication. Youth-onset diabetes (type 2) is harsh. Complications come faster and they hit harder. […]
June 9, 2019 — Some of the most discussed news coming from the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in San Francisco is all about the PIONEER studies of oral semaglutide. This drug is presently under review at FDA for type 2 diabetes. Interest is keen because it will be the first of its class that doesn’t require an injection. […]
June 7, 2019 — It’s been a wild ride. Almost 40 years ago, David Jenkins published the first paper to propose that the glycemic index of foods might be an important measure of nutrition quality. Back then, dietary guidance pointed to a low-fat panacea. Research continued quietly on the glycemic index. The pendulum swung from fear of fats to […]
