July 16, 2012

Interesting Research Links posted on FaceBook since 6/6/2012

Here are links to and brief comments about the most important research findings I've posted about on the Blood Sugar 101 FaceBook page over the past six week.  I've put the most important in red.

"for women...moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303886/

(Thanks to Peter at the blog, Hyperlipid, for the citation.) This epidemiological study debunks the relationship of Total Cholesterol to cardiovascular death.

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Dr. Hattersley (the MODY expert)'s team identifies another gene associated with "Type 2" diabetes in normal weight people.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120601103808.htm

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Low dose aspirin raises risk of severe stomach or brain bleeds especially in people with diabetes--cutting heart attacks at the expense of causing strokes and hospitalizations for gastric bleeding (which can be very serious.) A huge epidemiological study should make us rethink the recommendation of daily aspirin.

Research examines major bleeding risk with low-dose aspirin use in patients with and without diabetes
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120605172017.htm

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A new C-peptide lab test is ACCURATE (unlike the one you had) and can detect very small amounts of insulin production even in people
with longstanding Type 1. Worth reading in full.
http://blog.sstrumello.com/2012/06/new-c-peptide-assay-could-expand.html

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Study suggests physicians have no clue as to how to dose post-meal insulin for Type 2s. Shameful.

Patients requiring more than one dose of prandial insulin problematic for physicians
http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/news/online/%7B561B9C43-F901-4497-A57A-684BC9F530E6%7D/Patients-requiring-more-than-one-dose-of-prandial-insulin-problematic-for-physicians

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Duh. Basal insulin alone is is far more effective than expensive, dangerous oral drugs that may promote cancer. Why does the doctor who comments on this sound so surprised?

http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/news/online/%7B98FB0916-9882-4F51-A2E8-7D9CD2B01C72%7D/Insulin-glargine-bested-sitagliptin-for-HbA1c-reduction-in-insulin-nave-type-2-diabetes

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Fish oil (omega-3) fails to affect heart disease or deaths in 12K subject, 6+ year study.

N–3 Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Dysglycemia — NEJM
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1203859

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Whoops, fish oil fails to demonstrate brain-protecting effect in random controlled trials. The way doctors continue to insist it must be good for you reminds me of the response to the low fat diet research that showed the diet did not help prevent heart disease.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18410324
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Byetta produced A1cs in the 5% range for 1/3 of those who took it in this trial, duplicating what we've seen elsewhere, along with weight loss. Don't let your doctor put you on Victoza instead of Byetta. Byetta is a safer, better tested and more effective drug in the same price range.

Exenatide twice daily versus glimepiride for prevention of glycaemic deterioration in patients with diabetes.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60479-6/abstract

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A lower carb, med-adjusted diabetes diet causes modest but maintainable weight loss and blood sugar improvement over 4 years.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120612192756.htm

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You need to eat fat with your salad to properly digest the micro nutrients.

Study: No-fat, low-fat dressings don't get most nutrients out of salads
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120619230234.htm

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1 in 500 obese patients in the open [WLS] surgery group died during or shortly after the procedure, compared to one in 1,000 in the laparoscopic group. But doctors who recommend WLS tell patients to avoid tight blood sugar control as it is "dangerous." Please show me where 1 in 1,000 patients die from tight control!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/us-lessinvasive-weightloss-surgery-idUSBRE85J19920120620
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A frightening look at what heartless people whose only interest is their own profits recommend. Raise the A1c for older people to 8% and you eliminate lots of Medicare recipients. And don't forget to enrich surgeons while killing 1 out of 200 people who have WLS. Criminal!

Wall Street Journal: New Strategies for Treating Diabetes
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702303292204577517041076204350-lMyQjAxMTAyMDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html?mod=wsj_valetleft_email

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A good example of the isomer problem I discuss in Diet 101. The lab-created isomer kills people and is the one found in supplements, rather than the expensive natural one.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120712131721.htm

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Dramatic illustration of difference between visceral (unhealthy) and subcutaneous (cosmetically unappealing) fat. CT scans.

How fat is fat? : The Lancet
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61925-9/fulltext

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Phthalates are plasticizers and in most soft bottles and much packaging. Research suggests they are a cause of diabetes.

Diabetes could be linked to phthalates, chemical in common household products, study suggests

http://www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/07/13/diabetes-could-linked-phthalates-chemical-common-household-products-study-suggests/2maQ1UQWxz1pZoKqAOmBFO/story.html