diabetes

A review of studies investigating lifestyle interventions that can delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes and focusing specifically on ones that looked at gender differences, found that both men and women benefited equally from the interventions. The review of 12 studies found that those who received lifestyle interventions (including diet and exercise) were 40% less likely to progress to type 2 diabetes after 1 year, and 37% less likely to progress after 3 years.

People involved in lifestyle interventions also experienced greater weight reductions, and greater reductions of fasting plasma glucose.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-11/d-bit112614.php

Glechner, A., Harreiter, J., Gartlehner, G., Rohleder, S., Kautzky, A., Tuomilehto, J., … Kautzky-Willer, A. (2014). Sex-specific differences in diabetes prevention: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia, 58(2), 242–254. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-014-3439-x

A new class of lipids produced in human and mouse fat has been discovered, and these ones seem to be good for you. Following the discovery that diabetes-resistant mice had dramatically higher levels of these “fatty acid hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs)”, levels were found to be low in pre-diabetic humans. Moreover, when mice with the equivalent of type 2 diabetes were given this lipid, blood sugar levels dropped and insulin levels rose. FAHFAs also seem to reduce inflammation.

FAHFAS are found in low levels in a wide range of vegetables, fruits and other foods, as well as being (unlike omega-3 fatty acids) produced and broken down inside the body.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-10/si-sda100814.php

Yore, M. M., Syed, I., Moraes-Vieira, P. M., Zhang, T., Herman, M. A., Homan, E. A., … Kahn, B. B. (2014). Discovery of a Class of Endogenous Mammalian Lipids with Anti-Diabetic and Anti-inflammatory Effects. Cell, 159(2), 318–332. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.035

Using data from about 600 000 adults over 26 years, researchers have concluded that the lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes for the average American 20-year-old rose from 20% for men and 27% for women in 1985, to 40% for men and 39% for women in 2000. The largest increases were in Hispanic men and women, and non-Hispanic black women, for whom lifetime risk now exceeds 50%.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/tl-tld081214.php

Gregg, E. W., Zhuo, X., Cheng, Y. J., Albright, A. L., Narayan, K. M. V., & Thompson, T. J. (2014). Trends in lifetime risk and years of life lost due to diabetes in the USA, 1985–2011: a modelling study. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2(11), 867–874. http://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70161-5

Data collected from more than 5,300 employed Germans aged 29-66 has revealed that, over 13 years, 291 developed type 2 diabetes. Those who were under a high level of pressure at work and also perceived themselves as having little control over their activities had about a 45% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those subjected to less workplace stress.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/hzm--wsi080814.php

Huth, C. et al. (2014), Job Strain as a Risk Factor for the Onset of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Findings From the MONICA/KORA Augsburg Cohort Study, Psychosomatic Medicine, 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000084

Public Health England states categorically for first time that excess weight is biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Some 90% of people with the disease are overweight.

But note that abdominal fat is a better indicator of your chances of getting it than BMI. Men who measure more than 102cm (40 inches) around the middle are five times more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than men with a smaller waist, while women who measure more than 88cm (35 inches) are three times more likely to be diagnosed than others.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/31/belly-abdominal-fat-type-2-diabetes

A review of 12 studies involving more than 225,000 people, of whom almost 15,000 had diabetes, has found that shift work carries a 9% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in men and those with rotating shift patterns. Men, in fact, had a 37% greater risk of developing diabetes if they did shift work, while those who did rotating shifts had a 42% higher risk than those who worked a fixed shift pattern.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/25/shift-workers-higher-risk-type-2-diabetes-study

Gan, Y., Yang, C., Tong, X., Sun, H., Cong, Y., Yin, X., … Lu, Z. (2015). Shift work and diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 72(1), 72–78. http://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2014-102150

Oregano and rosemary turn out to be packed with healthful compounds that may work in much the same way as prescription anti-diabetic medication in keeping their blood-sugar level in check. While greenhouse-grow herbs contained more polyphenols and flavonoids compared to the equivalent commercial dried herbs, commercial extracts of Greek oregano, Mexican oregano and rosemary were better inhibitors of the enzyme, required to reduce risk of type-2 diabetes.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-07/acs-rao072314.php

Bower, A. M., Real Hernandez, L. M., Berhow, M. A., & de Mejia, E. G. (2014). Bioactive Compounds from Culinary Herbs Inhibit a Molecular Target for Type 2 Diabetes Management, Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 62(26), 6147–6158. http://doi.org/10.1021/jf500639f

A Canadian study comparing neighborhoods that varied in “walkability” found that people living in neighborhoods with greater walkability had an average 13% lower likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes over 10 years, compared to those living in less walkable neighborhoods. However, walkability was only protective in those who were younger and middle aged; those who were age 65 or older saw no benefit from living in a walkable neighborhood.

Over the ten years of the study, the incidence of diabetes fell 7% in the most walkable neighborhoods, but rose 6% in the least walkable neighborhoods. Similarly, the incidence of excess weight (being overweight or obese) fell by 9% in the most walkable neighborhoods and rose 13% in the least walkable neighborhoods.

People who lived in the most walkable neighborhoods were three times more likely to walk or bicycle and half as likely to drive as a means of transportation.

The study was presented at the American Diabetes Association's 74th Scientific Session.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/ada-dn060214.php

A Canadian study involving 141 people with Type 2 diabetes, who ate either a low glycemic index diet that included bread made with canola oil, or a whole wheat diet known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, found that those on the canola bread diet experienced both a reduction in blood glucose levels and a significant reduction in LDL, or "bad," cholesterol. Moreover, the canola bread diet seemed to have the most significant impact on people who needed help the most — those whose HbA1c test measuring blood glucose over the previous two or three months was highest.

On the other hand, those on the whole wheat diet seemed to have better blood flow after 12 weeks than those on the canola bread diet.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/smh-rsb061314.php

Jenkins, D. J. A., Kendall, C. W. C., Vuksan, V., Faulkner, D., Augustin, L. S. A., Mitchell, S., … Leiter, L. A. (2014). Effect of Lowering the Glycemic Load With Canola Oil on Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Diabetes Care, 37(7), 1806–1814. http://doi.org/10.2337/dc13-2990