Rising Global Temperatures Could Be Contributing To Worldwide Diabetes Epidemic
Growing global temperatures may be playing a part in the rising numbers of people developing type 2 diabetes, suggests new research from the Leiden University Medical Center and the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly worldwide. In 2015, 415 million adults globally were suffering from diabetes, and expectations are that the prevalence will rise by almost 55%, up to 642 million cases by 2040. In high-income countries, 91% of adults affected by diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, it was recently shown that acclimatization of patients with type 2 diabetes to moderate cold for only 10 days already improves insulin sensitivity. Physiologically, cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue (BAT) that has been identified to combust large amounts of lipids to generate heat. Previously, it has been shown that BAT activity is negatively associated with outdoor temperature. A research team headed by Leiden University Medical Center Professor Patrick Rensen set out to investigate if global increases in temperature were contributing to the current type 2 diabetes growth by negatively impacting on glucose metabolism via a reduction in BAT activity. “In the present study, we aimed to assess the association between outdoor temperature and glucose metabolism on a countrywide as well as a global scale,” Prof. Rensen and co-authors said. “We specifically hypothesized that diabetes incidence and prevalence of glucose intolerance increase with rising outdoor temperatures.” The researchers used data on diabetes incidence amongst adults in 50 US states and three territories (Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands) for the years 1996 to 2009 from the National Diabetes Surveillance System of the Centers for Dis Continue reading >>
Cost Of Global Diabetes Epidemic Soars To $850 Billion Per Year
The number of people living with diabetes has tripled since 2000, pushing the global cost of the disease to $850 billion a year, medical experts said on Tuesday. The vast majority of those affected have type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and lack of exercise, and the epidemic is spreading particularly fast in poorer countries as people adopt Western diets and urban lifestyles. The latest estimates from the International Diabetes Federation mean that one in 11 adults worldwide have the condition, which occurs when the amount of sugar in the blood is too high. The total number of diabetics is now 451 million and is expected to reach 693 million by 2045 if current trends continue. The high price of dealing with the disease reflects not only the cost of medicines but also the management of a range of complications, such as limb amputations and eye problems. Continue reading >>
Hope And Health Amid Diabetes Epidemic In The Pacific
In her dimly lit home on the outskirts of Nadi, Fiji, Latileta Ranadi greeted me from a wheelchair. Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago, her left leg has been amputated below the knee and until recently, she was partially blind. Her husband Iliseo Vasu, who has emphysema, was sitting at her side on a woven flax mat. He no longer works and the pair largely rely on their four children to put food on the table. They're not a wealthy family and talk about the "blessing" of just having a wheelchair, given to them recently by a member of their local church. Despite having so little and her health being so poor, Latileta is stoic and surprisingly upbeat. This is because just a few days ago she visited a team of eye care specialists from the Pacific Eye Institute. She's "very, very happy", she tells me. After almost a year of not being able to clearly see the faces of those she loved most, her eyesight had been restored. Diabetes had irreversible and tragically altered Latileta's way of life, but having her vision back gave her hope a reason to be optimistic about the future. Just up the road, steamed green bananas were on the menu at Julie Tevita's house. The 62-year-old had also been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The pale fruit simmering on the stovetop was not a particularly appetising sight, but it was all part of her plan to live longer. Julie says she used to live a sedentary lifestyle and eat "anything and everything" she liked, including "Kiwi corned beef", the high-fat, salty tinned meat which has become a staple in many homes around the Pacific. When Julie started to lose her eyesight, she knew her situation had become particularly serious. She could no longer read books and could only see the blurred outline of people who visited her home. Laser treatmen Continue reading >>
India’s Diabetes Epidemic Is Making A Worrying Demographic Shift
More than 10% of urban Indians have diabetes, at least half of Indians who have it don't know it, and the prevalence of the disease is increasingly shifting to poorer people, the largest nationally study of the disease in India has found. The Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study is the largest nationally representative study of diabetes in India and includes data from 57,000 people across 15 states; glucose tolerance tests were performed on participants to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes. The study was published in the medical journal Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology late on Wednesday night. Across the 15 states, 7.3% of people had diabetes (the study did not differentiate between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes) and half of them had not previously been diagnosed with the condition. The prevalence of diabetes varied from a low of 4.3% in Bihar to a high of 10% in Punjab and was higher in urban areas (11.2%) than in rural areas (5.2%). It was higher in mainland states than in the northeast. The researchers found that richer states seemed to have a higher prevalence of diabetes. In rural areas of all states, the rates of diabetes were much higher than those identified in previous studies, and diabetes was more prevalent in better-off individuals. However, in the urban areas of some of the more affluent states (Chandigarh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu), diabetes prevalence was higher in poorer people. For example, in urban areas of Chandigarh, the rate of diabetes was 26.9% for among people from low socio-economic background, compared to 12.9% for people from high socio-economic backgrounds. In urban areas of Punjab, the rates were 16.1% and 11.9%, respectively. This, the researchers call "evidence of an epidemiological transition"; "Our study Continue reading >>
The Changing Tides Of The Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic—smooth Sailing Or Troubled Waters Ahead? Kelly West Award Lecture 2016
The Kelly West Award for Outstanding Achievement in Epidemiology is given in memory of Kelly M. West, widely regarded as the “father of diabetes epidemiology,” to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of diabetes epidemiology. Edward W. Gregg, PhD, of the Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, received the prestigious award at the American Diabetes Association's 76th Scientific Sessions, 10–14 June 2016, in New Orleans, LA. He presented the Kelly West Award Lecture, “Changing Tides of the Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic—Smooth Sailing or Troubled Waters Ahead?” on Sunday, 12 June 2016. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. More information is available at OBJECTIVE ITCA 650 is a subdermal osmotic mini-pump that continuously delivers exenatide subcutaneously for 3–6 months. The efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ITCA 650 added to diet and exercise alone or combined with metformin, sulfonylurea, or thiazolidinedione monotherapy or a combination of these drugs was evaluated in poorly controlled patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who were ineligible for participation in a placebo-controlled study (FREEDOM-1) because of severe hyperglycemia (HbA1c >10% [86 mmol/mol]). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This 39-week, open-label, phase 3 trial enrolled patients aged 18–80 years with HbA1c >10% to ≤12% (86–108 mmol/mol) and BMI 25–45 kg/m2. Patients received ITCA 650 20 μg/day for 13 weeks, then 60 μg/day for 26 weeks. The primary end point was change in HbA1c at week 39. RESULTS Sixty patients were enrolled. At baseline, mean HbA1c was 10.8% (94.7 mmol/mol) and mean (± SD) duration o Continue reading >>
If Not Us, Who? Curbing The Diabetes Epidemic Requires A Person-centered Approach
I know from personal experience how challenging it can be to navigate the health care system. My mother was diagnosed with diabetes at an early age, and as the oldest daughter in a large family, it was up to me to coordinate her care that included frequent hospital stays. I often was frustrated with the fragmented system we found ourselves in, particularly as her condition continued to worsen. The experience convinced me that something had to be done. My mother passed away from complications related to her diabetes. She would have been proud knowing I — along with my colleagues — am fighting for innovative solutions to chronic health conditions. As the seventh leading cause of death in the United States,1 and the leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness and lower-extremity amputations,2 there's no question that diabetes is a serious public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the adult population, live with diabetes. Together, the direct and indirect costs of diabetes and related complications exacted a toll of $245 billion on our nation's economy in 2012, according to the latest five-year study by the American Diabetes Association. The recent upward trend in diabetes cases is also startling. Since the disease first emerged in the 1980s as a major threat to public health, the number of adults with diabetes has nearly quadrupled. Although much can be attributed to significant advances in diabetes research and treatment, equally important is the role health care providers, community organizations, employers and policymakers have played in addressing several underlying causes of diabetes — socioeconomic conditions such as race, income and level of education. We must continue to take Continue reading >>
Fighting The Diabetes Epidemic The Way Public Health Has Fought Hiv
In the U.S. and other high-income countries, diabetes is a good news, bad news scenario. On one hand, people who have diabetes today fare better than they did 20 years ago. They are living longer and suffering fewer complications, such as heart disease, kidney disease, amputations, strokes, and blindness. SEEBRI NEOHALER should not be initiated in patients with acutely deteriorating or potentially life-threatening episodes of COPD or used as rescue therapy for acute episodes of bronchospasm. Acute symptoms should be treated with an inhaled short-acting beta2-agonist. As with other inhaled medicines, SEEBRI NEOHALER can produce paradoxical bronchospasm that may be life threatening. If paradoxical bronchospasm occurs following dosing with SEEBRI NEOHALER, it should be treated immediately with an inhaled, short-acting bronchodilator; SEEBRI NEOHALER should be discontinued immediately and alternative therapy instituted. Immediate hypersensitivity reactions have been reported with SEEBRI NEOHALER. If signs occur, discontinue immediately and institute alternative therapy. SEEBRI NEOHALER should be used with caution in patients with severe hypersensitivity to milk proteins. SEEBRI NEOHALER should be used with caution in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma and in patients with urinary retention. Prescribers and patients should be alert for signs and symptoms of acute narrow-angle glaucoma (e.g., eye pain or discomfort, blurred vision, visual halos or colored images in association with red eyes from conjunctival congestion and corneal edema) and of urinary retention (e.g., difficulty passing urine, painful urination), especially in patients with prostatic hyperplasia or bladder-neck obstruction. Patients should be instructed to consult a physician immediately should any of these Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes: Demystifying The Global Epidemic.
Abstract Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has attained the status of a global pandemic, spreading from affluent industrialized nations to the emerging economies of Asia, Latin America, and Africa. There is significant global variation in susceptibility to T2D, with Pacific Islanders, Asian Indians, and Native Americans being considerably more prone to develop the disorder. Although genetic factors may play a part, the rapidity with which diabetes prevalence has risen among these populations reflects the far-ranging and rapid socioeconomic changes to which they have been exposed over the past few decades. Traditionally, obesity and its correlate, insulin resistance, have been considered the major mediators of T2D risk; however, recent evidence shows that early loss of β-cell function plays an important role in the pathogenesis of T2D, especially in nonobese individuals such as South Asians. Knowledge of the modifiable risk factors of T2D is important, as it forms the basis for designing cost-effective preventive and therapeutic strategies to slow the epidemic in populations at increased risk. Lessons learned from randomized prevention trials need to be implemented with appropriate cultural adaptations, accompanied by empowerment of the community, if the diabetes epidemic is to be slowed or halted. Continue reading >>
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology: India's Diabetes Epidemic Shifts, Now Increasingly Common Among Poorer People In More Affluent Cities
-- As the country becomes more prosperous, diabetes epidemic likely to disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged groups - a transition already seen in high income countries. India's diabetes epidemic is shifting, with the disease now increasingly common among people from low socio-economic backgrounds living in urban areas of the more affluent states, according to a study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. The authors say the findings should cause concern in a country where most treatment costs are paid out-of-pocket by patients, and highlight the urgent need for effective prevention measures. The Indian Council of Medical Research - India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study is the largest nationally representative study of diabetes in India and includes data from 57000 people across 15 states [1]. As part of the study, each person had their bodyweight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure measured. Glucose tolerance tests were used to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes across all 15 states was 7.3% and rates varied from 4.3% in Bihar to 13.6% in Chandigarh. Almost half of the people in the study did not know they had diabetes until they were tested. On average, diabetes was twice as common in urban areas (11.2%) compared to rural areas (5.2%). Overall, diabetes was more common among people with higher socio-economic status, compared to people with low socio-economic status. However, in urban areas in seven states - most of which rank among the more economically advanced states - diabetes was higher among people from low socio-economic status. For example, in urban areas of Chandigarh, the rate of diabetes was 26.9% for among people from low socio-economic background, compared to 12.9% for people from high Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Its Drivers: The Largest Epidemic In Human History?
Abstract The “Diabesity” epidemic (obesity and type 2 diabetes) is likely to be the biggest epidemic in human history. Diabetes has been seriously underrated as a global public health issue and the world can no longer ignore “the rise and rise” of type 2 diabetes. Currently, most of the national and global diabetes estimates come from the IDF Atlas. These estimates have significant limitations from a public health perspective. It is apparent that the IDF have consistently underestimated the global burden. More reliable estimates of the future burden of diabetes are urgently needed. To prevent type 2 diabetes, a better understanding of the drivers of the epidemic is needed. While for years, there has been comprehensive attention to the “traditional” risk factors for type 2 diabetes i.e., genes, lifestyle and behavioral change, the spotlight is turning to the impact of the intra-uterine environment and epigenetics on future risk in adult life. It highlights the urgency for discovering novel approaches to prevention focusing on maternal and child health. Diabetes risk through epigenetic changes can be transmitted inter-generationally thus creating a vicious cycle that will continue to feed the diabetes epidemic. History provides important lessons and there are lessons to learn from major catastrophic events such as the Dutch Winter Hunger and Chinese famines. The Chinese famine may have been the trigger for what may be viewed as a diabetes “avalanche” many decades later. The drivers of the epidemic are indeed genes and environment but they are now joined by deleterious early life events. Looking to the future there is the potential scenario of future new “hot spots” for type 2 diabetes in regions e.g., the Horn of Africa, now experiencing droughts and f Continue reading >>
Heart Disease, Stroke, And Diabetes Data And Publications
The Washington State Diabetes Prevention and Control Program works with other chronic disease programs and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to define the burden of diabetes. This work informs and influences public health decision-making. We monitor several data sources to track diabetes in Washington. We also measure progress on state and national objectives to guide program development. These sources inform this work. Diabetes Epidemic and Action Report The 2017 Washington State Diabetes Epidemic and Action Report (PDF) is a legislative report written in response to Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6052 (June 2015). It is the result of a collaborative effort from the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, and the Washington State Health Care Authority. This report is intended to inform the State Legislature about the current state of diabetes in Washington and provide recommendations on how to reduce the impact of the epidemic. Everyone concerned about diabetes in Washington may find this report valuable to inform and guide their priorities and work. This report is an update to the 2014 Washington State Diabetes Epidemic and Action Report (PDF). Data Heart Disease and Stroke Publications Diabetes Publications For more information about program data and publications, contact us at [email protected] at 360-859-3677. Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Got To Be The No. 1 Killer In Mexico
Mario Alberto Maciel Tinajero looks like a fairly healthy 68-year-old. He has a few extra pounds on his chest but he's relatively fit. Yet he's suffered for the last 20 years from what he calls a "terrible" condition: diabetes. "I've never gotten used to this disease," he says. Maciel runs a stall in the Lagunilla market in downtown Mexico City. This market is famous for its custom-made quinceañera dresses and hand-tailored suits. Diabetes has come to dominate Maciel's life. It claimed the life of his mother. He has to take pills and injections every day to keep it under control. And because of the disease he's supposed to eat a diet heavy in vegetables that he views as inconvenient and bland. "Imagine not being able to eat a carnitas taco!" he says with indignation. His doctors have told him to stop eating the steaming hot street food that's for sale all around the market — tacos, tamales, quesadillas, fat sandwiches called tortas. His eyes light up when talks about the roast pork taquitos and simmering beef barbacoa that he's supposed to stay away from. "A person who has to work 8 or 10 hours has to eat what's at hand, what's available," he says. "It's difficult to follow a diabetic diet. The truth is it's very difficult." Diabetes is the leading cause of death in Mexico, according to the World Health Organization. The disease claims nearly 80,000 lives each year, and forecasters say the health problem is expected to get worse in the decades to come. By contrast, in the U.S. it's the sixth leading cause of death, with heart disease and cancer claiming 10 times more Americans each year than diabetes. Rising rates of obesity combined with a genetic predisposition for Type 2 diabetes has caused a slow steady rise in the condition in Mexico over the last 40 years. Now Continue reading >>
Obesity And Diabetes In 2017: A New Year
On Dec 27, 2016, in the midst of festive overindulgences—and burgeoning resolutions of good health—Public Health England (PHE) released its latest analysis from the Health Survey for England. The report supports the re-launch of the One You: New Year, New You campaign, and focused on the behaviour and health of adults in the UK aged from 40 to 60 years. Worryingly, and yet unsurprisingly, the data show that between 1991–93 and 2011–13 the proportion of overweight or obese individuals has increased from 66·7% to 76·8% for men, and from 54·8% to 63·4% for women. PHE's One You campaign offers a free online quiz, which calculates a health score (out of 10), with traffic light scores for the components of moving, eating, drinking, and smoking. The quiz outcome links participants to tailored, localised information, tools, and apps. Since its initial launch in March, 2016, more than 1·1 million people have taken the quiz, of whom over 250 000 subsequently downloaded the popular Couch to 5K running app. The toolkit offered by PHE is well designed, grounded in a solid evidence base, and offers a coordinated approach to important information and resources to tackle health risk factors, which is useful for both individuals and clinicians. But beyond downloads, questions remain about how the efficacy of this and other similar campaigns should be measured, and more broadly on the extent to which measures focusing on individuals' personal responsibility can be effective. As a paper by Christina Roberto and colleagues in the Lancet's 2015 Obesity Series explained, “people bear some personal responsibility for their health, but environmental factors can readily support or undermine the ability of people to act in their own self-interest”. The paper questions the oversi Continue reading >>
- Obesity and diabetes ‘causes up to 800,000 cancers worldwide each year’
- EnteroMedics Announces Publication of Three-Year Data from vBloc Diabetic Patient Study in Journal of Diabetes and Obesity
- Is it possible to catch diabetes? It sounds absurd, but that's what a reputable new study suggests. And it may be that other 'lifestyle' diseases such as joint pain and even obesity are contagious, too
Obesity Epidemic Fuels Record Levels Of Amputations, Official Figures Show
Britain’s obesity epidemic is fuelling devastating numbers of amputations - almost all of which could have been prevented, experts have warned. Official figures show the number of cases have reached an all-time-high, with more than 8,500 procedures carried out last year as a result of diabetes. Nine in ten cases of the condition are type 2, which is linked to obesity and inactivity. Official figures from Public Health England show 23 amputations are carried out every day, with a 16 per cent rise in interventions between 2013 and 2016, compared with the previous three years. Diabetes UK said the findings were “devastating” and often life-threatening - with up to 80 per cent of diabetic patients dying within five years of surgery. The charity warned that the trend was being fuelled by soaring obesity rates, with two in three adults now overweight or obese. People with diabetes have an increased risk of foot ulcers, which can deteriorate quickly. Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said he was “numb with fury” about the failure of successive Governments to prevent a growing obesity epidemic. "People are losing limbs and going blind because of diabetes,” he said. "Successive governments have done nothing to reduce levels of obesity in the UK and we are now seeing the tragic consequences. I am left numb with fury that we have got to this stage because we failed to tackle obesity.” Dan Howarth, Diabetes UK’s head of care, said: “The record rates of diabetes-related amputations we’re seeing are being largely fuelled by increasing numbers of people developing diabetes. This is in part linked to the growing number of people living with Type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity and so, in most cases, can be prevented by maintaining a healthy li Continue reading >>
Tackling The Diabetes Epidemic
If you're overwhelmed by these statistics, at least know this: diabetes is a growing problem that impacts everyone. Knowing if you have diabetes is important because of the complications associated with diabetes. Jon Zlabek, MD, Vascular Medicine, explains, "Diabetes that is not well managed can lead to serious health problems. Helping patients control diabetes can help lower their risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, amputation, blindness and other diabetes-related health problems." To combat the diabetes epidemic, Gundersen is taking a two-fold approach. "First is getting people in for appointments. It may seem obvious, but if people don't keep their appointments, we can't help them," says Dr. Zlabek. "We want to see patients with diabetes every six months. If not well controlled, we want to see patients every three months." According to Dr. Zlabek, to combat diabetes it's also important to control: Blood sugar—with lifestyle changes and medication(s) Blood pressure—which should be less than 140/90 mm Hg Tobacco use—we can provide help to quit Cholesterol—using statins, even if cholesterol is normal or low, as everyone with diabetes can reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke by 25% with statins The facts of type II diabetes: It's the fastest growing chronic illness 29.1 million people (9.3% of U.S. population) have it and the number goes up with age: 16% for ages 45-64; 30% for those over age 65 8.1 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed 1 in 5 healthcare dollars and 1 in 3 Medicare dollars are spent on diabetes $322 billion is spent each year on diabetes and prediabetes in the U.S. If you have diabetes or prediabetes, there are things you can do, too: If overweight, lose at least 5 to 10 percent of body weight Moderate exercise like walk Continue reading >>
