Posts Tagged ‘type 2 diabetes’

Study finds link between breast cancer and diabetes, obesity

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

Women with diabetes may be at a higher risk for breast cancer, as well as those who become obese as senior citizens, according to HealthDay.

While past studies have shown evidence of a connection between the two diseases, the link has not been sufficiently clear and further research was reportedly warranted.

Swedish researcher Dr. Hakan Olsson, of Lund University’s oncology department, analyzed the health information of more than 2,700 women over the course of a decade prior to developing breast cancer. He compared this data with the records of more than 20,000 healthy patients.

According to the news provider, obese women over the age of 60 were at a 55 percent higher risk of breast cancer. Additionally, the risk increased by 37 percent within four years of a diabetes diagnosis.

“Olsson also found a link between abnormally low levels of blood lipids or fats, mostly cholesterol, and a 25 percent higher risk of breast cancer. Women with higher cholesterol had a lower risk, he found,” reported the source.

Because the results of the study are so complicated, Olsson emphasized that further research must be done in order to clarify his findings. Part of the complex findings included both increased and decreased risk of breast cancer with various diabetes treatments.

The Swedish researcher presented his research last week at the 2011 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

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552 million to have diabetes by 2030

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

According to new research by the International Diabetes Federation, more than 10 percent of adults will be diagnosed with diabetes in the next two decades.

The report states that 552 million people will have diabetes by the year 2030, up from the current 346 million, which amounts to every one of 10 people. The current rate is one in 13, according to The Associated Press. These statistics take into account the estimated number of sufferers who are undiagnosed as well.

The IDF expects the rate of diabetes to skyrocket in Africa and developing countries, where more than 80 percent of deaths are caused by diabetes, according to the World Health Organization.

“It’s worrying because these people will have an illness which is serious, debilitating, and shortens their lives,” Gojka Roglic, head of the diabetes unit at the WHO, told the news provider. “But it doesn’t have to happen if we take the right interventions.”

While many cases of diabetes develop because of obesity, the forecasted rise in the disease is attributed to aging.

“Most cases of diabetes are Type 2, the kind that mainly hits people in middle age, and is linked to weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle.”

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Study: Diabetes drugs may heighten risk of pancreatic cancer

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Sufferers of type 2 diabetes may be at a higher risk for pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer if they are being treated with drugs Januvia or Byetta, according to HealthDay.

The studies performed at the University of California’s Larry L. Hillbom Research Center in Los Angeles suggest that both treatments, which are fairly new and administered via injection, have been linked to a sixfold increase in the risk for pancreatic diseases. Researchers analyzed data regarding adverse events from the Food and Drug Administration’s database between 2004 and 2009 for the study.

The statistics also revealed that Byetta could possibly increase one’s risk of developing thyroid cancer, reports the news source.

While these findings may seem worrisome, doctors emphasize that these studies are very preliminary and there is far more work to be done.

“We have raised concern that there may be a link but we haven’t confirmed it,” Dr. Peter Butler, director of the Hillborn Research Center, told the news provider. “It is important to avoid alarmism and have people stop medicines that they may be benefiting from when the risk is not yet defined.”

“If the drug and you are working well together, I wouldn’t say there is any reason to stop the drug, based on the evidence we have right now,” he said. Butler also stressed that if you do have a concern, make sure to discuss it with your doctor.

Januvia and Byetta reportedly help increase the production of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) hormone, which controls one’s blood sugar.

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Diabetics at increased risk for developing dementia

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Those who suffer from diabetes already have plenty of health risks to worry about, and scientists have discovered yet another one – the risk of dementia.

A recent study published in Neurology reveals that diabetic patients, including those with prediabetes, have a higher risk of developing a form of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to WebMD.

For 11 years, research participants were monitored for diabetic conditions as well as dementia. Out of the 150 individuals with diabetes, more than 27 percent developed dementia. About 21 percent of the 559 people without diabetes developed dementia as well. Two-hundred thirty-two of these patients were reportedly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

While there is now proper evidence of a link between the two conditions, further research must be done to explore just how they are related. According to Zoe Arvanitakis, MD, one possible explanation is that diabetes increases the risk of stroke, which can cause dementia.

Arvanitakis maintains that it is too early to determine whether preventing diabetes would also lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, but taking precautions is certainly not out of the question. For example, eating heart-healthy foods (which help lower the risk of stroke) can also be good for the brain.

“The mechanism linking diabetes and dementia still needs to be sorted out,” Arvanitakis told the news provider. “It is important to stay healthy and prevent vascular risk factors from getting out of hand.”

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