Shift away from glycemic control in diabetes treatment

It is now realized that the focus in treating diabetes shouldn’t be so much on controlling blood sugar. New medical guidelines point to the importance of the following interventions (in order of benefit):

  1. smoking cessation (most important)
  2. blood pressure control
  3. metformin drug therapy
  4. lipid reduction
  5. glycemic control (least important).

This isn’t to say that blood sugar isn’t important; but the others should be dealt with first.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-02/tuhs-eis022014.php

Related News

Analysis of 5715 cases from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) database has found that nearly 80% of more than 4600 Alzheimer's disease patients showed some degree of vascular pathology, compared with 67% of the controls, and 66% in the Parkinson's group.

Following on from the evidence that Alzheimer’s brains show higher levels of metals such as iron, copper, and zinc, a mouse study has found that amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s-like brains with significant neurodegeneration have about 25% more copper than those with little neurodegeneration.

An Italian study has found that a significant percentage of Alzheimer’s patients suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. This respiratory disorder, which causes people to temporarily stop breathing during their sleep, affects cerebral blood flow, promoting cognitive decline.

Data from 70 older adults (average age 76) in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging has found that those who reported poorer sleep (shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality) showed a greater buildup of amyloid-beta plaques.

A new discovery helps explain why the “Alzheimer’s gene” ApoE4 is such a risk factor.

A study involving genetically engineered fruit flies adds to our understanding of why sleep and bioclock disruptions are common in those with Alzheimer's disease.

Brain scans of 10 persons with Down syndrome but no dementia, 10 persons with Down syndrome and dementia, and 10 healthy controls, have revealed a linear correlation between cognitive ability and compromised

Data from 133,479 women in the California Teachers Study has found that those who reported doing moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking) in the three years before enrolling in the study were 20% less likely to suffer a stroke than women who reported no activity.

A four-year study involving 1,502 healthy older adults (50+) has found that the frequency of negative interactions with family members (not partners or children) and friends was associated with an increased risk of developing hypertension in women (but not in men).

Data from the very large U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), involving 23,168 people, has found a significant association between low dietary fiber intake and risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular inflammation, and obesity.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news