Diabetes News You Can Use
Delaying diabetes onset cuts health risks
Researchers found that delaying the onset of diabetes through diet and exercise can significantly reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular events among individuals with prediabetes, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine. The findings showed that maintaining a nondiabetic status for at least four years after prediabetes diagnosis yielded substantial health benefits.
Full Story: HealthDay News (7/9)
Insulin tied to greater risk for serious injury
A study in Diabetes Care found that individuals with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin had a 65% increased risk for injuries serious enough to cause hospitalization, and the risk was 60% higher for those with type 1 diabetes. “We need people with diabetes, health professionals and policymakers to be aware that muscle strength, frailty and neuropathy should be firmly on their radar alongside blood glucose management and poor eyesight,” study author Jonathan Shaw said.
Full Story: Medical Xpress (7/9)
Study: Tirzepatide outperforms semaglutide in weight loss
A new study by Truveta, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that tirzepatide, or Mounjaro, leads to significantly more weight loss than semaglutide, or Ozempic. Analyzing over 18,000 adults with overweight or obesity, the study found that 82% of tirzepatide users lost at least 5% of their body weight after one year, compared to 67% of semaglutide users, and tirzepatide users also had double the average weight loss at one year.
Full Story: CNN (7/8)
30% less meat could prevent 350,000 diabetes cases
Researchers used data from a US health survey to create a microsimulation model that estimated reducing consumption of red and processed meat by 30% could reduce cases of diabetes in the US by 350,000 over 10 years, with heart disease and colon cancer rates falling, too. The findings were reported in The Lancet Planetary Health.
Full Story: HealthDay News (7/9)
Bill allowing Medicare to cover weight loss drugs passes House panel
The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday voted to advance a bill that would permit Medicare to provide limited coverage of weight loss drugs for the first time, sending the legislation to the full House for consideration. The amendment to the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023 would allow coverage of the drugs for people with obesity who had been taking a weight loss drug for at least one year before switching to Medicare.
Full Story: NBC News (6/27)
Risk for blinding condition tied to weight-loss drugs
A study in JAMA Ophthalmology found that patients with diabetes who take semaglutide had increased odds of developing non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a rare blinding condition. A higher risk was observed in patients who were overweight.
Full Story: HealthDay News (7/3)
Intensive treatment may reduce CVD risk for women under 5O with hypertension, diabetes
A study in Diabetes Care found that intensive antihypertension therapy could help reduce cardiovascular disease risk for women with hypertension under the age of 50 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The risk for CVD events increased with younger age at time of diabetes diagnosis for women.
Full Story: Healio (free registration) (7/3)
Researchers: Diabetes may get its start in the gut
New research suggests that better understanding the gut microbiome may shed light on how type 2 diabetes develop. Changes in the microbiome may factor into development of the condition, researchers reported in the journal Nature Medicine. They said the findings suggest diabetes treatment should extend beyond the blood and pancreas to embrace the role of gut microorganisms.
Full Story: Salon (6/30)
Tirzepatide reduces sleep apnea episodes
Tirzepatide, a medication used for managing type 2 diabetes and weight loss, effectively reduces breathing interruptions during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, researchers reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings highlight tirzepatide’s potential to address both respiratory and metabolic complications associated with OSA, offering a new therapeutic option beyond traditional treatments like CPAP therapy.
Full Story: HealthDay News (6/22)
Virtual group programs may reduce T1D distress
Programs based on a virtual group model may help mitigate diabetes distress and improve HbA1c levels in adults with type 1 diabetes, researchers reported in the journal Diabetes Care. The initiatives included an evidence-based program, an emotion-focused approach, and a combination of the two.
Full Story: Medscape (6/18)
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Related News
Congratulations to this year’s funding awardees
Congratulations to this year's funding awardees: Dr. Megan Capozzi and Dr. Huu Hien Hunyh have been awarded Pilot and Feasibility awards and Dr. Devasena Ponnalagu has been awarded the New Investigator award.
In Memoriam Jerry Palmer
Jerry P. Palmer, M.D., the former University of Washington (UW) Diabetes Research Center Director, passed away on Wednesday 28 February 2024. Jerry played major roles at the UW and VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS). He came to Seattle in 1975 to do his endocrine fellowship at the urging of R.H. Williams and never left. During his time in the Pacific Northwest, Jerry gave tirelessly in the true sense of the word. He was quiet and humble, loved by his patients, fellow faculty members, and colleagues alike.
Jerry distinguished himself scientifically in numerous ways. He first to describe the presence of insulin autoantibodies in people with type 1 diabetes who were insulin naïve. That discovery led to the use of this biomarker for diagnosing type 1 diabetes which continues to be a mainstay today both clinically and in research. He also demonstrated the importance of T-cell reactivity and using this approach has helped us learn that many people who look more typically like they have type 2 diabetes do also have an immune basis for their disease. Jerry was a leader in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its follow on the Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDIC) Study that continues to this day. The results of this major clinical trial showed definitively that improved glucose control reduces complications in diabetes, which was then considered a breakthrough and today is considered fundamental for all people with diabetes globally. He and his colleagues demonstrated the presence of subclinical beta-cell function in relatives of people with type 1 diabetes and its progressive loss was the basis for their development of diabetes. He was also part of the group that demonstrated that the loss of the small amount of residual beta-cell function in those with recent-onset type 1 diabetes could be slowed with intensive insulin treatment. After the DCCT/EDIC, Jerry played a leadership role in TrialNet that paved the way for the development of immune modulator therapy, an approach that was recently introduced into the clinical arena. Across the variety of his research pursuits, Jerry mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows and always ensured that their interests were represented before his own.
Jerry motivated strongly for the establishment of the Diabetes Care Center at UW, which opened its doors in 1991. While this clinical center opened in modest surroundings and set the benchmark for diabetes treatment in Seattle, today it hosts over 18,000 patient visits annually. The success of this clinical endeavor and the strength of the research environment at the University laid the foundation for the formation of the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute.
Administratively, Jerry was highly successful doing so quietly while at the same time giving credit to those around him. He directed the UW Diabetes Research Center from 1996-2011, having previously served for many years as its Deputy Director. The success of the Center and its strength today is in no small measure the result of his devotion to its mission. He was the Chief of the Endocrine Division at VAPSHCS lobbying vigorously that its faculty not only provide the highest standard of clinical care for their patients but also that they be given sufficient time to pursue their research interests. Nationally, he served in numerous capacities, including as a member of the national Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and for a decade on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Advisory Council.
Jerry Palmer set a standard for all in Seattle, nationally and internationally. While achieving all of this, at all times his family was his pride, joy, priority, and devotion. All of us will miss him dearly.
Jeff Chamberlain Receives 2024 MDA Legacy Award
CVTMC Associate Director, Jeff Chamberlain, professor (Medical Genetics) is honored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association with the 2024 Legacy Award for Achievement in Research, for his achievements in translational research. The MDA Legacy Award for Achievement in Research is an annual recognition for outstanding accomplishments in neuromuscular disease research. This is the MDA’s highest award for contributions to the fight against muscular dystrophy.
Read more on the MDA website.
Affiliate Josh Thaler is Senior Author of “Obesity-associated microglial inflammatory activation paradoxically improves glucose tolerance”
Affiliate Joshua Thaler, associate professor (Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition) is senior author of “Obesity-associated microglial inflammatory activation paradoxically improves glucose tolerance” in Cell Metabolism. This article was featured as a Research Highlight in Nature Reviews Endocrinology. To read the article click here.
Affiliate Bessie Young is the 2023 Recipient of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Paul Beeson Award
Affiliate, Bessie Young, professor (Nephrology) is the 2023 recipient of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Paul Beeson Award. This award is given annually to an activist in the field of health care or health advocacy who has made a substantial contribution to peace, justice, and health in Washington state.