Tag Archive: diabetes

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Experimental diet drug keeps weight off for 2 years

December 14th, 2011 / tags:, , , , , , , / categories: Uncategorized /

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An experimental diet drug seems to help some obese people shed pounds, and keep them off for two years, researchers report.

The drug, which will be called Qnexa if it reaches the market, is a combination of the appetite suppressant phentermine and the anti-seizure drug topiramate.

So far, it’s had a bumpy road to approval. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected Qnexa, citing safety concerns — including elevated heart rate in some users and the potential for birth defects if pregnant women used the drug.

But last month, the FDA accepted a new application from Qnexa maker Vivus Inc., which is now seeking approval for the drug to be marketed with a warning that it shouldn’t be used by women of childbearing age.

The new study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is an extension of an earlier clinical trial. That one found that Qnexa, added to lifestyle changes, helped obese adults lose more weight over one year, versus placebo pills.

The current study suggests that the benefit lasts for two years, according to researchers led by Dr. W. Timothy Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

By the end of two years, the 449 men and women randomly assigned to take Qnexa had lost about 10 percent of their starting weight, on average.

That compared with a two percent decline among 227 people given a placebo.

Qnexa users also showed a decline in obesity-related health problems. On average, their blood sugar and insulin levels dipped, and they were less likely than placebo users to develop diabetes.

Almost four percent of the placebo group developed diabetes per year. By comparison, just under two percent of people on a lower Qnexa dose developed diabetes each year, as did one percent of those on a higher dose.

Whether the diet drug will actually become available is still up in the air.

Qnexa and two other weight-loss drugs — Arena Pharmaceuticals’ lorcaserin and Orexigen Therapeutics’ Contrave — were all rejected by the FDA in the past year over potential safety concerns.

All three companies, though, are still working on addressing the FDA’s concerns to try to win approval.

Drugmakers have struggled for years to develop weight-loss drugs that are both effective and safe.

Back in 1997, the infamous diet drug “fen-phen” was pulled from the market after reports of fatal heart-valve problems in some users. Another diet pill, Meridia, was pulled from the U.S. market last year after being linked to heart problems.

In this latest Qnexa trial, the most common side effects were upper respiratory infections, constipation, dry mouth and tingling sensations. Over two years, 3 percent of placebo users and about 4.5 percent of Qnexa users dropped out of the trial because of side effects.

For now, the drug options are few for obese people who fail to lose weight through diet changes and exercise alone.

The only drug approved for long-term use is orlistat (Xenical), which is also available as a lower-dose, over-the-counter version called Alli. But Xenical has its issues as well, including side effects of gas, uncontrolled bowel movements, and cases of serious liver problems.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/uqZTQe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online December 7, 2011.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/experimental-diet-drug-keeps-weight-off-2-years-212658277.html

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Eating fish can reduce the risk of diabetes, study suggests

December 8th, 2011 / tags:, , , , , , , , / categories: Uncategorized /

ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2011) — A study analyses the dietary patterns of the adult Spanish population with high cardiovascular risk. The results reveal a high consumption of both red meat and fish. However, whilst eating lots of cured meats is associated with greater weight gain and a higher obesity rate, the consumption of fish is linked to lower glucose concentrations and a smaller risk of developing diabetes.

Mercedes Sotos Prieto, lead author of the study which forms part of the Predimed study (Prevention with a Mediterranean Diet) and researcher at the University of Valencia explains how “in Mediterranean countries, consumption of foods that typically form part of the diet here has decreased in recent decades. The consumption of saturated fats mainly from red meats and industrial baking has increased and this is really worrying.”

Conducted in the Valencian Community on 945 people (340 men and 605 women) between 55 and 80 years of age and with a high cardiovascular risk, the aim of the study was to understand dietary patterns in terms of meat and fish consumption. It also sought to understand the correlation between the Mediterranean diet and its association with cardiovascular risk factors.

The results were published in the Nutrición Hospitalaria journal and show that the studied Mediterranean population eat a large amount of red meat and fish. However, the consumption of fish is associated with a decreased prevalence of diabetes and lower glucose concentrations whereas the consumption of red meat, especially cured meats is related to increased weight gain and obesity.

The researcher points out that “the red meat consumption of the sample population reaches an average of once a day, which is high in comparison to dietary recommendations. This could be influenced by many weight-loss diets which recommend eating grilled veal.”

Eating red meat in excess is linked to higher cardiovascular risk, higher blood pressure, diabetes and a moderate decrease in life expectancy mainly due to cancer or heart disease. In contrast, fish appears in the Mediterranean diet and has health benefits for the heart.

Despite being a cross-sectional study that does not determine a causal effect, its authors confirm that there are many similar studies where the consumption of fish, both white and, even more so oily fish, is associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes type 2.

“Various hypotheses have been put forward that attempt to explain why the consumption of fish can be related to diabetes,” they explain. “The increase of omega-3 in the cells of the skeletal muscles improves insulin sensitivity.”

“It is important to understand the dietary patterns of the Spanish population in order to learn whether dietary habits are changing. We should therefore strengthen dietary education,” outlines Mercedes Sotos Prieto, who goes on to say that “we ought to establish dietary intervention programmes so that we do not stray from the Mediterranean diet. In other words, such a diet involves decreasing the amount of red meat that we eat and maintaining equal levels of fish consumption.”

Gender Differences

The high intake of saturated fats from red and cured meat consumption (7.4 +/- 4.7 times a week) was more frequent in men. Women proved to eat more white meat, especially chicken and turkey.

As for fish consumption (4.5 +/- 2.6 times a week), no significant differences were found between men and women. In general, women scored higher for “healthy dietary patterns” or “healthy diets” compared to men.

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Article source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095120.htm

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Sugar-sweetened beverages may increase cardiovascular risk in women, research suggests

December 7th, 2011 / tags:, , , , , , , , / categories: Uncategorized /

ScienceDaily (Nov. 13, 2011) — Drinking two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day may expand a woman’s waistline and increase her risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011.

In this study, researchers compared middle-aged and older women who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day, such as carbonated sodas or flavored waters with added sugar, to women who drank one or less daily. Women consuming two or more beverages per day were nearly four times as likely to develop high triglycerides, and were significantly more likely to increase their waist sizes and to develop impaired fasting glucose levels. The same associations were not observed in men.

“Women who drank more than two sugar-sweetened drinks a day had increasing waist sizes, but weren’t necessarily gaining weight,” said Christina Shay, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. “These women also developed high triglycerides and women with normal blood glucose levels more frequently went from having a low risk to a high risk of developing diabetes over time.”

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) included food frequency surveys in 4,166 African-American, Caucasian, Chinese-Americans and Hispanic adults 45 to 84 years old. At the beginning of the study the participants didn’t have cardiovascular disease.

Researchers assessed risk factors in three follow-up exams spanning five years starting in 2002. Participants were monitored for weight gain, increases in waist circumference, low levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL “good” cholesterol), high levels of low density lipoproteins (LDL “bad” cholesterol), high triglycerides, impaired fasting glucose levels, and type 2 diabetes.

“Most people assume that individuals who consume a lot of sugar-sweetened drinks have an increase in obesity, which in turn, increases their risk for heart disease and diabetes,” said Shay, formerly of Northwestern University’s Department of Preventive Medicine in Chicago, where the study was conducted. “Although this does occur, this study showed that risk factors for heart disease and stroke developed even when the women didn’t gain weight.”

Women may have a greater chance for developing cardiovascular disease risk factors from sugar-sweetened drinks because they require fewer calories than men which makes each calorie count more towards cardiovascular risk in women, Shay said.

Researchers have yet to determine exactly how sugar-sweetened beverages influence cardiovascular risk factors such as high triglycerides in individuals who do not gain weight, Shay said, but further work is planned to try and figure that out.

Co-authors include Jennifer A. Nettleton, Ph.D.; Pamela L. Lutsey, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Tamar S. Polonsky, M.D.; Mercedes R. Carnethon, Ph.D.; Cheeling Chan, M.S.; Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., R.D.; and Gregory Burke, M.D.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the study.

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Article source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111113141252.htm

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