National Diabetes News

This Week’s News

‘Micro-communication’ behaviors can earn patient trust

Patients with kidney disease may have their own reasons for not putting their faith in the health care system, but physicians can help earn their trust with small behaviors, according to an expert. Healio talked with Justin Ponder, chief learning officer at the leadership development training company Uplifting Impact, about how mistrust might affect patient care in nephrology and how kidney care specialists might counter that mistrust. Ponder gave a plenary presentation at the Renal Physicians Association Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in April.

Why our waistlines expand in middle age: Stem cells

It’s no secret that our waistlines often expand in middle-age, but the problem isn’t strictly cosmetic. Belly fat accelerates aging and slows down metabolism, increasing our risk for developing diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases. Exactly how age transforms a six pack into a softer stomach, however, is murky.

What the heck is a fart walk? Why this practice is being hailed as the secret to healthy aging

It may sound silly, but physicians say farting on the street following a meal can help to improve long-term health. “Crop dusting” the patio, avenue or boardwalk can improve intestinal function, according to Dr. Tim Tiutan, an internal medicine physician at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Walking after meals does promote intestinal motility,” he explained in an Instagram Reel, “or movement of our intestines to get rid of gas and prevent constipation.”

Alcohol use could contribute to dementia by damaging the brain

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drinking alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, and excessive use can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

One area of ongoing research is how alcohol can affect the brain. Published in Neurology, a recent study explored the impact of alcohol consumption on various aspects of the brain, specifically dementia-related neuropathologies.

It found that moderate, heavy, and former heavy drinking were all associated with hyaline arteriolosclerosis, a distinct thickening and narrowing of the blood vessels that can happen in older people and those with certain health conditions

FDA OKs First Fast-Acting Insulin Biosimilar for Diabetes

The FDA has approved a new fast-acting insulin biosimilar to help manage blood sugar in people with diabetes, including children and adults.

The product, called Merilog, is the first fast-acting insulin biosimilar to get a federal nod. Biosimilars are near-identical versions of FDA-approved biologic drugs, offering the same safety and effectiveness.

Cellular quality control linked to insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center have revealed critical insights into how impaired mitochondrial dynamics and quality control mechanisms in skeletal muscle influence insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes, or T2D. The study, titled “Deubiquitinating Enzymes Regulate Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Quality Control and Insulin Sensitivity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes,” was recently published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.