Long-term diabetes reversal is now an achievable target
People who reverse their diabetes and subsequently keep their weight down can remain diabetes free. This is the conclusion from a study conducted at Newcastle University, which forms part of a large body of evidence detailing that losing weight in T2DM may effectively reverse it by removing fat from the pancreas. In 2013, a study was published which showed that T2DM could be reversed by limiting caloric intake, however it was a small and short study. This study included a slightly larger number of participants. Once again, it followed a similar diet and diabetes was reversed in a number of participants, although many of them remained overweight enough fat had been removed from their pancreas to allow for normal insulin production and action. The study also showed that longstanding diabetes can also be reversed, with some patients becoming diabetes free after 10 years.
The study’s authors are eager to point out that more research needs to be undertaken in order to improve the quality of the interventions in order to make it applicable to more patients, therefore they have already begun work on a larger trial that will look at how successfully people can reverse their diabetes through weight loss under the care of their GP or nurse. This is being funded by Diabetes UK.
Read MoreCan childhood antibiotic use lead to obesity?
Early antibiotic use has been linked to a number of rare long-term health consequences, but a new study published in Gastroenterology has suggested that it can also lead to obesity. The study was performed in the UK and found that increased antibiotic exposure before the age of 2 can lead to a higher risk of being classed as obese by age 4. This was described with a 1.2% increased absolute risk and a 25% relative increase in risk of exposed children to non-exposed children. The risk was seen as strongest with repeated exposures, particularly with 3 or more courses of antibiotics.
Antibiotics have been used to promote weight gain in livestock for many years now, and this study has shown that similar results may be observed in humans. Over prescription of antibiotics is a common worldwide problem that has not only led to antibiotic resistance, but now may also increase the global burden of obesity. The researchers explained that antibiotics should still be used when necessary, but doctors and parents should think twice about prescribing unless they are clearly indicated. Further research is underway to explore if there is any relationship with adolescent weight and antibiotic use, also research is being conducted in the type of antibiotics used and if that has an effect on the amount of weight gained.
Read MoreWeight loss and protein diet improves sleep quality
Overweight and obese individuals who are losing weight whilst adhering to a high protein diet will benefit from high quality sleep. This is the finding from a recent study conducted at Purdue University in Indiana, USA. Whilst many studies have looked into the effect of sleep on diet and weight control, this research aimed to reverse the viewpoints and see if particular diets and weight loss, specifically protein controlled diets, had any effect on sleep patterns and quality. The main study involved 44 participants, half of whom were given a normal protein diet, whilst the others were given a high protein diet. They were then given a survey on sleep quality to complete, and after 3 to 4 months of dietary intervention, the group on the high-protein diet that were also losing weight reported an overall better quality of sleep than their counterparts.
Jing Zhou, the lead author explained that short sleep duration and poor quality sleep can lead to metabolic and cardiovascular disturbances, and by better understanding how changes to lifestyle and diet can affect sleep we can help improve the health of different populations. Sleep is a very important modifier of an individual’s health, and the team that carried out this research are hoping to continue in the same vein and complete more objective measurements of sleep quality in order to confirm their results.
Read MoreThe dangers of belly fat are revealed
A recent review of current literature has revealed a clear correlation between high BMI, waist circumference and an increased risk of heart failure. Researchers from Imperial College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have conducted a meta-analysis that showed that overweight, as well as obesity, increases the risk of heart failure. Overall, overweight individuals were considered to have a 35% increased risk of heart failure than their normal weight counterparts, whilst obesity increased the risk by 2 to 3 times.
The paper included 23 studies that included 650,000 participants in total, they also found that the distribution of one’s fat plays a major role in the development of heart failure; a 10cm increase in waist circumference was linked to a 29% higher risk of heart failure. The authors hope that the paper will reinforce the suggestions of measuring patients’ waist circumference in regular medical examinations throughout the world. Whilst the researchers have found correlations, they admit that direct causation mustn’t be the final conclusion drawn, rather that increased waist circumference is one of many factors that can ultimately lead to heart failure.
Read MoreMore obese people in the world than underweight
Researchers from Imperial College London have conducted a large study that has found that there are now more obese people in the world than underweight people. The study compared the BMI of almost 20 million men and women from 1975 to 2014, it found that obesity rates have tripled in men and doubled in women in this time. The study covered 186 countries and showed that in 1975 global obesity rates were 3.2% and 6.4% in men and women respectively, now they are 10.8% and 14.9%. Professor Majid Ezzati, lead author, explained that whilst it was good to see that the rates of underweight in the world had reduced in the time period the rates of obesity had risen to a ‘crisis point’.
The study compared many other aspects of weight distribution around the world, for example China now has the largest amount of obese people in the world, whilst the UK is projected to have the highest rates of obese women in Europe by 2025. Obesity is a complex disease that will not have 1 solution, therefore the authors of this study are hoping that there will be a shift of responsibility from individuals to governments so that new policies will be developed and implemented in order to address this global epidemic.
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