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New research links regular breakfast to low blood lead levels in children

It is known that fasting increases lead absorption in adults and consequently regular meals and snacks are recommended for children to prevent lead poisoning. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health demonstrates that having a regular breakfast is associated with lower blood lead levels in children.

1 Apr 2011

Metabolic Solutions initiates MSDC-0602 Phase 2a trial in patients with type 2 diabetes

Metabolic Solutions Development Company, a drug discovery and development company exploiting novel molecular targets to treat metabolic diseases, announced today that it has launched a Phase 2a trial for MSDC-0602, the company's second drug candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

30 Mar 2011

Anti-hunger leaders fast to protest proposed spending cuts as FY11 budget debate resolution appears elusive

Leaders from "five anti-hunger organizations on Monday will lead open-ended fasts to protest proposed cuts to domestic and international food programs contained in the House-passed six-month spending bill," The Hill's "On The Money" blog reports.

29 Mar 2011

Sitagliptin drug can slow onset of diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is caused by insufficient levels of insulin to keep blood glucose under control. Excessive levels of another hormone, glucagon, can also contribute to diabetes type 2 by causing the liver to flood the body with stored glucose.

25 Mar 2011

Almac to launch new services for clinical trial patient management

Almac announced today that its Clinical Technologies business unit, a global leader in clinical trial management, will launch a suite of new services designed to improve patient compliance and retention in clinical trials.

23 Mar 2011

Daily dose of safflower oil can help reduce cardiovascular disease

A daily dose of safflower oil, a common cooking oil, for 16 weeks can improve such health measures as good cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in obese postmenopausal women who have Type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

22 Mar 2011

Elevations in 5 amino acids may signal future disease risk

Measuring the levels of small molecules in the blood may be able to identify individuals at elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes as much as a decade before symptoms of the disorder appear.

21 Mar 2011

Omthera commences dosing in pivotal Epanova Phase III EVOLVE trial in patients with very high triglycerides

Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held emerging specialty pharmaceuticals company, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in its pivotal Phase III EVOLVE (EpanoVa fOr Lowering Very high triglyceridEs) trial for Epanova™, the Company's lead compound for the treatment of patients with very high triglycerides. Epanova is an Omega-3 fatty acid containing a novel formulation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

14 Mar 2011

Parents need to talk to kids about eating disorders as early as possible

A government study has found that more than half a million teens have had an eating disorder, most commonly in the form of binge eating disorder and bulimia, and that most of the time these go untreated.

11 Mar 2011

Increased alcohol consumption leads to multiple cardiovascular outcomes

A summary paper on the effects of alcohol consumption on biologic mechanisms associated with coronary heart disease provides an excellent review of a large number of intervention studies in humans.

8 Mar 2011

Study: Pycnogenol- offers natural solution for patients with metabolic syndrome

The American Heart Association estimates 35 percent of adults in the U.S. suffer from metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors characterized by obesity and the simultaneous presence of heart disease risk factors with high blood pressure, blood sugar and lipids.

2 Mar 2011

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

A brain imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine - a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

1 Mar 2011

Researchers discover new mechanism of beta cell destruction not previously known

The death of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas is a core defect in diabetes. Scientists in Italy and Texas now have discovered a new way that these cells die - by toxic imbalance of a molecule secreted by other pancreatic cells.

28 Feb 2011

CTSI awards NYU one-year pilot grant to assess feasibility of hemoglobin A1C diabetes test

New York University's Clinical and Translational Science Institute has awarded an NYU nursing-dental research team a one-year pilot grant to assess the feasibility of using gingival crevicular blood from periodontal patients to gauge hemoglobin A1C -- a blood glucose measurement -- as a means of diagnosing diabetes and identifying pre-diabetes.

28 Feb 2011

Study: Individuals with fatty liver more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that individuals with fatty liver were five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without fatty liver. This higher risk seemed to occur regardless of the patient's fasting insulin levels, which were used as a marker of insulin resistance.

24 Feb 2011

Study finds link between fasting serum glucose levels and in-hospital mortality in elderly non-diabetic patients

A two-country hospital study of 808 elderly patients found a strong association between high, undiagnosed blood glucose in non-diabetic patients and increased hospital death rates, according to the March issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

24 Feb 2011

Study: Hemoglobin A1c is not a reliable test to diagnose diabetes in children

Doctors are increasingly using a convenient blood glucose test for diagnosing diabetes and pre-diabetes, but a study by the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital shows it's not the best way to diagnose diabetes in children.

23 Feb 2011

Study: High triglyceride levels linked with increased risk of ischemic stroke

A study by researchers in Denmark revealed that increasing levels of non-fasting triglycerides are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in men and women. Higher cholesterol levels were associated with greater stroke risk in men only.

21 Feb 2011

New study: Only one out of 1,900 could claim ideal heart health

Only one out of more than 1,900 people evaluated met the American Heart Association definition of ideal cardiovascular health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Their findings were recently published online in Circulation.

19 Feb 2011

New study: Fast food meal consumption can affect inflammatory responses in blood vessels

The effect of a high-fat meal on blood vessel walls can vary among individuals depending on factors such as their waist size and triglyceride levels, suggests new research at UC Davis.

17 Feb 2011