With all major illnesses, it is helpful to have a spokesperson to bring the reality of disease into focus. Bret Michaels has been an important educational force.
Keeping up with news of diabetes is important for both informational and practical purposes.
Here are two recent stories:
From the Weight Channel: "Gaining weight after age 50 can increase the risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests.
"Researchers from the University of Washington followed a group of more than 4,000 seniors age 65 and older for over 12 years to determine the impact of weight gain and obesity on diabetes risk in the elderly. Of the participants,339 new cases of diabetes were identified during the follow-up.
"The heaviest study participants were two to six times more likely to develop diabetes when compared to participants of a normal weight. The likelihood of diabetes was five times greater for those who were considered obese at age 50 and gained more than 20 pounds prior to entering the study compared to those who were a normal weight and did not gain weight."
Here is some good news about diabetes from the BBC
"Twelve new genes linked with type 2 diabetes have been found in a study into the differences in people's DNA and their risk of having the condition. A consortium including Edinburgh University scientists have identified "important clues to the biological basis of type 2 diabetes".
"It is hoped the findings will lead to better ways of treating the condition.The genes tend to be involved in working cells producing insulin, which controls levels of glucose in blood. The 12 new genes brings the total number linked with type 2 diabetes to 38."
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