CHICAGO (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's blood clot preventer Xarelto proved as effective as and safer than standard treatments against blood clots of the lung in a big study, possibly paving the way for it to become the eventual preferred treatment for the third most common cause of deaths in hospitals.
Researchers and J&J officials on Monday said the 4,833-patient study showed Xarelto was as effective as customary dual therapy -- injections of the clot-buster heparin given about the same time as the blood-thinning pill warfarin -- for treating the clots and preventing new lung clots or dangerous clots in the legs that can break free and cause lung clots. The vast majority of patients were treated for more than six months.
The largest clinical trial ever conducted among lung-clot patients also showed that those taking Xarelto, also known by its chemical name rivaroxaban, experienced only half the number of major bleeding incidents, largely brain hemorrhages, as patients receiving the heparin/warfarin combination.
Brain bleeding is one of the most worrisome side effects of warfarin, the active ingredient of rat poison that has been a mainstay anti-coagulant for more than half a century.
"Rivaroxaban is just as good as standard treatment for pulmonary embolism -- these data are pretty convincing -- and this is an oral-only approach, which makes it very simple," said Dr. Harry Buller, a professor of vascular medicine at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, who led the trial.
In the J&J-sponsored trial, 10.3 percent of patients taking Xarelto had major or minor bleeding, compared with 11.4 percent of those taking heparin and warfarin, Buller said. He said 1.1 percent of patients taking Xarelto experienced major bleeding, versus 2.2 percent on standard dual therapy.
Buller presented the trial results on Monday at the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago.
"Xarelto has the potential to become the new standard of care," Paul Burton, cardiovascular medical leader at J&J's Janssen division, said in an interview. "It may offer the opportunity for a single drug that doesn't require monitoring to be used in acute and long-term treatment of pulmonary embolism."
Based on the favorable findings, J&J said it plans in the second quarter to ask U.S. regulators to approve Xarelto for lung clots and leg clots.
Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said the new indications, if approved, could eventually bring an additional $250 million to $500 million in annual revenue for Xarelto. He said that would pale, however, in comparison with expected sales of the medicine for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Lung clots develop in an estimated 600,000 Americans a year and kill as many as 100,000 of them. By blocking vital blood vessels, they often kill within less than an hour after symptoms develop. Because immobility is a major cause of lung clots, hospitalized patients are at particular risk of developing them.
Xarelto, which J&J developed in partnership with German drugmaker Bayer AG, is already approved to reduce the risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs of people who have had knee or hip replacement surgery. It is also approved to prevent strokes among people with irregular heartbeats, called atrial fibrillation.
Xarelto, like Eliquis from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Pfizer Inc, works by blocking a protein called Factor Xa involved in the clotting process. Neither of the new drugs carries the onerous demands of warfarin, such as the need for regular blood monitoring and strict avoidance of some foods.
"The reason people look for alternatives (to warfarin) is that it's a nightmare to give," Buller said. "Rivaroxaban makes things easier for everybody -- patients and physicians."
Although Eliquis is approved in Europe to prevent blood clots after hip and knee replacements, it is not approved to treat lung clots. It is awaiting U.S. approval to prevent strokes in atrial fibrillation patients, by far the biggest commercial opportunity for the new crop of blood clot preventers.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Raisins and soy may ward off high blood pressure
By Jean-Louis Santini, AFP
Eating raisins and soy appears to help ward off high blood pressure, a key risk factor in heart disease, according to two studies presented at a major US cardiology conference on Sunday.
Munching on a handful of raisins three times a day helped people with slightly elevated blood pressure lower their numbers after several weeks, said one of the studies presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.
The randomized clinical trial -- believed to be the first formal measurement of raisins' benefits on blood pressure -- involved 46 people with a condition known as pre-hypertension.
That means their blood pressure ranged from 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) to 139 millimeters of mercury over 89 mm Hg, or just higher than normal.
Compared to people who snacked on cookies or crackers, the raisin-eating group saw significant drops in blood pressure, in some cases lowering the top number, or systolic pressure, by 10.2, or seven percent over the 12-week study.
Researchers are not sure exactly why the raisins work so well, but they think it may have to do with the high level of potassium in the shriveled, dried grapes.
"Raisins are packed with potassium, which is known to lower blood pressure," said lead investigator Harold Bays, medical director of Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center.
"They are also a good source of antioxidant dietary fiber that may favorably alter the biochemistry of blood vessels, causing them to be less stiff, which in turn, may reduce blood pressure."
A handful of about 60 raisins contains a gram of fiber and 212 milligrams of potassium. Raisins are often recommended as part of a high-fiber, low-fat diet to reduce blood pressure.
A second study on soy showed that daily intake of foods like tofu, peanuts and green tea helped lower blood pressure in more than 5,100 white and African American people aged 18-30.
The study began in 1985 and was based on self-reported data about the food the participants ate.
Those who consumed about 2.5 or more milligrams of isoflavones, a key component in soy, per day had significantly lower systolic blood pressure -- an average of 5.5 mmHg lower -- than those who ate less than 0.33 mg per day.
That daily level should not be hard for most people to reach -- a glass of soy milk contains about 22 mg of isoflavones, or nearly 10 times the amount needed to see an effect, according to the research.
"Our results strongly suggest a blood pressure benefit for moderate amounts of dietary isoflavone intake in young black and white adults," said Safiya Richardson, a graduating medical student at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the study's lead investigator.
"Our study is the first to show a benefit in African Americans, who have a higher incidence of high blood pressure, with an earlier onset and more severe end-organ damage."
Eating soy could be a way for people with slightly elevated blood pressure to avoid progressing to high blood pressure, and potentially ward off the need to take medications, she added.
"Any dietary or lifestyle modification people can easily make that doesn't require a daily medication is exciting, especially considering recent figures estimating that only about one third of American hypertensives have their blood pressure under control."
Soy and the isoflavones it contains work by boosting enzymes that create nitric oxide, which in turns helps to widen blood vessels and reduce blood pressure.
"Based on our results and those of previous studies, we would encourage the average adult to consider including moderate amounts of soy products in a healthy, well-balanced diet to reduce the chances of developing high blood pressure," Richardson said.
Eating raisins and soy appears to help ward off high blood pressure, a key risk factor in heart disease, according to two studies presented at a major US cardiology conference on Sunday.
Munching on a handful of raisins three times a day helped people with slightly elevated blood pressure lower their numbers after several weeks, said one of the studies presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.
The randomized clinical trial -- believed to be the first formal measurement of raisins' benefits on blood pressure -- involved 46 people with a condition known as pre-hypertension.
That means their blood pressure ranged from 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) to 139 millimeters of mercury over 89 mm Hg, or just higher than normal.
Compared to people who snacked on cookies or crackers, the raisin-eating group saw significant drops in blood pressure, in some cases lowering the top number, or systolic pressure, by 10.2, or seven percent over the 12-week study.
Researchers are not sure exactly why the raisins work so well, but they think it may have to do with the high level of potassium in the shriveled, dried grapes.
"Raisins are packed with potassium, which is known to lower blood pressure," said lead investigator Harold Bays, medical director of Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center.
"They are also a good source of antioxidant dietary fiber that may favorably alter the biochemistry of blood vessels, causing them to be less stiff, which in turn, may reduce blood pressure."
A handful of about 60 raisins contains a gram of fiber and 212 milligrams of potassium. Raisins are often recommended as part of a high-fiber, low-fat diet to reduce blood pressure.
A second study on soy showed that daily intake of foods like tofu, peanuts and green tea helped lower blood pressure in more than 5,100 white and African American people aged 18-30.
The study began in 1985 and was based on self-reported data about the food the participants ate.
Those who consumed about 2.5 or more milligrams of isoflavones, a key component in soy, per day had significantly lower systolic blood pressure -- an average of 5.5 mmHg lower -- than those who ate less than 0.33 mg per day.
That daily level should not be hard for most people to reach -- a glass of soy milk contains about 22 mg of isoflavones, or nearly 10 times the amount needed to see an effect, according to the research.
"Our results strongly suggest a blood pressure benefit for moderate amounts of dietary isoflavone intake in young black and white adults," said Safiya Richardson, a graduating medical student at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the study's lead investigator.
"Our study is the first to show a benefit in African Americans, who have a higher incidence of high blood pressure, with an earlier onset and more severe end-organ damage."
Eating soy could be a way for people with slightly elevated blood pressure to avoid progressing to high blood pressure, and potentially ward off the need to take medications, she added.
"Any dietary or lifestyle modification people can easily make that doesn't require a daily medication is exciting, especially considering recent figures estimating that only about one third of American hypertensives have their blood pressure under control."
Soy and the isoflavones it contains work by boosting enzymes that create nitric oxide, which in turns helps to widen blood vessels and reduce blood pressure.
"Based on our results and those of previous studies, we would encourage the average adult to consider including moderate amounts of soy products in a healthy, well-balanced diet to reduce the chances of developing high blood pressure," Richardson said.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Smoking deaths triple over decade: tobacco report
LONDON (Reuters) - Tobacco-related deaths have nearly tripled in the past decade and big tobacco firms are undermining public efforts that could save millions, a report led by the health campaign group the World Lung Foundation (WLF) said on Wednesday.
In the report, marking the tenth anniversary of its first Tobacco Atlas, the WLF and the American Cancer Society said if current trends continue, a billion people will die from tobacco use and exposure this century - one person every six seconds.
Tobacco has killed 50 million people in the last 10 years, and tobacco is responsible for more than 15 percent of all male deaths and 7 percent of female deaths, the new Tobacco Atlas report found. (www.tobaccoatlas.org)
In China, tobacco is already the number one killer - causing 1.2 million deaths a year - and that number is expected to rise to 3.5 million a year by 2030, the report said.
That is part of a broader shift, with smoking rates in the developed world declining but numbers growing in poorer regions, said Michael Eriksen, one of the report's authors and director of the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University.
"If we don't act, the projections for the future are even more morbid. And the burden of death caused by tobacco is increasingly one of the developing world, particularly Asia, the Middle East and Africa," he said in an interview.
Almost 80 percent of people who die from tobacco-related illnesses now come from low- and middle-income countries. In Turkey, 38 percent of male deaths are from smoking-related illnesses, though smoking also remains the biggest killer of American women too.
WLF's chief executive Peter Baldini accused the tobacco industry of thriving on ignorance about the true effect of smoking and "misinformation to subvert health policies that could save millions".
The report said the industry had stepped up its fight against anti-tobacco policies, launching legal challenges and seeking to delay or stop the introduction of plain packaging, legislation banning smoking in public places, advertising bans and health warnings on packets.
The world's six biggest tobacco firms made $35.1 billion in profits in 2010 - equal to the combined earnings of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and McDonald's, the report said.
Smoking causes lung cancer as well as several other chronic pulmonary diseases and is a major risk factor in heart disease, the world's number one killer.
More than 170 countries have signed up to a World Health Organization-led convention committing them to cut smoking rates, limiting exposure to second-hand smoke, and curbing tobacco advertising and promotion.
WHO director general Margaret Chan said thanks in part to that convention, 1.1 billion people have in the past two years become covered by at least one measure designed to curb tobacco use. She added, however, that the battle was far from over and urged more countries to fight the industry.
"We must never allow the tobacco industry to get the upper hand," she said in a foreword to the report. "Tobacco is a killer. It should not be advertised, subsidized or glamorized."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Ben Harding)
In the report, marking the tenth anniversary of its first Tobacco Atlas, the WLF and the American Cancer Society said if current trends continue, a billion people will die from tobacco use and exposure this century - one person every six seconds.
Tobacco has killed 50 million people in the last 10 years, and tobacco is responsible for more than 15 percent of all male deaths and 7 percent of female deaths, the new Tobacco Atlas report found. (www.tobaccoatlas.org)
In China, tobacco is already the number one killer - causing 1.2 million deaths a year - and that number is expected to rise to 3.5 million a year by 2030, the report said.
That is part of a broader shift, with smoking rates in the developed world declining but numbers growing in poorer regions, said Michael Eriksen, one of the report's authors and director of the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University.
"If we don't act, the projections for the future are even more morbid. And the burden of death caused by tobacco is increasingly one of the developing world, particularly Asia, the Middle East and Africa," he said in an interview.
Almost 80 percent of people who die from tobacco-related illnesses now come from low- and middle-income countries. In Turkey, 38 percent of male deaths are from smoking-related illnesses, though smoking also remains the biggest killer of American women too.
WLF's chief executive Peter Baldini accused the tobacco industry of thriving on ignorance about the true effect of smoking and "misinformation to subvert health policies that could save millions".
The report said the industry had stepped up its fight against anti-tobacco policies, launching legal challenges and seeking to delay or stop the introduction of plain packaging, legislation banning smoking in public places, advertising bans and health warnings on packets.
The world's six biggest tobacco firms made $35.1 billion in profits in 2010 - equal to the combined earnings of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and McDonald's, the report said.
Smoking causes lung cancer as well as several other chronic pulmonary diseases and is a major risk factor in heart disease, the world's number one killer.
More than 170 countries have signed up to a World Health Organization-led convention committing them to cut smoking rates, limiting exposure to second-hand smoke, and curbing tobacco advertising and promotion.
WHO director general Margaret Chan said thanks in part to that convention, 1.1 billion people have in the past two years become covered by at least one measure designed to curb tobacco use. She added, however, that the battle was far from over and urged more countries to fight the industry.
"We must never allow the tobacco industry to get the upper hand," she said in a foreword to the report. "Tobacco is a killer. It should not be advertised, subsidized or glamorized."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Ben Harding)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Doctor Knows Best: 5 Health Tips Top Docs Use to Stay Healthy
By Ted Spiker
Along with all the disease stomping, heart reviving, baby delivering, and overall people healing they do, doctors have another full-time job: keeping themselves healthy. Scratch that -- keeping themselves healthiest. So instead of peeking into their medical practices, we looked at what they actually practice -- in their own lives. Use personal strategies and insider tips from the best medical pros to supercharge your health this year.
How to Head Off a Headache
Start double-fisting beverages the minute the throbbing begins. "I'll have a bottle of water in one hand and a coffee in the other," says Jennifer Ashton, MD, author of Your Body Beautiful and cohost of ABC's The Revolution. That's because many headaches are caused by dehydration, while caffeine is known to curb them. If the drinks don't alleviate the pounding in an hour, she pops ibuprofen.
Take a Time Out
"As soon as I feel an illness coming on, I go to sleep for at least nine hours," says Hilda Hutcherson, MD, clinical professor of ob-gyn at Columbia University Medical Center. "I also lie on the floor with my legs elevated and propped against the wall and breathe deeply for five minutes." It helps lower stress, which weakens the immune system.
Stay Sharp
An app a day keeps brain farts away. Gary Small, MD, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Alzheimer's Prevention Program, plays Scrabble and Words With Friends on his smartphone most days. These word games are perfect brain boosters, because they build not only verbal and math skills but also spatial abilities as you position letters to create words. "Combining several mental tasks strengthens multiple neural circuits," Dr. Small says. "It's like cross-training for your brain."
Fight Cravings
Mehmet Oz, MD, host of The Dr. Oz Show, eats raw walnuts (about one ounce) a few times a day for their hunger-quashing protein and heart-healthy fat. "The rap against nuts is that they're high in calories, but research is showing that our bodies may not actually absorb all the fat they contain," Dr. Oz says. "So we probably end up taking in fewer calories than what's listed on the package."
Prevent Skin Cancer
In addition to getting annual skin checks from your dermatologist, recruit your hairstylist to scope out your scalp each time you visit, says Mona Gohara, MD, a FITNESS advisory board member and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Scalp cancers often occur because people neglect to protect their heads, especially the part in their hair, with sunscreen or hats. And the cancers go undetected because they're hard to spot. "Tell your hairdresser to look for any sores that are bleeding or crusting or don't seem to be healing," Dr. Gohara says.
Along with all the disease stomping, heart reviving, baby delivering, and overall people healing they do, doctors have another full-time job: keeping themselves healthy. Scratch that -- keeping themselves healthiest. So instead of peeking into their medical practices, we looked at what they actually practice -- in their own lives. Use personal strategies and insider tips from the best medical pros to supercharge your health this year.
How to Head Off a Headache
Start double-fisting beverages the minute the throbbing begins. "I'll have a bottle of water in one hand and a coffee in the other," says Jennifer Ashton, MD, author of Your Body Beautiful and cohost of ABC's The Revolution. That's because many headaches are caused by dehydration, while caffeine is known to curb them. If the drinks don't alleviate the pounding in an hour, she pops ibuprofen.
Take a Time Out
"As soon as I feel an illness coming on, I go to sleep for at least nine hours," says Hilda Hutcherson, MD, clinical professor of ob-gyn at Columbia University Medical Center. "I also lie on the floor with my legs elevated and propped against the wall and breathe deeply for five minutes." It helps lower stress, which weakens the immune system.
Stay Sharp
An app a day keeps brain farts away. Gary Small, MD, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Alzheimer's Prevention Program, plays Scrabble and Words With Friends on his smartphone most days. These word games are perfect brain boosters, because they build not only verbal and math skills but also spatial abilities as you position letters to create words. "Combining several mental tasks strengthens multiple neural circuits," Dr. Small says. "It's like cross-training for your brain."
Fight Cravings
Mehmet Oz, MD, host of The Dr. Oz Show, eats raw walnuts (about one ounce) a few times a day for their hunger-quashing protein and heart-healthy fat. "The rap against nuts is that they're high in calories, but research is showing that our bodies may not actually absorb all the fat they contain," Dr. Oz says. "So we probably end up taking in fewer calories than what's listed on the package."
Prevent Skin Cancer
In addition to getting annual skin checks from your dermatologist, recruit your hairstylist to scope out your scalp each time you visit, says Mona Gohara, MD, a FITNESS advisory board member and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Scalp cancers often occur because people neglect to protect their heads, especially the part in their hair, with sunscreen or hats. And the cancers go undetected because they're hard to spot. "Tell your hairdresser to look for any sores that are bleeding or crusting or don't seem to be healing," Dr. Gohara says.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Home Remedies for Snoring
If you're a snorer, you're probably getting more sleep than the person lying next to you. Changing your sleeping position may be all it takes but for many people losing weight is often the
Home Remedies for Snoring real key to a tranquil night. This article discusses home remedies and some things you should avoid to prevent snoring.
If you're a snorer, you're probably getting more sleep than the person lying next to you. Changing your sleeping position may be all it takes but for many people losing weight is often the real key to a tranquil night.Home Remedies for Snoring real key to a tranquil night. This article discusses home remedies and some things you should avoid to prevent snoring.Put yourself in a good position
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 1
Buy yourself a few extra pillows and proper yourself up in bed rather than lying flat on your back. You'll prevent te tissues in your throat from falling into your air passages.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 2
Raise the head of your bead. An easy way to do it is to place several flat boards under the legs at the top end of the bed. A couple of old phone books under each leg should also raise the bed high enough will do the trick.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 3
Sleep on your side. Of course, there' no guarantee you'll stay in that position but at least start on your side with your arms wrapped around a pillow. There's a good reason you don't want to sleep on you back. In that position, your tongue and soft palate rest against the back of your throat blocking the airway.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 4
If hugging a pillow doesn't help, you can tackle the problem by using a tennis ball Sew a little pouch onto the back of your pajama top and tuck a tennis ball inside. At night, if you start to roll onto your back while you're asleep, you'll get a nudge from the ball prompting you to get back on your side.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 5
If nasal congestion is causing your snoring, try taking a decongestant or antihistamine before you go to bed. But use these only as a temporary measure if you suspect that a cold or allergy is to blame.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 6
Tape your nose open with nasal strips, available from most pharmacies. Their effectiveness is debatable, but as they don't hurt they're worth a try. Following the directions on the package, tape one of the strips to the outside of your nose before you fall asleep. They work by lifting and opening your nostrils to increase airflow.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 7
Gargle with a peppermint mouthwash to shrink the lining of your nose and throat. This is especially effective if your snoring is a temporary condition caused by head cold or an allergy. To mix up the herbal gargle, add 1 drop of peppermint oil to a glass of cold water.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 8
Don't eat a heavy meal or drink alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime. Both can relax throat and muscles more than normal.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 9
Losing weight can reduce your snoring by easing the constriction of the upper airway.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 10
Daily products are possible food allergens that may create excess mucus, thereby worsening congestion in the respiratory system.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 11
Give up smoking. Tobacco smoke irritates mucous membranes so your throat swells, narrowing the airway. Smokers always have more problems with nasal congestion.
Home Remedy for Snoring No. 12
Dry air can contribute to snoring. There are lots of ways do battle with dry hair. A humidifier or steam vaporizer in the bedroom can keep your air passages moist. Just be sure to clean it regularly.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Paula Deen Announces She Has Diabetes
TV chef Paula Deen—the queen of deep-fried Southern cooking—joins Halle Berry, Randy Jackson, Dick Clark and 28.5 million other Americans in battling diabetes.
The Daily reported last week that the Food Network star--famed for artery-clogging fare as deep-fried macaroni and cheese—wrapped in bacon—would soon come clean about a “big fat secret," her type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Deen just announced the diabetes news with Today’s Al Roker.
Rumors about Deen’s diabetes first surfaced in April when both the National Enquirer and The Daily Mail reported that the bestselling cookbook author was keeping her disorder hidden due to concerns that it would harm her career. However, learning that she has a disease strongly linked to obesity and unhealthy eating would hardly shock fans who have watched her prepare such belly-busters as egg-and-bacon-topped burgers served between two glazed donuts.
Deen, who has described butter as “a little stick of smiles and happiness,” has already come under fire for the lavish amounts of fat and sugar in her cooking. Now that the diva of the deep fryer has confirmed a diabetes diagnosis, what might be ahead for her? Here’s a look at a disease that’s predicted to affect in one in three Americans in coming years if current trends continue.
Use these 7 diabetes tips to manage your condition
Other risk factors include family history, a couch potato lifestyle, age (risk rises significantly after age 45), and ethnicity, with African-Americans and Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans facing a greater threat of the disease. Women who have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy or who have given birth to babies weighing over 9 pounds are also at higher risk.
Find out about the top 5 diabetes-healing supplements
Warning signs include increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, blurred vision, slow-healing wounds, and frequent infections, such as gum infections, bladder infections, or yeast infections.
Recent research suggests that high blood sugar may also boost for Alzheimer’s disease in diabetes with a certain gene. A 2011 study linked high blood sugar to increased risk for colon cancer.
Read about how diet affects your children's risk of diabetes
Figuring out the what to eat can be complex for people who are newly diagnosed, so doctors advise working with a registered dietician to develop a meal plan that takes health goals, food preferences and lifestyle into account.
Learn which foods can help diabetes patients manage their blood sugar
And if you have pre-diabetes, a review of 28 previous studies, published in Health Affairs this month, finds losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight (10 to 12 pounds if you weight 200), coupled with stepping up exercise and improving your eating habits, cuts the risk of progressing to full-blown diabetes by 50 percent.
Will Deen now revamp her famously fatty recipes to trim down calories? And if so, will her fans be willing to give up deep-fried Twinkies and eat more veggies? Stay tuned to see what the TV chef dishes up next.
The Daily reported last week that the Food Network star--famed for artery-clogging fare as deep-fried macaroni and cheese—wrapped in bacon—would soon come clean about a “big fat secret," her type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Deen just announced the diabetes news with Today’s Al Roker.
Rumors about Deen’s diabetes first surfaced in April when both the National Enquirer and The Daily Mail reported that the bestselling cookbook author was keeping her disorder hidden due to concerns that it would harm her career. However, learning that she has a disease strongly linked to obesity and unhealthy eating would hardly shock fans who have watched her prepare such belly-busters as egg-and-bacon-topped burgers served between two glazed donuts.
Deen, who has described butter as “a little stick of smiles and happiness,” has already come under fire for the lavish amounts of fat and sugar in her cooking. Now that the diva of the deep fryer has confirmed a diabetes diagnosis, what might be ahead for her? Here’s a look at a disease that’s predicted to affect in one in three Americans in coming years if current trends continue.
Use these 7 diabetes tips to manage your condition
What triggers type 2 diabetes?
While the cause isn’t fully understood, type 2 diabetes starts when the body becomes insensitive to insulin, a hormone that acts like a key to let sugar—the body’s main source of fuel—into cells. This forces the pancreas to pump out higher and higher amounts of insulin, to try to keep up with demand. Ultimately, the pancreas becomes exhausted and blood sugar rises, leading to diabetes. A diet that’s high in saturated fats—such as the deep-fried dishes that figure prominently in Deen’s cooking—also increase insulin resistance.Who’s at risk?
Like Paula Deen, about 90 percent of people who develop type 2 diabetes are overweight. And the more belly fat you have, the more likely you are to develop insulin resistance. A particular danger zone is a waist circumference of more than 35 inches for a woman and 40 inches for a man.Other risk factors include family history, a couch potato lifestyle, age (risk rises significantly after age 45), and ethnicity, with African-Americans and Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans facing a greater threat of the disease. Women who have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy or who have given birth to babies weighing over 9 pounds are also at higher risk.
Find out about the top 5 diabetes-healing supplements
What are the symptoms?
One-third of the 28.5 million Americans with diabetes and the 87 million with pre-diabetes (an earlier stage) don’t know it because the disease may not cause symptoms until serious complications set in.Warning signs include increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, blurred vision, slow-healing wounds, and frequent infections, such as gum infections, bladder infections, or yeast infections.
How dangerous is diabetes?
The disease triples the danger of heart attacks and strokes. Other complications, particularly if diabetes goes undiagnosed and untreated, include kidney damage, nerve damage, blindness, foot infections and lower leg amputation.Recent research suggests that high blood sugar may also boost for Alzheimer’s disease in diabetes with a certain gene. A 2011 study linked high blood sugar to increased risk for colon cancer.
Read about how diet affects your children's risk of diabetes
What’s the best test to check for diabetes?
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) considers the oral glucose tolerance test the “gold standard” for diabetes detection. After an overnight fast, you’ll drink a sugary liquid, with blood samples taken at timed intervals to measure sugar levels. The ADA also recommends the A1C blood test, which measures your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Have your blood sugar checked every three years, starting at age 45, or at a younger age if you are overweight with at least one other risk factor.Is there a diabetes diet?
There’s no specific diet advised for everyone with the disease. However, large studies show that focusing on low-fat, high-fiber foods—such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains—is the healthiest plan for diabetes.Figuring out the what to eat can be complex for people who are newly diagnosed, so doctors advise working with a registered dietician to develop a meal plan that takes health goals, food preferences and lifestyle into account.
Learn which foods can help diabetes patients manage their blood sugar
What’s the treatment?
Along with a healthy diet, therapies for type 2 typically include medication—which can include both diabetes drugs and statins to reduce heart disease risk--exercising at least 150 minutes per week, and weight loss. Deen may want to take cooking lessons from such chefs as Art Smith, who shed a whopping 85 pounds after getting a diabetes diagnosis.And if you have pre-diabetes, a review of 28 previous studies, published in Health Affairs this month, finds losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight (10 to 12 pounds if you weight 200), coupled with stepping up exercise and improving your eating habits, cuts the risk of progressing to full-blown diabetes by 50 percent.
Will Deen now revamp her famously fatty recipes to trim down calories? And if so, will her fans be willing to give up deep-fried Twinkies and eat more veggies? Stay tuned to see what the TV chef dishes up next.
Monday, January 9, 2012
'Couch potato pill' may also prevent heatstroke
A drug discovered nearly four years ago that builds muscles in lazy mice may also prevent heatstroke, according to lab research reported on Sunday.
If further tests work out, the compound could help athletes or soldiers who are so sensitive to heat that they could die from exertion on a hot day, its authors say.
In 2008, a drug known as AICAR became dubbed the "couch potato pill" after it was found to develop muscles and boost endurance among completely inactive laboratory rodents. It is now being explored as a treatment for several muscle diseases and metabolic disorders.
In a paper published by the journal Nature Medicine, researchers in the United States said they discovered by chance that AICAR also protects mice against a disorder called malignant hyperthermia.
This deadly condition is linked to a basket of flaws in a gene called RYR1, a trait which exists in mice as well as humans.
A rise in body temperature causes a leak of calcium in muscle cells, triggering a molecular cascade that eventually makes the muscles contract and break down.
Potassium and protein then pour out of the crippled muscle cells and into the bloodstream, reaching toxic levels that lead to heart or kidney failure.
Tests on mice genetically engineered to have the RYR1 mutation found that AICAR worked perfectly in preventing malignant hypothermia, says the study.
"When we gave AICAR to the mice, it was 100 percent effective in preventing heat-induced deaths, even when we gave it no more than 10 minutes before the activity," said Susan Hamilton, a professor of molecular physiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
AICAR -- full name 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside -- works by stopping the calcium leak, thus preventing the vicious circle from getting under way.
The finding may lead one day to a drug that would be used preventatively for heat-sensitive young athletes or soldiers in the desert who must wear heavy gear.
Abnormalities in the RYR1 gene are believed to occur in about one person in every 3,000.
But the researchers theorise that the future drug may also work for people without the RYR1 flaw.
"We think the fundamental process that occurs during heatstroke in individuals with RYR1 mutations is likely to be similar to what happens even in their (the mutations') absence," said Robert Dirksen, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
"The difference may be that individuals with RYR1 mutations are more easily thrust into the process, whereas those without (the mutations) need to be pushed more -- for example, by exposure to even greater temperatures or a long time, in order to move beyond a critical threshold."
If further tests work out, the compound could help athletes or soldiers who are so sensitive to heat that they could die from exertion on a hot day, its authors say.
In 2008, a drug known as AICAR became dubbed the "couch potato pill" after it was found to develop muscles and boost endurance among completely inactive laboratory rodents. It is now being explored as a treatment for several muscle diseases and metabolic disorders.
In a paper published by the journal Nature Medicine, researchers in the United States said they discovered by chance that AICAR also protects mice against a disorder called malignant hyperthermia.
This deadly condition is linked to a basket of flaws in a gene called RYR1, a trait which exists in mice as well as humans.
A rise in body temperature causes a leak of calcium in muscle cells, triggering a molecular cascade that eventually makes the muscles contract and break down.
Potassium and protein then pour out of the crippled muscle cells and into the bloodstream, reaching toxic levels that lead to heart or kidney failure.
Tests on mice genetically engineered to have the RYR1 mutation found that AICAR worked perfectly in preventing malignant hypothermia, says the study.
"When we gave AICAR to the mice, it was 100 percent effective in preventing heat-induced deaths, even when we gave it no more than 10 minutes before the activity," said Susan Hamilton, a professor of molecular physiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
AICAR -- full name 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside -- works by stopping the calcium leak, thus preventing the vicious circle from getting under way.
The finding may lead one day to a drug that would be used preventatively for heat-sensitive young athletes or soldiers in the desert who must wear heavy gear.
Abnormalities in the RYR1 gene are believed to occur in about one person in every 3,000.
But the researchers theorise that the future drug may also work for people without the RYR1 flaw.
"We think the fundamental process that occurs during heatstroke in individuals with RYR1 mutations is likely to be similar to what happens even in their (the mutations') absence," said Robert Dirksen, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
"The difference may be that individuals with RYR1 mutations are more easily thrust into the process, whereas those without (the mutations) need to be pushed more -- for example, by exposure to even greater temperatures or a long time, in order to move beyond a critical threshold."
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