Diabetes Archive

In people with obesity, a high-dose weekly injection of the diabetes drug semaglutide caused a 15% weight loss and improved other heart-related risk factors. Semaglutide works by mimicking a substance called GLP-1, which is made naturally by the gut and the brain. It prods the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar rises too high, reduces appetite, and makes people feel full following a meal.

For decades, high intake of fat was thought to cause weight gain, heart disease, and maybe even cancer. The solution? Go low-fat, which often meant consuming more carbs and more sugar. But nutritionists now suggest people actually need adequate amounts of "good" unsaturated fat, and less "bad" saturated fat, for optimal health. Following popular heart-healthy diets, like the Mediterranean and MIND diets, and making simple dietary changes can help people get adequate amounts of good fats.

About 96 million Americans have prediabetes, defined by elevated blood sugar levels that are not high enough to qualify as diabetes. Risk factors include overweight or obesity, family history, and inactivity. People with prediabetes may have more infections and frequent urination or blurry vision after big meals. Lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, eating healthy foods, drinking alcohol moderately, and not smoking may prevent prediabetes from progressing to diabetes.

Several drugs originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes can help people shed as much as 20% of their body weight—far more than other anti-obesity drugs. Known as incretin mimetics, they also improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Up to half of all new-onset diabetes cases in this country are linked to obesity, a disease that now affects more than 40% of Americans. Both conditions are closely linked to cardiovascular disease.

Lifestyle changes like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and sufficient sleep are cornerstones of self-care for people with type 2 diabetes. But can mind-body practices help people manage or even treat type 2 diabetes? An analysis of multiple studies suggests they might.

A major theme of the 2023 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care guide is healthy weight loss. The new guidelines also encourage collaboration on meaningful lifestyle changes that help with sleep and health metric targets.

A recent study suggests that following a low-carb diet may quickly reduce A1C levels in people with prediabetes. Such a rigorous approach to eating may not be realistic, but cutting even some carbs may lead to weight loss and lower blood sugar.

Gout strikes when too much uric acid builds up in the body and triggers severe pain, swelling, and redness in one or more joints, often in the big toe. New research suggests that an episode may increase the risk for a heart attack or stroke over the following two months.

A new study suggests that older adults who maintain an high level functional fitness have a lower their risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke compared with those who are not as fit.