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Friday, April 23, 2021
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Special Infant Formulas Have No Effect on Allergies

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Hydrolyzed formulas might not protect against allergies after all

STATES CHRONICLE – Products get verified and have to pass many tests and meet many requirements, but there are still many labels out there that try to trick us. Some of them don’t mention the risks of consuming that said product, and others boast having effects they don’t actually have.

Such products can often be dangerous, and when it comes to the ones directed at children, the problem becomes even more concerning. There are several infant formulas claiming they protect kids from autoimmune disorders such as allergies, asthma or type 1 diabetes.

Learning that these formulas could protect their infant, many parents turn to them as alternatives. However, the latest research shows the “hydrolyzed” formulas don’t really have a protective role.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers at the Imperial College London. Despite the belief that hydrolyzed formula should be consumed by infants with a family history of allergies, the scientists didn’t manage to find the benefits of such formulas.

In other words, although the FDA approves of hydrolyzed formulas, it appears that data supporting these formulas is inconclusive and not compelling. And the FDA is not the only organization supporting these types of formula, but also agencies in Europe and Australia share their view.

In order to see whether hydrolyzed formulas work or not, the researchers put together data from 37 studies which included over 19,000 subjects. The studies were conducted from 1946 to 2015. It turned out that the infants fed with hydrolyzed milk did not show a lower risk of allergies, asthma or type 1 diabetes in comparison with the infants who consumes standard formula or human breast milk.

Since it appears that hydrolyzed cow milk does not fulfill its supposed role of protection against allergies and autoimmune disorders, it is recommended that both scientists and the FDA revisit the guidelines which made them support this type of formula in the past.

However, the formulas showed no side-effects, so they can be safely used in the future, except parents shouldn’t expect their children to be protected from allergies.

All in all, no matter how good formulas can be and how much they can offer, they will never compare to the advantages that breast milk brings. Therefore, mothers should take into consideration breastfeeding and that for as long as possible.

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Potatoes May Lead To Gestational Diabetes

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Potatoes consumption raised the risk of gestational diabetes with 50%.

STATES CHRONICLE – A group of scientist from the Institute of National Health has discovered that potatoes may lead to gestational diabetes. This is due to the fact that potatoes contain starch that when decomposed by the body becomes a new source of energy, just like glucose.

It appears that a high level on starch intake can have the same effects on a pregnant woman’s body as an intake of glucose-based foods. This is due to the chemical composition of starch. After consumption, the substance is decomposed by the body into a number of ingredients, among which we can find glucose. The process that is responsible for this is called enzymatic hydrolysis. Because it has sugar in its components, starch can be considered a source of energy.

In order to reach these conclusions, the scientists studied a sum of 15,000 women that were pregnant over a duration of 10 years. The women were asked to complete a health survey.

The conclusion of the survey was that potatoes may lead to gestational diabetes. Apparently, the women involved in the study that developed gestational diabetes had a habit of eating potatoes on a regular basis. This means 3 to 5 servings of potatoes in a week.

The percentage of women who consumed an increased level of starch and developed gestational diabetes was of a terrifying 50%. These results make potato consumption to be one of the primary culprits of gestational diabetes.

This kind of news is very bad because it will not just vanish as soon as the woman gives birth. The high amounts of glucose in the starch can cause an insulin deficiency, which is more commonly known as type 2 diabetes. This means that the liver is no longer able to produce sufficient amounts of insulin. A person that suffers from type 2 diabetes will be insulin dependent for the rest of the life.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should stop eating potatoes as of immediately. Two servings of the vegetable per week are more than enough and ensure a healthy nutritional pattern. The method of cooking is not that important, but a portion of mashed potatoes is always better than a serving of greasy French fries. Pregnant women shouldn’t forget about the risk of hypertension.

In conclusion, pregnant women can avoid pregnancy health complications such as diabetes if they are careful with the food that they eat. Specialists recommend fresh fruits and vegetables, all consumed in moderation, taking into account the fact that potatoes may lead to gestational diabetes.

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Diabetes Treatment Cost Decreased through Healthy Lifestyle

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A new study found that people with type 2 diabetes who have increased their daily healthy eating cut their costs with an average of 500 dollars a year.

5,121 people aged between 45 and 76 were part of the experiment. The control group only benefited of three sessions of diabetes support and education a year, whereas the trial group had a dietary plan and a physical activity schedule for 10 years. Results indicated that a healthy lifestyle can reduce the diabetes treatment cost due to less hospitalizations, less hospital days, and because of reduction of medication, when compared to individuals from the control group. Both groups benefited from medical assistance and care during this time, so this is a sign that a change in your eating habits could improve your condition if you struggle with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes treatment cost reduced by healthy lifestyle, but not for Patients with Records of Cardiovascular Disease

This shouldn’t be surprising. Other recent studies have shown cardiovascular problems to be associated with diabetics, and obviously not in a good way. Although the study seems promising, there are some limitations to how easy can we generalize the results to other groups suffering from diabetics. Mostly this is because of a specific medical care required for those in the study and because results were estimated based on self-reports of patients, which might be biased because of variations in self-evaluation due to lack of medical expertise of patient. Emotions associated with the disease should be taken into account as well.

Diabetes Treatment Cost can be reduced by adopoting a healthy lifestyle

According to Diabetes Care, where the results were published, the type of intervention endured by the individuals from the trial group was an ideal type of healthy eating behavior, called intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI). This is another change that might not occur in the situated lives of patients when they try to approach eating in a different manner. So, although diabetics’ healthy lifestyles changes can, on  a long term, result in a lower diabetes treatment cost, there are, in fact, a myriad of other influences that might interfere with the good results of this change: the degree of physical damage already suffered because of the illness, other uncontrolled life events that might occur during 10 years, other multiple health conditions, fluctuation in medical services provisions (interruptions, changes to a less advantageous care plan, or, on the contrary, to a better care plan, termination or lack of medical health insurance).

Latest Diabetes News: Animal Protein Is Linked To Type 2 Diabetes

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animal protein linked to diabetesAccording to a new study people who eat the most protein coming from animal sources are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Those who took part in the study were not assigned to eat different amounts of protein at random. Instead, the study compared the diets of the people who developed diabetes to the diets of the people who were not diagnosed with the disease.

There are several studies which revealed that animal protein is linked to type 2 diabetes. Doctor Frank Hu from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston said that a higher intake of total protein, especially from animal source is often associated with a long term risk of developing diabetes. Doctor Hu is researching prevention of diabetes through lifestyle and diets. He also stated that animal protein that comes from processed and red meat increases the risk of diabetes.

For the new study that says animal protein is linked to type 2 diabetes, researchers examined data from adults in eight European countries over a 12 year span. The recent study gathered data regarding the diets of the participants, their physical activity, weight, height, waist circumference and then followed the participants to see who developed diabetes.

A team of researchers selected 11,000 of the people who developed diabetes and compared the data with that of 15,000 people who didn’t develop the disease. The adults ate about 90g of protein daily and those who ate more than this tended to eat more fiber and cholesterol than those with a lower intake of protein. It seemed that every additional 10 g of protein people consumed every day was linked to a 6% higher risk for developing diabetes.

Animal Protein Is Linked To Type 2 Diabetes – researchers say

The researchers divided the participants into five groups based on how much protein they ate and found those who ate around 111g per day had a 17% higher risk of developing diabetes than those who ate the least amount of animal protein, around 72 grams per day. More specifically the participants who ate the most animal protein, 78 g per day had a 22% risk of being diagnosed with diabetes than those who ate around 36g daily. The researchers discovered that those who ate the most protein got about 15% of their calories from processed meat, red meat, fish, poultry and dairy, which apparently is too much. Plant protein, on the other hand is not linked to diabetes, study shows.

Animal Protein is Linked to Cancer and Diabetes

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Animal Protein is Linked to CancerWhile the title may not seem like the discovery of the century, two new studies do reinforce what we already knew: that animal protein is linked to cancer and diabetes in adults. The studies are not saying that any animal protein could cause cancer and diabetes, but too much protein is a direct cause of cancer and diabetes during middle age. This should put in perspective your diet and  the role of carbs, meat and sugar.

Animal Protein is Linked to Cancer – Too Much Protein As Harmful As Smoking

Two studies that have been published in the Cell Metabolism journal and were conducted by the University of Southern California in the US and the University of Sydney in Australia found that low protein intake may be the key to living a long and healthy life and that we should examine more carefully where our calories are coming from, plants or animals. The studies have concluded that for weight loss, a high-protein diet could only help in the short term and that if continued in the long term it will reduce lifespan and harm health.

One of the doctors who were involved in the study reported that the study provided evidence that a high-protein diet (animal-based proteins in particular) is almost as harmful as smoking for your health and that adults who consumed a high-protein diet had the highest risk of developing cancer and diabetes.

These studies were performed on both humans and mice; almost 7,000 Americans took part in an US national survey that assesses diet and health and revealed that people who consumed moderate amounts of proteins were three times more likely to die of cancer and that these effects were reduced or disappeared in those people whose high-protein diets were plant-based. But what does a high-protein diet means? The scientists concluded that a high-protein diet is one where at least 20% of the calories that are ingested come from protein.

These two new studies simply reinforce what people and doctors already knew: animal protein is linked to cancer and diabetes, so if you would like to live a long and healthy life, then you should stick to plant-based proteins and diets.

People taking antidepressants may develop diabetes

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A new study has suggested link between antidepressants and diabetes citing that people who are taking such drugs are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

So far the studies have shown varied results depending on the methods used, type of medication and the number of participants.

Hence the researchers at the University of Southampton carried a systematic review and found that people taking antidepressants are at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. However, the scientists have underlined that it is not certain whether the medication is responsible for the condition.

While conducting the study, the researchers assessed 22 studies and three previous systematic reviews that looked into the effects of antidepressants on diabetes risk. They found that overall people taking antidepressants were more likely to have diabetes.

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The researchers suggested that different types of antidepressants may carry different risks. They said that there are “several plausible” reasons why antidepressants are associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

“Our research shows that when you take away all the classic risk factors of type 2 diabetes; weight gain, lifestyle etc, there is something about antidepressants that appears to be an independent risk factor,” said Dr Katharine Barnard, Health Psychologist from the University of Southampton.

“While depression is an important clinical problem and antidepressants are effective treatments for this debilitating condition, clinicians need to be aware of the potential risk of diabetes, particularly when using antidepressants in higher doses or for longer duration,” said Richard Holt, Professor in Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University.

Artificial sweeteners not a better option for sugar: Study

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Those who are thinking that they are fooling their brain by taking artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar may not succeed in their intentions, a new study says.

According to the study, choosing diet drinks and artificial sweeteners as an alternative to high-calorie treats may actually increase your craving for sugar, hence increasing your sugar levels.

The scientists explain that we fail in fooling brain as our pleasure in consuming sweet solutions is driven to a great extent by the amount of energy it provides. Therefore, greater reward in the brain is attributed to sugars compared to artificial sweeteners.

Professor Ivan de Araujo, who led the study at Yale University School of Medicine US, said, “The consumption of high-calorie beverages is a major contributor to weight gain and obesity, even after the introduction of artificial sweeteners to the market.”

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Expressing the need of the study, he said, “We believe that the discovery is important because it shows how physiological states may impact on our choices between sugars and sweeteners. Specifically, it implies that humans frequently ingesting low-calorie sweet products in a state of hunger or exhaustion may be more likely to ‘relapse’ and choose high calorie alternatives in the future.”

According to the researchers, the results suggest that a ‘happy medium’ could be a solution i.e. combining sweeteners with minimal amounts of sugar so that energy metabolism doesn’t drop, while caloric intake is kept to a minimum.

The study identified a specific physiological brain signal that is critical for determining choice between sugars and sweeteners.

Scientists find Alzheimer’s cure in diabetes way

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Scientists have discovered a link between diabetes drugs and Alzheimer’s cure.

A new study suggests, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug can reverse memory loss and the build-up of plaques in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, led by Professor Christian Holscher at Lancaster University, found that the drug liraglutide commonly used by diabetics, may be able to reverse some of the damages caused by Alzheimer’s. They are even effective in the later stages of the condition. If successful in clinical trials this will be the first new dementia treatment in a decade.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The condition is characterised by the slow death of brain cells. It is progressive, ultimately terminal and there is yet no cure.

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Study

The researchers carried study on mice with late-stage Alzheimer’s. They were given the diabetic drug. The scientists found that they performed significantly better on an object recognition test and their brains showed a 30 percent reduction in the build-up of toxic plaques.

Most of the drugs available for dementia are generally effective in early stages. But these drugs were found effective even in later stage of the disease.

Liraglutide is a member of a class of drugs known as a GLP-1 analogue. The drug is used to stimulate insulin production in diabetes, but research shows it can also pass through the blood brain barrier and have a protective effect on brain cells.

“This exciting study suggests that one of these drugs can reverse the biological causes of Alzheimer’s even in the late stages and demonstrates we’re on the right track,” said Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society.

The study was published in the journal Neuropharmacology.

Diabetes Sufferers are at Increase Risk of Dementia?

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Diabetes, the chronic metabolic disease which can eventually spoil almost all the organs of the body in the long run has been linked to dementia several times. But there was not much considerable evidence supporting the theory of diabetes linked to dementia.

The research was done at University of Washington by Dr Paul Crane and his associates. He is an associate professor of medicine at the same university.

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For this study they have observed and studied over 2000 patients mostly suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus. Many subjects were also non-diabetic. All the patients were not having any symptoms of dementia in the beginning.

The researchers kept monitoring the blood glucose levels of the patients for over 7 years. Furthermore the subjects were also made to undergo cognitive assessment every alternate year.

After a detailed study for over 7 years, Dr Crane and his associates have found that over 25% subjects has started showing symptoms of dementia. Many of them were related to problems like memory loss, more commonly Alzheimer’s disease.

It was also found that diabetics with over 190 mg/dl are at 40% more risk of developing the complication of the dementia or memory loss.

Among the diabetics, it was noticed that the subjects with a blood glucose level of 115mg/dl are at 18% more risk of suffering from dementia compared to those who are having 100 mg/dl.

Dr Paul Crane Said,“The most interesting finding was that every incrementally higher glucose level was associated with a higher risk of dementia in people who did not have diabetes’’. He also said ‘’There was no threshold value for lower glucose values where risk leveled off.”

 

However, it has to be noted that this does not prove that diabetes or a higher blood glucose level is directly linked to dementia. Further studies are needed for confirming the same theory. The researchers also said their study is on and will keep releasing the updates whenever they found something noteworthy.

The researchers also said they are not ready to recommend any change in the treatment regime to the patients suffering from diabetes.

Walk to Office to Cut Risk of Chronic Diseases like Diabetes, Hypertension

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If you would like to prevent or lower your risk of chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes then you should walk to your office. According to a new study conducted in the United Kingdom, those who walk to their office instead of using transport vehicles like cards, motor cycles are at lower risk of getting affected by diabetes.

The study was conducted by researchers of Imperial College London and University College London. They have studied 20,000 Britons.

They also found that people who go to their office on their bicycles are at half lesser risk of getting affected by Diabetes and Hypertension compared to those who walk.

UK Walking

It is not a hidden fact that people who follow sedentary life style are at lower risk of getting affected by Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. However this study was aimed at finding more evidence which supports the theory. However they did not released any new theory regarding the biological link between walking and Diabetes.

They revealed 19% of their subjects who were driving to their office are obese compared to 15 percent of individuals who walk and 13 percent those who bicycle to their office. Obesity is already a known risk factor for decades, directly related to hypertension and diabetes.

The study was headed by Anthony Laverty of School of Public Health at Imperial College London. In a statement released by Mr. Laverty he said, “This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health,”

Anthony Laverty also said, “The variations between regions suggest that infrastructure and investment in public transport, walking and cycling can play a large role in encouraging healthy lives, and that encouraging people out of the car can be good for them as well as the environment.”

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