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Archive for the ‘diabetes’ Category

Going to the dogs, part two

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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So you (hopefully) read my piece in Sunday’s Post about Aidan Sgandurra, the Monroe boy with diabetes whose family is trying to get a diabetic alert dog to warn the family when his blood sugar changes dramatically.

The family is holding a fundraiser for noon on June 9 at the Masonic Temple, 131 Beach Road, Fairfield. But I also should have told you that you can donate directly in Aidan’s name at www.guardianangelservicedogs.org or call 540-543-2307. If you call, ask for Dan Warren, and tell him you want to donate to the Sgandurra fund.

And if you want to help with the June 9 fundraiser, call Aidan’s mother Denise Poisson-Sgandurra at 203-556-5743. They are seeking vendors and raffle donations.

Study: Coffee can (probably) reduce your risk of death

Thursday, May 17, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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Office pick-me-up or life-saving elixir? Could be the latter, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health and the AARP.

Java enthusiasts rejoice! A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and AARP reveals that drinking coffee — whether caffeinated or decaffeinated — could reduce the risk of death in older adults.

The study followed 400,000 U.S. men and women aged 50 to 71 from their entry into the study (which would have been some time in 1995 or 1996) until they died or until Dec. 31, 2008, whichever came first. The researchers found that participants’ risk of death decreased with the amount of coffee consued. Those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had a 10 percent lower risk of death.

According to NIH, the study showed a link between coffee consumption and decreased risk of death from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes and infection.  The study did not show that coffee decreased participants’ risk of death from cancer. In fact, there was a slight association of heavier coffee intake with increased risk of cancer death among me.

Researchers said the study failed to identify exactly how coffee decreased the risk of death from certain causes, but the study pointed out that the beverage contains more than a thousand compounds that could affect health. Andrea Valenti, clinical nutrition manager at Bridgeport Hospital said, among other things, coffee contains antioxidants, which have a number of health benefits.

Valenti said she’s long believed that coffee is beneficial to consumers, and cheered the report. “I was so excited when I heard about this,” she said. Valenti said she knows some people might have avoided coffee because they thought it actually had a negative impact on their health.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that these latest findings are the last word on coffee, Valenti said. “People have to be aware that anything having to do with nutrition can change depending on what studies are being done,” she said.

Indeed, the study researchers cautioned that the data might not reflect long-term patterns of intake. Also, information was not available on how the coffee was prepared — for instance, if it was boiled, filtered, etc. Valenti also pointed out that a “cup” of coffee at many chain restaurants could be as much as 16 or 20 ounces, which is actually equal to two or three standard cups of java. Still, if you’re looking for an excuse to fuel up on coffee this morning, you’ve got one. Just tell people that you’re trying to improve your health, one cup at a time.

Yale researchers to be featured on HBO program

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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Researchers from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity will be featured in a multi-part series on HBO that addresses the national obesity epidemic. Rudd Center director Kelly Brownell, deputy director Marlene Schwartz, director of research Rebecca Puhl, and director of marketing initiatives Jennifer Harris will join other notable names in obesity research and prevention to discuss one of the nation’s most pressing health issues and offer practical but far-reaching solutions.

“The Weight of the Nation” spotlights the facts and myths of this urgent public health issue, showing how obesity affects the health of the nation and cripples the health care system. The series is produced by HBO and the Institute of Medicine in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

According to an HBO press release, more than two-thirds of U.S. adults age 20 and over are overweight or obese, while nearly one-third of the nation’s children and adolescents age two to 19 are overweight or
obese. Obesity contributes to five of the ten leading causes of death in America, including
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke and kidney disease.

Below is a trailer for Weight of the Nation:

For more information on the series and the nationwide community-based outreach initiative that accompanies it, visit www.hbo.com/theweightofthenation

Nutritionist: Deen’s diabetes should make her an advocate, not a spokeswoman

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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When Food Network star Paula Deen went public about the fact that she’s had Type 2 diabetes for about three years, it caused ripples of controversy in the health community.

The Southern cook’s recipes are notoriously unhealthy, loaded with butter and, more to the point, sugar. Deen said in a TV interview on “Today” that she’s always eaten “in moderation,” and that people need to be responsible for their own nutrition. “I’m your cook, not your doctor,” she recounted telling Oprah Winfrey in past conversation. Here’s the interview:

Deen has also become a spokewoman for the diabetes medication Novo Nordisk. Though the medication’s web site, http://www.diabetesinanewlight.com/ touts healthy recipes from Deen, some advocates wish she’d do more to change the image she’s presenting.

“I hope the message here isn’t that inappropriate eating and cooking behaviors are OK as long as you take medication,” said Karen Novak, outpatient nutritionist for St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport. Novak said medication has to go “hand-in-hand” with lifestyle changes, such as altering diet. Though there are multiple factors that can contribute to diabetes, Novak said unhealthy food choices can be a risk, and that Deen needs to take a stronger stand.
“She serves as an icon and she should be advocating for healthier food choices,” Novak said.

What do you think?

State gets nearly $1 million for biomedical research

Friday, January 6, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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Senator Joseph Crisco (D-Woodbridge) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced the recipients of $934,004 in state funding for biomedical research into diseases associated with tobacco use and other chronic illnesses.The money is being doled out as follows:

University of Connecticut, Bradley Bolling, PhD, $417,076: Money will go to evaluate whether chokeberry extract containing antioxidant polyphenols will have cardio-protective effects in former smokers who are susceptible to atherosclerosis development due to previous exposure of smoking-induced oxidative stress.

Yale University, Kevan Herold, MD , $169,678: Money will go to he development and testing of a novel approach to measure beta cell death in vivo, which is not now possible but would have important implications for treatment of diabetes. UConn Health Center, Daniel Rosenberg, PhD,  $356,250: Money will go to help detect specific smoking-induced changes in the colon.

To see learn more about the grants, see the press release from DPH is below:

Hartford —Senator Joseph Crisco (D-Woodbridge) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced the recipients of state funding for biomedical research into diseases associated with tobacco use and other chronic illnesses.

A total of $943,004 was awarded this year by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) from the state’s Biomedical Research Trust Fund. These funds will support three research projects conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut, UCONN Health Center, and Yale University (see last page for summary of award recipients).

Governor Dannel P. Malloy spearheaded initiatives designed to spur the state’s biomedical research with his Bioscience Connecticut proposal last session. Yesterday, the Governor signed an agreement with Jackson Laboratory to bring a $1.2 billion dollar personalized medicine project to Connecticut. A PriceWaterhouseCoopers study estimates that the personalized medicine industry is worth $284 billion in U.S. sales annually. The institutions receiving the DPH awards are part of Connecticut’s new research triangle.

“These grants awarded today – part of an annual program to help underwrite cutting edge, health-related research – are consistent with what seems to be a growing and accelerating emphasis on comparable projects in Connecticut,” Senator Crisco said. “We have recently agreed to invest in an overhaul of the UConn Health Center and provide economic development funding for Jackson Labs – it’s gratifying to know Connecticut plans to continue setting the pace in health-related research throughout the foreseeable future.”

“These projects were selected from a field of highly competitive applications received in response to a Request for Proposals issued by the department last Spring,” stated DPH Deputy Commissioner Lisa Davis. “The funds made available through the Biomedical Research Trust Fund represent an investment in Connecticut-based research that is providing new insight into how to treat and prevent leading causes of death and disability.”

With this seventh round of proposals funded by DPH, over eleven million dollars have been awarded to Connecticut research institutions for the purpose of funding biomedical research into tobacco-related diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

In 2000, the Biomedical Research Trust Fund was established by the Connecticut General Assembly to fund biomedical research into tobacco-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. The trust fund may accept transfers from the Tobacco Settlement Fund. Non-profit, tax-exempt academic institutions of higher education or hospitals that conduct biomedical research are eligible to apply for these funds. In 2010, P.A. 10-136 expanded the scope of research funded by the trust fund to include Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes research.

According to state health officials, tobacco is the single most preventable cause of mortality and morbidity in our society. In Connecticut, tobacco use is associated with over 5,000 deaths per year. These deaths are primarily caused by cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

An estimated 6.9% of the Connecticut adult population or approximately 186,000 adults age 18 years and older have been diagnosed with diabetes. An additional 93,000 Connecticut adults are estimated to have undiagnosed diabetes.

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States. It is the 6th leading cause of death among American adults, and the 5th leading cause of death for adults aged 65 years and older.


Connecticut third healthiest state

Tuesday, December 6, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
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Connecticut is the third healthiest state in the nation, but the health of the nation overall isn’t improving and is, in some ways, getting worse.

That’s according to the annual America’s Health Rankings report, released today by the United Healthcare Foundation, a not-for-profit, private foundation. For 22 years, the Rankings has provided an analysis of national health on a state-by-state basis by evaluating a historical and comprehensive set of health, environmental and socioeconomic data to determine national health benchmarks and state rankings.

According to this year’s report, Vermont is the healthiest state, with New Hampshire second and Connecticut third. Mississippi ranked as the least healthy state.

Connecticut went up a rank from last year, when it was the fourth healthiest state. Among the reasons for its high ranking, according to the report, are a low prevalence of smoking, a low percentage of children in poverty and high immunization coverage. Though it also has one of the lower obesity rates in the country, about 634,000 adults in Connecticut are obese, an increase of 188,000 individuals in the past year.

However, the state has some problems, including a high rate of binge drinking and moderate levels of air pollution.

The report also finds that the nation as a whole isn’t as healthy as it should be. The report finds that the country’s overall health did not improve between 2010 and 2011 after three years of gains. Also, there have been upticks in some health problems, including diabetes and obesity. About 27.5 percent of the adult population was obese in 2011, up from 26.9 percent in 2010. More telling, the prevalence of obesity has increased by 37.5 percent since 2001. Also, this was the first year since when no state had an obesity prevalence under 20 percent.

Diabetes went up between 2010 and 2011, but only slightly. In 2011, 8.7 percent of Americans had diabetes, compared with 8.3 in 2010.

Smoking has declined since last year, as have preventable hospitalization and cardiovascular deaths, but experts are still concerned. We’re working on a story for tomorrow’s about with more details about the report. Please stay tuned.

Medicare to cover obesity services

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that Medicare is adding coverage for preventive services to reduce obesity.  According to a press release, this adds to Medicare’s existing portfolio of preventive services that are now available without cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act.

More than 30 percent of both men and women in the Medicare population are estimated to be obese.  Obesity is directly or indirectly associated with many chronic diseases, including those that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  Addressing the prevention of obesity related disparities has the potential to reduce obesity prevalence while also closing the gap on health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries.

Screening for obesity and counseling for eligible beneficiaries by primary care providers in settings such as physicians’ offices are covered under this new benefit.  For a beneficiary who screens positive for obesity with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2, the benefit would include one face-to-face counseling visit each week for one month and one face-to-face counseling visit every other week for an additional five months.  The beneficiary may receive one face-to-face counseling visit every month for an additional six months (for a total of 12 months of counseling) if he or she has achieved a weight reduction of at least 6.6 pounds (or 3 kilograms) during the first six months of counseling.

Through the end of October, 22. 6 million people with Original Medicare have received one or more of the free covered preventive services this year.

Have a heaping helping of family health history this Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
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The Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a release today encouraging families to take a few minutes this Thanksgiving Day to discuss their family health history, one of the largest risk factors for many chronic diseases.

Health care professionals have known for a long time that common diseases – heart disease, cancer, and diabetes – and rare diseases – like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia – can run in families. If one generation of a family has high blood pressure, it is not unusual for the next generation to have similarly high blood pressure. Tracing the illnesses suffered by your parents, grandparents, and other blood relatives can help your doctor predict the disorders to which you may be at risk and take action to keep you and your family healthy.

To help focus attention on the importance of family history, the Surgeon General, in cooperation with other agencies with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has launched a national public health campaign, called the Surgeon General’s Family History Initiative, to encourage all American families to learn more about their family health history.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Family History Initiative encourages family discussion of health history, and provides a free, easy-to-use web-based family history tool that people can download and complete called “My Family Health Portrait.” This tool can be found online in English and Spanish at www.ct.gov/dph.

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