Diabetes News

More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, up from the previous estimate of 26 million in 2010, according to a report released June 10 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  One in four people with diabetes doesn’t know he or she has it.

Combined assessment of parathyroid hormone along with vitamin D may be needed to assess the impact of vitamin D status on glucose metabolism, according to Toronto researchers. Their study was published online in the journal Diabetes on May 29, 2014.

Researchers at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal Research Centre (CRCHUM) have discovered that a signal that promotes insulin secretion and reduces hyperglycemia in a type 2 diabetes animal model is enhanced by the inhibition of the enzyme alpha/beta hydrolase domain-6 (ABHD6). The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified a mutation in a fat-storage gene that appears to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, according to a study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The American Diabetes Association has announced the recipients of The American Diabetes Association and GSK Research Award. The $1.5 million award, made possible through GSK, supports a series of research grants focusing on the relationship between nutrition, the microbiome and metabolic pathologies, like obesity and diabetes. The recipients of the award are:

Eli Lilly and Company reported that its investigational diabetes treatment basal insulin peglispro (BIL) was more effective than Sanofi's Lantus (insulin glargine) at reducing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in three Phase III clinical trials in patients with type 2 diabetes. The drug is being studied as a once-daily treatment for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The primary efficacy endpoint of the trials was to show that the drug was as effective as insulin glargineat reducing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

The five-year survival of diabetic kidney transplant patients is now comparable to the five-year survival of nondiabetic kidney recipients, according to a new Mayo Clinic study published online in Kidney International.

Researchers found that the prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes increased significantly among children and adolescents between 2001 and 2009, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA. The study included data from more than three million children and adolescents from diverse geographic regions of the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising people with diabetes and health care professionals to stop using GenStrip Blood Glucose Test Strips because the strips may report incorrect blood glucose levels. The FDA recommends the use of alternative glucose test strips that are designed for use with the LifeScan OneTouch family of glucose meters. GenStrip Blood Glucose Test Strips, sold by Shasta Technologies LLC, are "third-party" blood glucose monitoring test strips—meaning that the test strips are not made by the same company as the meter with which they are used. The strips are used in the home and in health care facilities to measure blood glucose levels in diabetes care and management. Shasta’s GenStrips are advertised for use with the LifeScan OneTouch family of glucose meters (e.g. Ultra, Ultra 2 and Ultra Mini).

If you are a new renal dietitian, it didn’t take long to discover you are working with a patient population that has multiple, sometimes complex nutritional needs. Where do you turn for help in making sure your recommendations and interventions are appropriate and credible with other members of the health care team?