NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers are worried that when a citywide ban on artificial trans fats goes into effect on Sunday, French fries will lose their crunch.
But many of the city's restaurants found alternatives to the artery-clogging frying oil and spreads weeks or months ago and say most customers never noticed.
"Some people don't even know, and very few people have asked about it," said Peter Dafnos, manager at Westway Diner, which replaced trans-fat-laden shortening with canola oil six months ago. The change will cost him an additional $1,000 per year, he said.
Burger King said it will eliminate trans fats in New York by Sunday, McDonald's started removing them from New York restaurants in October last year, and Wendy's stopped using them nationwide in August 2006.
"The customers (in taste tests) seem to be quite happy with the way the fries are tasting," Burger King spokesman Keva Silversmith said.
Trans fat increases so-called bad cholesterol in food and clogs arteries. Health officials have advised consuming as little as possible and some cities have banned artificial trans fats from restaurants.
Eighty-three percent of restaurants had stopped using artificial trans fats for frying by June 1, up from 50 percent in 2006, the New York City Department of Health said on Friday.
Restaurants will have a three-month grace period to comply with the ban. The health department said it would not issue citations until October 1. Fines range from $200 to $2,000.
There's also been progress in the second, trickier phase of the ban -- eliminating trans fats from baked goods, like pie crusts and cakes -- which takes effect in July 2008. Fifty-seven percent of restaurants have sworn off all artificial trans fats, the health department said.
New Yorkers have reacted to the bill with ambivalence, with some saying it is not the job of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who proposed the plan last year, to watch what they eat.
"We should have all the fat that we want," said Rose Walsh, who called herself a stay-at-home Manhattan grandmother in her 50s, as she and two friends lunched on Big Macs, fries and Cokes.
"We all had what we wanted," she said. "And that's the way it should be. We have to have our independence."
At the health-conscious Better Burger, Sherrel Farnsworth, 40, a graphic designer, said she supported the ban as long as food still tasted good.
"Trans fats freak me out," she said. "They might as well call it the French fry bill, because that's what everyone's thinking about."
(Additional reporting by Jessica Wohl and Brad Dorfman in Chicago and Sarah Coffey in New York)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
White U.S. children have highest rates of diabetes
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Non-Hispanic white children have the highest rates of diabetes in the United States, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday, and the disease appears to be more common than expected.
They said type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in children and teens, but they also noted increases in cases of type 2 diabetes, the kind linked with obesity and lack of exercise.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found about 15,000 youths are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year.
"We found more type 1 diabetes than we expected in whites, blacks and Hispanics," said Dr. Dana Dabelea of the University of Colorado in Denver, who led the study.
"Although the rates of type 2 diabetes are relatively low, we did find type 2 in all racial and ethnic groups, including non-Hispanic whites," she said in a telephone interview.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking itself, destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas needed to control blood sugar. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections.
Type 1 diabetes is sometimes called juvenile diabetes. Type 2 formerly was called adult onset diabetes.
Dabelea said the study, which included 2,435 youths with newly diagnosed diabetes in 2002 and 2003, is the largest to measure the rate at which diabetes develops in people under 20.
"What we found is that type 1 diabetes is highest in non-Hispanic white children. The age group at which this disease peaks is around puberty," Dabelea said.
She found about one in 3,000 non-Hispanic white children in this age group develop type 1 diabetes each year, compared with one in about 5,000 African-American and Hispanic youths.
The rates are much lower, about 1 in 10,000, for Asian Pacific Islanders and American Indian children, she said.
"For type 2 diabetes, the picture is a little different," she said. "The age group with the highest incidence is adolescents -- 15- to 19-year-olds."
In this age group, American Indian children are hit hardest, with about one in 2,000 developing type 2 diabetes each year.
The study was designed to specifically look at type 2 diabetes in children in light of rising rates of obesity. The disease, which typically strikes overweight, inactive adults, develops when the body loses the ability to use insulin properly.
"We found overall the rates of type 2 diabetes in kids are relatively low," she said. "But 15 years ago, there was no type 2 diabetes in kids."
So while the number is not very high, it is becoming a problem. "In ethnic groups such as American Indians, it is a huge problem," she said.
Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, which causes 5 percent of all deaths globally each year. Most have type 2, which can damage blood vessels, leading to loss of toes and limbs, blindness, heart disease and death.
They said type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in children and teens, but they also noted increases in cases of type 2 diabetes, the kind linked with obesity and lack of exercise.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found about 15,000 youths are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year.
"We found more type 1 diabetes than we expected in whites, blacks and Hispanics," said Dr. Dana Dabelea of the University of Colorado in Denver, who led the study.
"Although the rates of type 2 diabetes are relatively low, we did find type 2 in all racial and ethnic groups, including non-Hispanic whites," she said in a telephone interview.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking itself, destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas needed to control blood sugar. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections.
Type 1 diabetes is sometimes called juvenile diabetes. Type 2 formerly was called adult onset diabetes.
Dabelea said the study, which included 2,435 youths with newly diagnosed diabetes in 2002 and 2003, is the largest to measure the rate at which diabetes develops in people under 20.
"What we found is that type 1 diabetes is highest in non-Hispanic white children. The age group at which this disease peaks is around puberty," Dabelea said.
She found about one in 3,000 non-Hispanic white children in this age group develop type 1 diabetes each year, compared with one in about 5,000 African-American and Hispanic youths.
The rates are much lower, about 1 in 10,000, for Asian Pacific Islanders and American Indian children, she said.
"For type 2 diabetes, the picture is a little different," she said. "The age group with the highest incidence is adolescents -- 15- to 19-year-olds."
In this age group, American Indian children are hit hardest, with about one in 2,000 developing type 2 diabetes each year.
The study was designed to specifically look at type 2 diabetes in children in light of rising rates of obesity. The disease, which typically strikes overweight, inactive adults, develops when the body loses the ability to use insulin properly.
"We found overall the rates of type 2 diabetes in kids are relatively low," she said. "But 15 years ago, there was no type 2 diabetes in kids."
So while the number is not very high, it is becoming a problem. "In ethnic groups such as American Indians, it is a huge problem," she said.
Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, which causes 5 percent of all deaths globally each year. Most have type 2, which can damage blood vessels, leading to loss of toes and limbs, blindness, heart disease and death.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Americans making progress managing diabetes: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Americans appear to be doing a better job of managing diabetes, with more than half of diabetics reaching recommended targets for controlling blood sugar last year, according to a survey published on Saturday.
Just over a third of people had their diabetes well-controlled in 2001, according to a study of lab tests done on more than 4 million people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
"Control has gotten better and impressively so, but we are not there yet," said Dr. Francine Kaufman, of the University of Southern California and past president of the American Diabetes Association, who analyzed the data.
Overall, diabetes control between 2001 and 2006 improved by 44 percent, according to the study, which was conducted by lab testing company Quest Diagnostics Inc.
Controlling diabetes is important because the condition can quietly damage blood vessels, leading to loss of toes and limbs, blindness, heart disease and death.
The study found that people with diabetes have a worse time controlling their diabetes in the winter, and that men struggle with it more than women. The results were presented on Saturday at the American Diabetes Association's annual scientific meeting in Chicago.
About 20.8 million Americans have diabetes, which causes about 5 percent of all deaths globally each year. Most have type 2, or adult onset diabetes, in which the body loses its ability to use insulin properly.
The Quest study is based on 22.7 million lab tests that measured the average amount of sugar or glucose in a person's blood between 2001 and 2006.
Called the hemoglobin A1C, the test can show whether a person's blood sugar has been normal or too high over recent weeks.
Kaufman called the test a sort of report card for diabetics, with the goal of having blood sugar levels of less than 7 percent of total hemoglobin -- the main protein in red blood cells.
Some studies have shown that every percentage point drop in hemoglobin A1c cuts a patient's risk of eye, kidney or nerve-related complications by 40 percent.
Kaufman said the problem now is that the rate of improvement appears to have slowed.
"What is really tough is the last decrease in the A1c," she said in a telephone interview. She thinks a lot of the initial decrease in blood sugar levels was related to more patients getting medications, but that will not be enough for many people to get their disease to the target level.
"People with diabetes will have to get out and get walking, lose that 5 to 10 pounds (2 to 5 kg). Just taking a pill and not doing anything else isn't enough," she said.
Kaufman said the study highlighted other trouble spots.
"The group with the overall poorest control are men," she said. "One could presume they are busy trying to get ahead in the workplace and start a family."
It also found diabetics struggle more in the winter.
"People do worse in January, February and March than they do in the summer, probably because we start overeating around Thanksgiving and don't get serious until the sunshine begins," she said.
The problem is that people underestimate the threat of diabetes, which Kaufman said is a big mistake.
Poorly managed type 2 diabetes, the kind linked with obesity and lack of exercise, costs the U.S. health system an extra $22.9 billion a year in direct medical costs, a recent study found.
"This is a life-taking, life-altering disease if you don't manage it," she said.
Just over a third of people had their diabetes well-controlled in 2001, according to a study of lab tests done on more than 4 million people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
"Control has gotten better and impressively so, but we are not there yet," said Dr. Francine Kaufman, of the University of Southern California and past president of the American Diabetes Association, who analyzed the data.
Overall, diabetes control between 2001 and 2006 improved by 44 percent, according to the study, which was conducted by lab testing company Quest Diagnostics Inc.
Controlling diabetes is important because the condition can quietly damage blood vessels, leading to loss of toes and limbs, blindness, heart disease and death.
The study found that people with diabetes have a worse time controlling their diabetes in the winter, and that men struggle with it more than women. The results were presented on Saturday at the American Diabetes Association's annual scientific meeting in Chicago.
About 20.8 million Americans have diabetes, which causes about 5 percent of all deaths globally each year. Most have type 2, or adult onset diabetes, in which the body loses its ability to use insulin properly.
The Quest study is based on 22.7 million lab tests that measured the average amount of sugar or glucose in a person's blood between 2001 and 2006.
Called the hemoglobin A1C, the test can show whether a person's blood sugar has been normal or too high over recent weeks.
Kaufman called the test a sort of report card for diabetics, with the goal of having blood sugar levels of less than 7 percent of total hemoglobin -- the main protein in red blood cells.
Some studies have shown that every percentage point drop in hemoglobin A1c cuts a patient's risk of eye, kidney or nerve-related complications by 40 percent.
Kaufman said the problem now is that the rate of improvement appears to have slowed.
"What is really tough is the last decrease in the A1c," she said in a telephone interview. She thinks a lot of the initial decrease in blood sugar levels was related to more patients getting medications, but that will not be enough for many people to get their disease to the target level.
"People with diabetes will have to get out and get walking, lose that 5 to 10 pounds (2 to 5 kg). Just taking a pill and not doing anything else isn't enough," she said.
Kaufman said the study highlighted other trouble spots.
"The group with the overall poorest control are men," she said. "One could presume they are busy trying to get ahead in the workplace and start a family."
It also found diabetics struggle more in the winter.
"People do worse in January, February and March than they do in the summer, probably because we start overeating around Thanksgiving and don't get serious until the sunshine begins," she said.
The problem is that people underestimate the threat of diabetes, which Kaufman said is a big mistake.
Poorly managed type 2 diabetes, the kind linked with obesity and lack of exercise, costs the U.S. health system an extra $22.9 billion a year in direct medical costs, a recent study found.
"This is a life-taking, life-altering disease if you don't manage it," she said.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Study finds staggering cost of treating diabetics
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One out of every eight U.S. federal health care dollars is spent treating people with diabetes, a study found, and advocates are calling for the creation of a government post to oversee coordination of spending on treatment and prevention among federal agencies.
The study, based on federal spending data from 2005, looked at various government health programs to determine how much was spent on diabetics versus non diabetics. It found it cost the U.S. government $79.7 billion more to treat people with the disease, or some 12 percent of the $645 billion in total federal health care spending projected that year.
The National Changing Diabetes Program (NCDP) study was being released at a briefing with the Congressional Diabetes Caucus on Tuesday. The study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for NCDP -- a coalition of diabetes thought leaders, including physician organizations and disease advocacy groups -- included all federally-funded programs that have an impact on diabetes prevention and treatment.
"Often we think about diabetes only residing with the Department of Health and Human Services," said Dana Haza, senior director of NCDP, which is funded by Denmark's Novo Nordisk, one of world's largest sellers of insulin and diabetes products.
"But when you look at the findings of this study, actually 18 of 21 federal agencies have a budgetary influence impact on diabetes," she said, noting agencies that deal with veterans, prisoners, school lunch programs and food stamps as examples.
"The staggering cost of treating diabetes and the number of diabetes-related programs highlight a need for a national diabetes coordinator to ensure results," Haza said. "We are spending as much on diabetes as we are on the entire Department of Education, but no one is leading the effort."
A report by Medco Health Solutions Inc. issued last month found that the growing diabetes epidemic and more aggressive treatment could result in soaring costs to treat the disease over the next three years.
An analysis of Medco's 2007 Drug Trend Report found that, by 2009, spending just on medicines to treat diabetes could soar 60 percent to 68 percent from 2006 levels. The sales of diabetes drugs in the United States reached $9.88 billion in 2005, according to data from IMS Health Inc.
"Coordinating America's response to diabetes should be mandatory," said Lana Vukovljak, CEO of American Association of Diabetes Educators.
"Over the next 30 years, diabetes is expected to claim the lives of 62 million Americans. Surely this health crisis warrants the appointment of a manager charged with aligning budgets and programs for diabetes at the federal level," Vukovljak said in a statement.
Uncontrolled diabetes can result in a wide variety of serious health complications, including heart disease, stroke, vision loss, amputation of extremities and kidney disease.
"Our findings suggest that there are many missed opportunities for the federal government to enhance its impact on diabetes prevention, detection, treatment and management of complications," Marsha Gold, who led Mathematica's research team, said in a statement.
The study, based on federal spending data from 2005, looked at various government health programs to determine how much was spent on diabetics versus non diabetics. It found it cost the U.S. government $79.7 billion more to treat people with the disease, or some 12 percent of the $645 billion in total federal health care spending projected that year.
The National Changing Diabetes Program (NCDP) study was being released at a briefing with the Congressional Diabetes Caucus on Tuesday. The study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for NCDP -- a coalition of diabetes thought leaders, including physician organizations and disease advocacy groups -- included all federally-funded programs that have an impact on diabetes prevention and treatment.
"Often we think about diabetes only residing with the Department of Health and Human Services," said Dana Haza, senior director of NCDP, which is funded by Denmark's Novo Nordisk, one of world's largest sellers of insulin and diabetes products.
"But when you look at the findings of this study, actually 18 of 21 federal agencies have a budgetary influence impact on diabetes," she said, noting agencies that deal with veterans, prisoners, school lunch programs and food stamps as examples.
"The staggering cost of treating diabetes and the number of diabetes-related programs highlight a need for a national diabetes coordinator to ensure results," Haza said. "We are spending as much on diabetes as we are on the entire Department of Education, but no one is leading the effort."
A report by Medco Health Solutions Inc. issued last month found that the growing diabetes epidemic and more aggressive treatment could result in soaring costs to treat the disease over the next three years.
An analysis of Medco's 2007 Drug Trend Report found that, by 2009, spending just on medicines to treat diabetes could soar 60 percent to 68 percent from 2006 levels. The sales of diabetes drugs in the United States reached $9.88 billion in 2005, according to data from IMS Health Inc.
"Coordinating America's response to diabetes should be mandatory," said Lana Vukovljak, CEO of American Association of Diabetes Educators.
"Over the next 30 years, diabetes is expected to claim the lives of 62 million Americans. Surely this health crisis warrants the appointment of a manager charged with aligning budgets and programs for diabetes at the federal level," Vukovljak said in a statement.
Uncontrolled diabetes can result in a wide variety of serious health complications, including heart disease, stroke, vision loss, amputation of extremities and kidney disease.
"Our findings suggest that there are many missed opportunities for the federal government to enhance its impact on diabetes prevention, detection, treatment and management of complications," Marsha Gold, who led Mathematica's research team, said in a statement.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Most asthma patients have uncontrolled disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a recent U.S. survey of asthma patients, more than half reported that their disease is uncontrolled and that they have never received an asthma action plan, according to a report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The emphasis of a new draft of U.S. asthma guidelines is better physician and patient education, with a focus on asthma control at each asthma clinic visit, Dr. Stephen P. Peters from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina told Reuters Health. In this effort, physicians need "to partner with patients."
Peters and associates in the Real-World Evaluation of Asthma Control and Treatment (REACT) study assessed the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma in a nationally representative sample of patients with moderate-to-severe asthma receiving standard asthma medications.
More than half the 1,812 respondents (55 percent) had uncontrolled asthma, the authors report.
Only 34.9 percent of patients with uncontrolled asthma and 26.4 percent of patients with controlled asthma had ever received a personalized asthma action plan from a physician, the results indicate.
About half the patients with uncontrolled asthma and 60 percent of patients with controlled asthma were taking an inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist, the researchers note. More than half the patients with uncontrolled asthma and nearly 30 percent of patients with controlled asthma reported taking their asthma medications more often than prescribed.
Younger age, Hispanic race, male sex, lower income, and lower education level were independently associated with an increased risk of uncontrolled disease, as were chronic sinusitis, high blood pressure, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, also referred to as "GERD."
"The REACT study shows that even with access to health care, patients prescribed therapy that is recommended for moderate-to-severe asthma still demonstrate high rates of uncontrolled asthma," the authors conclude.
These survey results "highlight the critical need" to conduct a more thorough evaluation of asthma control, implement asthma treatment plans, and treat co-existing conditions to improve asthma care in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma.
"We are now exploring attitudes associated with poor asthma control and trying to develop a 'REACT asthma attitude score,"' Peters added.
SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, June 2007.
The emphasis of a new draft of U.S. asthma guidelines is better physician and patient education, with a focus on asthma control at each asthma clinic visit, Dr. Stephen P. Peters from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina told Reuters Health. In this effort, physicians need "to partner with patients."
Peters and associates in the Real-World Evaluation of Asthma Control and Treatment (REACT) study assessed the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma in a nationally representative sample of patients with moderate-to-severe asthma receiving standard asthma medications.
More than half the 1,812 respondents (55 percent) had uncontrolled asthma, the authors report.
Only 34.9 percent of patients with uncontrolled asthma and 26.4 percent of patients with controlled asthma had ever received a personalized asthma action plan from a physician, the results indicate.
About half the patients with uncontrolled asthma and 60 percent of patients with controlled asthma were taking an inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist, the researchers note. More than half the patients with uncontrolled asthma and nearly 30 percent of patients with controlled asthma reported taking their asthma medications more often than prescribed.
Younger age, Hispanic race, male sex, lower income, and lower education level were independently associated with an increased risk of uncontrolled disease, as were chronic sinusitis, high blood pressure, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, also referred to as "GERD."
"The REACT study shows that even with access to health care, patients prescribed therapy that is recommended for moderate-to-severe asthma still demonstrate high rates of uncontrolled asthma," the authors conclude.
These survey results "highlight the critical need" to conduct a more thorough evaluation of asthma control, implement asthma treatment plans, and treat co-existing conditions to improve asthma care in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma.
"We are now exploring attitudes associated with poor asthma control and trying to develop a 'REACT asthma attitude score,"' Peters added.
SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, June 2007.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Diabetes Cuts 8 Years Off Life
MONDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- A diagnosis of diabetes means losing an average of eight years from your expected life span, new research shows.
In addition, diabetics are more likely to develop heart disease sooner than non-diabetics, the study found.
"Having diabetes at age 50 years and over does not only represent a significant increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and mortality but also a very important loss in life expectancy and life expectancy free from cardiovascular disease," said lead author Dr. Oscar H. Franco, of the University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Unilever Corporate Research, Sharnbrook, England.
Most people with diabetes -- about 95 percent -- suffer from the obesity-linked type 2 form of the blood sugar illness. That means that "prevention of diabetes is a fundamental task facing today's society aiming to achieve populations living for longer and healthier," Franco said.
His team published its findings in the June 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In the study, Franco's group collected data on more than 5,200 American men and women who participated in the ongoing Framingham Heart Study. These people were followed until they developed heart disease or died. In addition, the researchers noted whether they had diabetes.
According to the study, diabetic women had more than twice the risk of developing heart disease than non-diabetic women. In addition, women with diabetes who already had heart disease were more than twice as likely to die compared with non-diabetic women.
Among men, the researchers found that those with diabetes also had twice the risk of developing heart disease and faced a 1.7 times higher risk of dying after developing heart trouble, compared with non-diabetic men.
For those 50 and older, diabetic men lived an average of 7.5 years less than men without diabetes, and diabetic women lived an average of 8.2 years less. Moreover, life expectancy without heart disease still fell by 7.8 years in men and 8.4 years in women with diabetes compared with non-diabetics, Franco's group reported.
"Taking into consideration that treatment of diabetes and its complications accounts for at least 10 percent of health-care expenditure in many countries, effectively preventing diabetes will not only represent an increase in life expectancy and the number of years lived free from cardiovascular disease but may also represent important savings for health care, at least with respect to direct medical costs," Franco said.
One expert believes the study reflects the dangers posed by diabetes and the need for more efforts to prevent and control the disease.
"It's sobering to think about the number of years of life lost," said Dr. Larry Deeb, president for medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association. "We ought to be able to reduce the cardiovascular risk because we can manage diabetes better today, but we're not."
Deeb believes the new findings highlight the tragic results of not controlling the illness. "This is a powerful argument to people who have diabetes, that you have to control the diabetes," he said.
More information
For more information on diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.
In addition, diabetics are more likely to develop heart disease sooner than non-diabetics, the study found.
"Having diabetes at age 50 years and over does not only represent a significant increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and mortality but also a very important loss in life expectancy and life expectancy free from cardiovascular disease," said lead author Dr. Oscar H. Franco, of the University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Unilever Corporate Research, Sharnbrook, England.
Most people with diabetes -- about 95 percent -- suffer from the obesity-linked type 2 form of the blood sugar illness. That means that "prevention of diabetes is a fundamental task facing today's society aiming to achieve populations living for longer and healthier," Franco said.
His team published its findings in the June 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In the study, Franco's group collected data on more than 5,200 American men and women who participated in the ongoing Framingham Heart Study. These people were followed until they developed heart disease or died. In addition, the researchers noted whether they had diabetes.
According to the study, diabetic women had more than twice the risk of developing heart disease than non-diabetic women. In addition, women with diabetes who already had heart disease were more than twice as likely to die compared with non-diabetic women.
Among men, the researchers found that those with diabetes also had twice the risk of developing heart disease and faced a 1.7 times higher risk of dying after developing heart trouble, compared with non-diabetic men.
For those 50 and older, diabetic men lived an average of 7.5 years less than men without diabetes, and diabetic women lived an average of 8.2 years less. Moreover, life expectancy without heart disease still fell by 7.8 years in men and 8.4 years in women with diabetes compared with non-diabetics, Franco's group reported.
"Taking into consideration that treatment of diabetes and its complications accounts for at least 10 percent of health-care expenditure in many countries, effectively preventing diabetes will not only represent an increase in life expectancy and the number of years lived free from cardiovascular disease but may also represent important savings for health care, at least with respect to direct medical costs," Franco said.
One expert believes the study reflects the dangers posed by diabetes and the need for more efforts to prevent and control the disease.
"It's sobering to think about the number of years of life lost," said Dr. Larry Deeb, president for medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association. "We ought to be able to reduce the cardiovascular risk because we can manage diabetes better today, but we're not."
Deeb believes the new findings highlight the tragic results of not controlling the illness. "This is a powerful argument to people who have diabetes, that you have to control the diabetes," he said.
More information
For more information on diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Study backs up warnings over second hand smoke
DALLAS (Reuters) - Even small amounts of secondhand tobacco smoke can damage a child's arteries, researchers reported on Monday, adding to the growing body of evidence on the harmful affects of exposure to smoking.
The Finnish study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation looked at the affect of smoking on children between the ages of 8 and 11.
"Our study shows that exposure to second-hand smoke can harm the function of the arteries in children," said Katariina Kallio, of the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Turku in Finland, who led the study.
"Even a little exposure to smoke at home or in the public environment can be harmful to the cardiovascular system of healthy schoolchildren," Kallio said.
Instead of relying on parents to report whether and how much they smoked at home, the researchers measured the blood of the children for a substance called cotinine, which the body produces as it breaks down the nicotine in tobacco smoke.
Cotinine levels were measured annually in about 400 tested children between the ages of 8 and 11.
When they reached 11 the children got high-resolution ultrasound tests of the brachial artery in the arm to assess how well the lining of the blood vessels work.
The children were divided into three groups based on their cotinine concentrations: 229 children in the non-detectable cotinine group; 134 children in the low-cotinine group; 39 children in the high-cotinine group.
"These ultrasound studies revealed a significantly lowered endothelial function, a measure of arterial health, in the group of children with the highest cotinine concentrations," the heart association said in a statement.
"If secondhand smoke can wreak havoc on the cardiovascular system of children as young as eleven, imagine what the effects will be on adults working 40 hours a week in a smoke-filled environment," said M. Cass Wheeler, Chief Executive Office of the American Heart Association.
"State lawmakers must heed the advice of scientific experts and pass smoke-free workplace laws to protect citizens from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke," Wheeler said.
The Finnish study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation looked at the affect of smoking on children between the ages of 8 and 11.
"Our study shows that exposure to second-hand smoke can harm the function of the arteries in children," said Katariina Kallio, of the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Turku in Finland, who led the study.
"Even a little exposure to smoke at home or in the public environment can be harmful to the cardiovascular system of healthy schoolchildren," Kallio said.
Instead of relying on parents to report whether and how much they smoked at home, the researchers measured the blood of the children for a substance called cotinine, which the body produces as it breaks down the nicotine in tobacco smoke.
Cotinine levels were measured annually in about 400 tested children between the ages of 8 and 11.
When they reached 11 the children got high-resolution ultrasound tests of the brachial artery in the arm to assess how well the lining of the blood vessels work.
The children were divided into three groups based on their cotinine concentrations: 229 children in the non-detectable cotinine group; 134 children in the low-cotinine group; 39 children in the high-cotinine group.
"These ultrasound studies revealed a significantly lowered endothelial function, a measure of arterial health, in the group of children with the highest cotinine concentrations," the heart association said in a statement.
"If secondhand smoke can wreak havoc on the cardiovascular system of children as young as eleven, imagine what the effects will be on adults working 40 hours a week in a smoke-filled environment," said M. Cass Wheeler, Chief Executive Office of the American Heart Association.
"State lawmakers must heed the advice of scientific experts and pass smoke-free workplace laws to protect citizens from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke," Wheeler said.
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