About half of adolescents with type 2 diabetes fail treatment with metformin alone within a few years. Things go somewhat better with metformin plus an intensive lifestyle intervention, and better still with the addition of rosiglitazone to metformin — however even the addition of the second drug leads to treatment failure about 40% of [...]
A BMJ meta-analysis suggests that people with the highest levels of white rice consumption are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes. The authors examined four studies, together comprising some 350,000 subjects. Two were done in Asian populations and two among Westerners. They found a much higher intake of white rice among Asians, and [...]
Statins, according to a 2010 meta-analysis in Lancet, are associated with a slightly increased risk for new-onset type 2 diabetes. One, atorvastatin (marketed as Lipitor), was underrepresented in that analysis. Researchers, along with the manufacturer, decided to have a look at data from three trials to see whether atorvastatin also conferred that risk. And, [...]
Our interview this week is with a research nutritionist whose BMJ meta-analysis found a 14% reduction in risk for type 2 diabetes among those with the highest intake (versus those with the lowest) of leafy green vegetables. It’s a meta-analysis, and not a randomized controlled trial, and it’s interesting. Listen in. We’re off next [...]
Here’s a question wrapped in mist: How to prevent diabetes? Well, lifestyle changes for sure, but that’s hard. Drug therapy? Easier, but side effects can take away that advantage pretty quickly. Rosiglitazone offers some benefits, but its side effects — most notably increased risks for heart failure and death — have some people wondering [...]
A large-scale computer simulation based on NHANES data plotted the most cost-effective strategy, which turns out to be to start screening before middle age and to repeat every 3 to 5 years. We talk with the first author of a Lancet paper that details the findings. Interview-related link: Physician’s First Watch summary of the Lancet [...]