App for Remotely Managing Hypertension Effective in Type 2
A new study shows a positive outcome for people with type 2 diabetes and utilizing a smartphone application to monitor blood pressure.
The study gave a Bluetooth-connected blood pressure monitoring device to 276 people with elevated BP for 6 weeks. After the device read their BP, the participants were sent their results along with helpful tips, and a reminder to take their medications.
During the study, there was also education provided to all participants with a goal to help lower BP ratings.
“Participants who had the highest blood pressure at baseline were the most likely in multivariable modeling to see reductions in both systolic and diastolic pressure by the end of the study.”
Researchers believe that using the app helped participants not only become more aware of their blood pressure regulation, but also fostered positive medication adherence and lifestyle changes.
To learn more: Smartphone App for Remotely Managing Hypertension Effective in Type 2 – Endocrinology Advisor
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]How to Avoid Stigmatizing Kids with Obesity
Sensitive and appropriate language is a real struggle for health care providers when trying to tackle the topic of weight. National Public Radio (NPR) published an article on How Doctors Can Stop Stigmatizing and Start Helping Kids with Obesity, which recognized that many primary care providers may feel awkward in the limited window of time they have to sensitively and effectively find healthy solutions for those struggling with excess weight.
With this struggle, it makes sense that an American Diabetes Association (ADA) study has found many providers, accidentally or otherwise, show weight bias. See, Overcoming Weight Bias in the Management of Patients with Diabetes and Obesity.
The same study explains that weight bias can manifest as an attitude that “patients with obesity are lazy, lack self-control and willpower, personally to blame for their weight, noncompliant with treatment, and deserving targets of derogatory humor.” This is why, NPR explains, “the American Medical Association passed a resolution in 2017 designed to teach health care providers to use ‘people-first language.” Some examples are to avoid the words overweight, obese, or extremely obese and instead use phrases like excess weight or elevated body mass index. And instead of saying “obese patient”, use terms like person with obesity, person with elevated BMI or person with excess weight.
Eliminating weight bias from our written and spoken language is challenging. It requires honest reflection and an open mind. Our whole team at Diabetes Education Services is dedicated to using person centered language. Yet, we are still learning and working on transitioning all of our content to be respectful and free of weight bias.
Language matters and health care professionals are in such an important position to effect change in people’s lives. For more tips on how you can change how you talk about diabetes and weight, see our webinar on Language & Diabetes.
Evaluate your Weight Bias –Harvard’s Project Implicit
Project Implicit is a non-profit organization that provides international collaboration between researchers interested in implicit social cognition – the thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet.
For more information on weight bias and stigma, read our July Newsletter.
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Could work-related stress increase Type 2 risk in women?
A recent study featured in the European Journal of Endocrinology finds that work stress may contribute to the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, particularly in women.
Recent data shows that 9 percent of the United States population is now living with diabetes and another 84 million people are living with pre-diabetes.
“Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include a lack of physical activity, elevated BMI, being aged 45 years or older, having high cholesterol and high blood pressure, or having a family history of diabetes, heart disease, or stroke.”
There are also psychological risk factors to consider such as depression, which can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This new study finds that for women, work-related stress may impact their risk of developing diabetes over time.
70,000 women were studied over a 22 year period. During the study, researchers were studying the link between mentally tiring work and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
75% of the women studied were teachers and expressed that their work was mentally tiring.
Over the 22 year period, 4,187 participants developed type 2 diabetes. However, research revealed that diabetes was considerably higher among participants that deemed their work mentally taxing.
“Specifically, those who said that their job was “very” mentally taxing at the start of the study were 21 percent more likely to develop the condition than women with “little or not mentally tiring work.”
Researchers did consider outside factors, but still found the the rates were the same. The study concluded the importance of stress management in the workplace and how it can affect long term health.
Researchers hope to examine the effects of work-related stress on those already living with type 2 diabetes.
To learn more: Type 2 diabetes: Work stress may increase risk in women – Medical News Today
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]1 in 3 Young Adults Suffers From Loneliness in the U.S.
A new study suggests that suffering from loneliness is common for young adults between the ages of 18-24. Even young and active adults can feel isolated.
Data from 1200 participants revealed that at least 20% felt “left out,” lonely or isolated at times and provided low ratings for mental and physical health.
Loneliness was more commonly reported in adults younger than 25 with 30%, where only 11% of adults 65 and older reported similar feelings.
The “Loneliness Epidemic” has been highlighted by many studies and supported by numerous researchers. “Last year, a study of more than 20,000 U.S. adults found that nearly half felt lonely at least sometimes. And only 53 percent said they had meaningful face-to-face interactions everyday.”
Researchers believe this is no longer just a social issue and should be considered a public health issue. Chronic loneliness is linked to an increased risk of hyptertension, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and other mental health issues.
“It’s possible the relationship goes in “both directions” — with loneliness and health issues feeding each other.”
The lead researcher on the study, Dr. Rebecca Mullen, talks about the difference between being lonely and having “alone time.” Alone time in many cases can be healthy and many people are happy to be alone.
“Subjective loneliness is different. It makes people feel bad. And, Maddux said, that can come with a “whole package” of issues, like poor diet, poor sleep and time spent on the couch instead of being physically active.”
Maddux dives into theories as to why a typically socially active group, ages 18 – 24, would be suffering from loneliness. In the age of smartphones, Maddux believes this may be robbing young people of face to face interactions. A number of studies support this theory stating that screen time is directly correlated with depression and loneliness.
“Young people, she added, may have a harder time keeping those social media experiences in perspective — and understanding that when other people post, they are probably trying to present their lives in the shiniest terms possible.”
It is important to address your own feelings of loneliness, but also recognize the signs in others. It is easy for someone to isolate themselves. Maddux hopes to destigmatize the issue in order to shed some light on the importance of mental health and community.
To learn more: 1 in 3 Young Adults Suffers From Loneliness in the U.S. – HealthyDay
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Heart-healthy diet protects brain function
Data published in the Journal of Neurology found that a heart-healthy diet (rich in fruits and vegetables, moderate in nuts, fish and alcohol and low in meat and full-fat dairy) in early adulthood was linked to better brain function in later adulthood.
Researchers set out to find a link between a heart-healthy diet and protecting brain function and cognition. “Cognitive impairment is associated with increased health risks over time such as dementia, disability, and even mortality.” Claire T. McEvoy, PhD, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and colleagues wrote.
“Diet is a modifiable lifelong exposure, yet few studies have examined whether dietary factors in adulthood influence the risk of cognitive impairment,” they added.
Since diets can be modified based on health risks, eating specific foods and avoiding others may offer a targeted approach to help people protect brain function through food choices.
“Our findings indicate that maintaining good dietary practices throughout adulthood can help to preserve brain health at midlife,” McEvoy said in a press release.
“A total of 2,621 patients (45% black; 57% women; mean age at baseline, 25 years) were included in the study and followed for 30 years. Participants’ dietary patterns were assessed at baseline, year 7 and year 20 and cognitive function was evaluated at years 25 and 30.”
Three heart healthy diets were observed, the Mediterranean, the DASH diet and the APDQS diet. Depending on how closely they followed their diets, participants were given a score of adherence over time.
“The researchers defined the Mediterranean diet as high intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes and fish and low intake of red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy.
The DASH diet was defined as high intake of grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, legumes and nuts and low intake of meat, fish, poultry, total fat, saturated fat, sweets and sodium.
The APDQS diet was defined as high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, low-fat dairy, fish and moderate alcohol and low intake of fried foods, salty snacks, sweets, high-fat dairy and sugar-sweetened soft drinks.”
The DASH diet proved to have no change in cognitive behavior over time. However, the Mediterranean and APDQs diets showed a decreased decline in cognitive health as the participants aged.
The odds for poor thinking skills were 46% less for participants who showed high adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 52% less for participants that stuck with the APDQS diet.
Researchers mentioned that other lifestyle choices that may affect cognitive behavior were considered during the study, such as smoking and physical activity.
McEvoy believes the DASH diet’s effect on cognitive behavior may have been decreased due to the lack of limit for alcohol consumption.
Although the ideal diet for supporting brain health is still not apparent, switching to a heart-healthy diet may help us protect memory and brain function as we get older.
To learn more: Heart-healthy diets associated with better cognitive function – Healio
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Study Urges Seniors to Get Moving to Live Longer
A new study suggests that the most important benchmark for life longevity may be staying active and keeping fit.
The study tested 6500 people over the age of 70 by measuring their exercise limits on a treadmill or biking machine. Participants were tracked for 10 years, with 39% passing away by the end of the study.
Researchers found the participants who were active and fit, were twice as likely to be alive a decade later.
Participants with no risk factors had about the same chance of dying as those with three or more risk factors, according to the study, though researchers only found an association between fitness and life span.
“We found fitness is an extremely strong risk predictor of survival in the older age group — that is, regardless of whether you are otherwise healthy or have cardiovascular risk factors, being more fit means you’re more likely to live longer than someone who is less fit,” said lead author Dr. Seamus Whelton.
Researchers stress the importance of staying fit. Fitness can be measured using a treadmill or a biking machine. However, educators can also assess fitness by a self-report of a person’s physical activities as well.
The researchers believe that participants who are sedentary would benefit from beginning a routine of short exercises, but encourage movement newbies to check with their provider first.
To learn more: Study Urges Seniors to Get Moving to Live Longer – HealthyDay.
See our Exercise Resource Page for a bunch of wonderful handouts and movement ideas.
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]High-fat diet linked to negative changes in gut microbiome
A study published in Gut, an international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, revealed that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat can lead to a detrimental shift in a person’s gut microbiome. Duo Li, PhD of the Institute of Nutrition and Health at Qingdao University in China, believes this study is particularly important to countries becoming more westernized.
“Evidence has shown that humans gut microbiota diversity and richness are reduced with consumption of high-fat diets compared with more traditional diets with a higher proportions of carbohydrates. Such diet-induced ‘dysbiosis’ in gut-associated microbial communities has been postulated as a major trigger of metabolic impairments associated with obesity.”
During the study, 217 healthy young adults were assigned to one of three isocaloric diets, low-fat, moderate-fat, and high-fat. Then changes in the participant’s gut bacteria and inflammatory triggers were observed.
The aim of the study was to examine whether a low-fat diet or
“Li and colleagues found that the higher-fat diet was associated with changes to long-chain fatty acid metabolism, which resulted in higher levels of chemicals that could potentially trigger inflammation.”
Kelly Issokson, MS, RD, CNSC believes that the study is quite limited but shed light on an interesting observation for a younger population and fat intake.
“I will continue to recommend the Mediterranean-style eating pattern, which has been associated with favorable changes in the microbiota and metabolome as well as positive effects on health and wellness. A Mediterranean diet is rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, olive oil (high in omega 3 fatty acids), and encourages moderate to low intake of fish, dairy, and meat,” Issokson said.
To learn more: High-fat diet linked to unfavorable gut microbiota changes – Healio
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Sunlight exposure decreases risk of type 2 diabetes?
According to research conducted by the The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, exposure to sunlight may play a role in decreasing insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.
In previous Diabetes Blog Bytes, we have highlighted the health benefits of spending time in the sun. Now, more data to support sun therapy. “Increased bright sunlight exposure may be associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease by lowering blood insulin and lipid levels,” stated Constantinos Christodoulides, MD, PhD, a university research lecturer and honorary consultant in diabetes and endocrinology at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
This study analyzed over 8,000 healthy participants. The scientist gathered data from body measurements and fasting blood sugar levels. They then juxtaposed this data next to weather measurements in the areas where participants lived.
“Researchers found that each additional 1-hour increase in bright sunlight during the 7 days before blood sampling was associated with a –1.05% decrease in insulin resistance and a –0.54% improvement in beta-cell function .”
Longer exposure to sunlight days prior to blood sampling was also associated with lower LDL cholesterol.
The researchers believe that additional studies should be conducted in order to better understand the correlation.
To learn more: Bright sunlight exposure may decrease risk for type 2 diabetes, CVD – Healio
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