The official MedZine Blog

Sleeping longer could reverse the effect of sleep restriction on glucose homeostasis. That is written by American researchers in Diabetes Care. According to the authors, to restore insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of diabetes type 2, it is sufficient to recover from four short nights by sleeping for ten hours twice. Continue reading

Monitoring blood glucose levels will be easy as never before easier for diabetics. The company DexCom has developed the first glucose monitoring device that can be linked to your smartphone, replacing the separate data receivers. The G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) received the CE mark on the 14th of September and will become available in Europe in the coming weeks. Continue reading

In a group of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) patients who underwent bariatric surgery, up to forty percent experienced disease remission, whereas the patients with only lifestyle interventions remained dependent on medication. Those are the results of a cohort study with 52 DM2 patients from the US, published in JAMA Surgery. Continue reading

Scientists of the Harvard School of Public Health discovered a novel mechanism, partly responsible for a disrupted metabolism in obesity. In their article, recently published in Nature Medicine, the authors present a process that takes place in liver cells, which can eventually lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Continue reading

Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might induce aging in white blood cells, causing a greater risk of cardiometabolic disease. That is concluded by researchers of the University of California-San Francisco in an article, recently published in the American Journal of Public Health. Continue reading

The natural sweetener agavin, obtained from the agave plant that is also used to make the Mexican spirit Tequila, could help to decrease blood glucose levels of diabetes type 2 patients. Research on mice has shown that agavin has beneficial effects compared to other sweeteners. Mice that had been given agavin in their drinking water ate less, lost weight and had lower blood glucose levels. Agavin was compared to other sweeteners, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, agave syrup and aspartame. Continue reading

The hygiene hypothesis states that the increasing incidence of diseases like asthma, eczema and allergy in the western world are linked to better hygiene and the elimination of childhood diseases. Is better hygiene also important for the rising prevalence of autoimmune diseases, like type 1 diabetes? Continue reading

Obesity is a problem of epidemic proportions that causes many serious health related complications. This week, MedZine emphasizes two studies on different aspects of appetite, which controls dietary intake and thus is important for obesity. These studies describe changes in the tongue of obese individuals and a process that influences hormone levels that induce appetite. Continue reading

Also this week MedZine brings you the latest medical news on various medical specialisms. In this editorial two striking studies are highlighted. The first identifies a protein that is essential for maintaining beta cell function. The second describes genes that are important for left-right differences. Continue reading

Also this week MedZine brings you the latest medical news on various medical specialisms. In this editorial two striking studies are highlighted. The first describes the role of the Dkk1 protein in hardening of arteries. The second study shows that cancer survivors with a depression have more chance to die prematurely than cancer survivors without depression. Continue reading