Letter from the Editor #644: The "Arnold Factor" and Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Years ago we made a determination that BMI was the most important indicator of a person's risk for diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. We even use a BMI value to determine if a person is either obese or just overweight. However there was always a lot of controversy because of the "Arnold Factor." The star of many action films and former governor of California commented that, "With all the muscle I have, my BMI is off the charts but I have minimal body fat." More recently we have reported that hip to waist ratio is more important than BMI, and now new research from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, points to the fact that Visceral Fat Not Obesity Increases Risk of Diabetes.

Although if you read Fat and Getting Fatter: U.S. Obesity Rates to Soar, you may feel that no matter how you measure it we are fighting a losing battle.

This week our PharmD intern, Amanda Zell, has prepared a review of all the information we have presented on GLP-1 Agonist therapy over the last year, and this ties in perfectly with our Mastery In Minutes featured video from Dr. Stanley Schwartz, who discusses how he has used GLP-1 analogs in a hospital setting to reduce the hypoglycemia often associated with insulin use.

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Announcements:

dLife.com: September 16, 7PM ET on CNBC

Topics: Dr. Johnny White explains why how you think about your diabetes may be the most important key in controlling it. Also, Jim Turner’s devilish alter ego returns to crash a party, and Dr. Nat Strand talks animals and diabetes. Sundays on CNBC at 7 PM ET, 6 PM CT, and 4 PM PT. Catch up on dLife.com.

TCOYD CME Conference, Des Moines, IA, Saturday, September 22, 2012

The TCOYD Continuing Medical Education Program offers a unique opportunity to bridge patient and professional education, demonstrating the link between clinical lessons in the classroom to the real life patient experience. Find out more here. And for more of the latest TCOYD news, check out our interviews with Dr. Steven V. Edelman, the Founder of TCOYD, here!

Please answer this week's poll: Do you download patients' blood glucose monitor results?

Vote in and then see results from previous polls here.

Dave Joffe, Editor-in-chief