Cardiovascular Health

Fitness and Fatness Independently Linked with CVD Risk Factors

Maintaining or improving current fitness levels, as well as not packing on the fat pounds, are both independently associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and hypercholesterolemia in healthy...

Lipid Genetics Linked to Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Genetic predisposition to low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides associated with increased risk of diabetes....

Do Cardiovascular Risks Differ for Men and Women with or without Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is associated with greater relative risk of CHD in women than in men, according to The British Regional Heart Study and British Women's Heart Health Study....

Risks of Tight BP Control May Outweigh Benefits

In diabetes patients, the stroke-preventing benefits of bringing systolic blood pressure below 130 mmHg may be offset by an increased risk of cardiac events....

Pollution Tied to Diabetes and Hypertension Risk

In a study of more than 4,000 black women in Los Angeles, those who lived in areas with higher levels of traffic-related air pollution were at increased risk of diabetes and hypertension....

Enzymes Show Early Heart Damage in Diabetes

A highly sensitive troponin test revealed evidence of subclinical heart damage in patients with hyperglycemia but no known coronary artery disease or heart failure, with particularly high enzyme levels in those with...

Cardiac Death Risk Set by Age 55

Even a couple of traditional cardiovascular risk factors in middle age as diabetes and hypertension or hypercholesterolemia spell high lifetime risk for the heart....

Diabetes Mellitus 101 for Medical Professionals, PART 5

In this week's Homerun Slides, we cover such topics as the Potential Mechanisms of...

Treat Depression and Diabetes for Best Results

Tackling depression and diabetes together in primary care is more likely to get both under control than approaching them separately....

How Exercise Benefits Insulin-Treated Obese Patients with Diabetes

Exercise counters adverse CV effects of insulin in overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Supervised mixed (aerobic and resistance) exercise is effective in improving A1c and cardiovascular disease risk related to insulin treatment in...

Daily Aspirin Tied to Macular Degeneration

Daily aspirin use may protect the heart but hurt the eyes, boosting the risk of AMD....

Vitamin D: Too Much May Erase Heart Benefit

Low levels of vitamin D may confer a cardiovascular benefit, but too much vitamin D may have the opposite effect....

Diabetes in Pregnancy Raises ADHD Risk in Kids

Researchers found that children whose mothers developed gestational diabetes are at an increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age 6, especially if they are from families with low socioeconomic...

Should All Hospital Patients Have Blood Glucose Levels Tested?

The Endocrine Society released new clinical practice guidelines on the management of hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients in a non-critical care setting....

Increased Risk of Liver Cancer in Diabetes Patients with Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis and hepatitis are associated with the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with diabetes, and hepatitis C is of particular importance....

CDC: Hep B Vaccine Needed for Diabetic Adults

Diabetic adults should be vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV) as soon as possible after the diabetes diagnosis is made....

Gastroparesis Less Common in People with Diabetes

Gastroparesis may not be as common among people with diabetes as had previously been thought....

Medication Combo Improved Weight Loss When Added to Lifestyle Modifications

Controlled-release phentermine/topiramate combined with lifestyle modifications appears to be an effective option for sustained treatment of obesity complicated by cardiometabolic disease....

Regular Teeth Cleanings Reduce Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke

Oral health may be more connected with cardiovascular health than previously realized....

Memory is Altered in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes During Hypoglycemia

Brain activation was increased and deactivation was decreased in type 1 diabetic versus control subjects during hypoglycemia....

United States of Diabetes Report

  You can use the information in this report to provide evidence for your ...

Diabetes Mellitus 101 for Medical Professionals, PART 2

In this week's set of Homerun Slides,...

Life in Womb Holds Secrets To Developing Diabetes Later In Life

Factors that occur during fetal development may help identify offspring -- particularly females -- who are susceptible to the co-occurrence of major depression and cardiovascular disease in mid-life....

Using Statins for Patients with Diabetes without CVD

For primary prevention in patients with diabetes without established cardiovascular disease, statin therapy could reduce the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, but not all-cause mortality....

Testosterone Replacement Improves Male Metabolic Syndrome

Testosterone replacement to normal levels in middle-aged and elderly hypogonadal men significantly improved all components of the metabolic syndrome at 24 months....

Psychology in Diabetes Care, 2nd. Ed, Part 9

Edited by Frank J. Snoek and T. Chas Skinner Diabetes in Adolescents

The Final Word on Chocolate Intake and Benefits to the Heart and Brain

A study by Buitrago-Lopez and colleagues found that daily chocolate consumption had a positive effect on cardiovascular risk factors....

Strict Glycemic Control May Not Help Kidney Patients

Both tight glycemic control and poor glycemic control are associated with worse outcomes in diabetes patients with chronic kidney disease....

Glycemic Control Linked to Brain Function and Structure

An accelerated decline in brain function is an important risk that needs to be examined further in relation to glycemic control in older people with long-standing diabetes....

Diabetes Patients Can Benefit from n-3 Fatty Acids

Use of a margarine fortified with n-3 fatty acids significantly reduced post-myocardial infarction ventricular arrhythmia-related events by 84% among diabetic patients....

Treating Prehypertension Reduces Risk of Stroke by 22 Percent

Patients with prehypertension who take blood pressure-lowering therapy have a highly statistically significant 22% reduced risk for stroke....

Antihypertensive Drugs More Effective When Taken at Night

Taking antihypertensive medications at bedtime rather than in the morning has been shown to be associated with an increase in bedtime BP decline toward a dipping pattern and better BP control and reduction in urinary protein...

Breast Cancer Risk Increased in Early Diabetes

There is further damning evidence of an association between diabetes and risk for breast cancer....

Why African Americans on Dialysis Live Longer than Whites

In the general population, African Americans die at earlier ages than whites, but among patients on dialysis, African Americans live longer than whites....

Treating Fasting Glucose Reduces Cancer Progression

Researchers report that in a multidisciplinary study of 420 non-diabetic, breast and metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with targeted agents, lower levels of pretreatment fasting glucose were predictive of longer times to...

Cutting Calories to 500 per Day Reduces Need for Insulin

Four months of a restricted-calorie diet produced lasting reductions in pericardial fat and improvements in left ventricular diastolic function in a study of obese adults with type 2 diabetes....

High Glucose Levels Raise Colon Cancer Risk in Women

Older women who have high levels of serum glucose are at increased risk for colorectal cancer....

Excess Vitamin D Associated with Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

People with an excessive blood level of vitamin D from overdosing with supplements had a 2.5-fold increased incidence of atrial fibrillation....

In Diabetes with CKD, Moderate Glycemic Control May Be Ideal

In patients with diabetes and CKD, HbA1c targets that fall between 7% and 9% may be associated with decreased risk for adverse outcomes, whereas levels either above or below this range may increase this risk....

Racial Disparities in Weight Due to Socioeconomics?

The rate of obesity and chronic diseases varies substantially across different racial and ethnic groups, but the underlying causes of those disparities remain obscure. In a new study, low socioeconomic status (SES) appears to account for...

Niacin 'AIM's-HIGH but Falls Flat

Niacin boosts HDL cholesterol without benefit for clinical outcomes in otherwise well-treated patients, according to a results of a halted, and perhaps inconclusive, clinical trial....

Glucose Control May Not Reduce Risk of Heart Failure

For patients with type 2 diabetes, tight glycemic control does not reduce the risk of heart failure....

Diabetes Patients on Dialysis Do Better with Higher HbA1c

Researchers have discovered that the desirable range for HbA1c levels is higher for diabetic patients on dialysis than guidelines recommend for the general diabetic population....

Physical Activity/Glycemic Control Predicts CV Death and All-cause Mortality

Physical activity is associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality risk for individuals across all levels of glycemic control....

Heavy Kids Aren't Doomed to Heart Disease Risks

Being heavy in childhood doesn't guarantee an increased risk of heart disease in the long run, provided children lose weight as adults....

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Staves Off CV Events in High-risk Patients with Diabetes

New data suggests that low-dose supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids may protect patients with diabetes and a history of myocardial infarction from ventricular arrhythmia-related events....

Asthma and Diabetes Don't Mix

Children who suffer from both asthma and diabetes have a tougher time controlling their blood glucose than kids who have diabetes without the respiratory problems....

Kidney Risk Higher in Diabetic Women than Men

Women with type 2 diabetes are more likely to have risk factors for chronic kidney disease than men, which may also put them at risk for poorer outcomes....

Calcium Score Predicts CVD Risk in Kidney Disease

In patients with CKD, coronary artery calcification predicted the risk of CVD events, especially in those with no history of it....

Intensive Type 1 Diabetes Therapy Lowers Kidney Failure Risk by 50 Percent

Intensive therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus lowers the long-term risk for impaired glomerular filtration rate (GFR)....

Poor Glucose Control Ups Mortality in Diabetes Patients on Dialysis

Poor glycemic control, whether too high or too low, is associated with decreased survival in diabetic patients on hemodialysis....

Sugary Drinks Tied to CVD Risk Factors Just for Women

Women who regularly drink sugary beverages may be increasing their cardiovascular risk....

FDA Recommends Vytorin for CVD Prevention in Predialysis CKD Patients

An FDA advisory committee has recommended unanimously that the ezetimibe-simvastatin combination pill (Vytorin) be approved for prevention of cardiovascular disease in CKD patients who are not on dialysis....

Neuropathy a New Underappreciated Cause of Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction has traditionally been associated with vascular problems, but men with severe peripheral neuropathy frequently reported ED as well as failure with phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors....

Tight Glycemic Control Won't Cut Diabetes Patients' Heart Failure Risk

Intensive blood glucose control won't reduce the risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes -- and tight control using a thiazolidinedione may actually increase the risk....

FDA Warns Fenofibric Acid May Not Cut Cardiac Risk

The FDA has ordered that the label for fenofibric acid (Trilipix) be changed to indicate that the lipid-lowering drug has not been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke....

Sleep Apnea Increases Hypos and Autonomic Dysfunction for Diabetes Patients

Those with the sleep disorder who also had poor autonomic function had significantly more hypoglycemia than those with more normal function....

Overworked Kidneys Tied to Stroke Risk

Renal hyperfiltration may be associated with a greater risk of stroke, especially in patients with the metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes....

Gout Linked to Increased Risk for Diabetes, Renal Disease

Two studies show that uncontrolled serum uric acid levels are associated with a nearly 20% increased risk of developing diabetes and a more than 40% increased risk of developing renal disease....

New Treatment Shows Promise for Treating Cardiovascular Disease

A new therapy being studied demonstrated a rise in HDL cholesterol by 55% in 5 weeks, and lowered triglycerides....

Study Links Heart Disease Deaths to Low Testosterone

Low levels of the sex hormone might raise men's risk of dying from heart disease....

FDA Panel Says Vytorin Okay for Some Kidney Disease Patients

An FDA advisory committee has recommended unanimously that the ezetimibe-simvastatin combination pill (Vytorin) be approved for prevention of cardiovascular disease in CKD patients who are not on dialysis....

Lower Glycemic Goals Reduces Prevalence of Retinopathy in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Tighter control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes lowers the prevalence of retinopathy....

Diabetes Patients Have Double the Risk for Hepatitis B Infection

The CDC held a hearing on a recommendation that patients with diabetes receive immunization with the hepatitis B vaccine....

Retinopathy Prevalence Decreasing in Diabetic Adolescents

A 20-year observational study has chronicled notable declines in retinopathy for young patients with type 1 diabetes who receive intensive glycemic control therapy....

Highest Testosterone Levels Equal Lowest Risk for CV Events

A new Swedish study has shown that elderly men in the highest quartile of serum testosterone levels have around a 30 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events over five years compared with men in the lower three...

Weekends Bad for Dialysis

In a new study of more than 36,000 patients who had participated in the ESRD [end-stage renal disease] Clinical Performance Measures Project, investigators found that on the day after the long weekend interdialytic interval, all cause...

Higher HDL Lowers CVD Risk in Type 2 Diabetes

Higher HDL levels in patients with type 2 diabetes significantly reduced the odds of hospitalization related to cardiovascular disease....

Pedometers Work to Improve CV Health Faster in Gastric Bypass Patients

Patients who use a pedometer to record the number of steps they take each day after gastric bypass surgery are more active and may be healthier....

Diabetes Drug May Have Plaque Benefit

Pioglitazone (Actos) may reduce atherosclerotic plaque inflammation, independent of its glucose-lowering effects....

FDA Approves Diabetes and Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Combo: Juvisync®

Known as Juvisync (Merck), the new medication combines sitagliptin (Januvia, Merck), a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor used for glycemia control, with the cholesterol-lowering simvastatin....

Obesity Drug Contrave Back on Track

The investigational weight-loss combination of naltrexone standard release and bupropion standard release (Contrave) reduces the predicted 10-year risk of cardiovascular events, an analysis of four phase III trials...

Reducing A1c Just 0.5% Leads to a 10% Reduction in CVD Events

Even small changes in A1c and BP could significantly reduce the risk of CVD complications in people with type 2 diabetes....

Liver Function Tests (LFTs) Often Miss Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes

Conventional liver function tests may miss a diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes....

Oral Health Lacking for Diabetes Patients

Poor oral health can lead to a greater risk of developing complications from type 2 diabetes, and problems such as inflammation from swollen gums can make diabetes worse, as well as having a negative impact on cardiovascular disease and...

Prostate Cancer Linked to High Triglyceride Levels

Men aged 60 years or older who have elevated triglyceride levels are at increased risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa), according to the investigators. They also are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive...

No Increased CVD Events with DPP-4 Inhibitors

Offering a rare glimmer of good cardiovascular-disease news for a diabetes drug, a new meta-analysis suggests that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, at worst, do not increase the risk of cardiovascular events and, at best, may...

Glucose Rise in Diabetes Patients May Signal Bloodstream Infection

In a study of a large population of patients with diabetes, poor short-term glucose control was associated with a significantly elevated risk for bloodstream infection (BSI)....

Simvastatin Beats Metformin in PCOS Therapy

Both simvastatin and metformin can prompt improvements in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) but simvastatin seems to have a stronger effect, new research suggests....

Tight Control No Help for Cognitive Loss in Diabetes

Tight glucose control won't mitigate the cognitive effects of type 2 diabetes, an ACCORD subanalysis found....

New Study Confirms Diabetes Linked to Colon Cancer Risk

A new research review confirms that people with diabetes have a somewhat increased risk of colon cancer -- but the reasons for the connection, and what should be done about it, remain unclear....

EASD: 'Gliptin's' May Be Heart Savers

While searching for potential cardiovascular risks among studies involving dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in type 2 diabetes patients, researchers made a surprising discovery –- treatment with the so-called gliptin class...

EASD: Biomarkers May Predict CAD, Death in Diabetes Patients

Two biomarkers may be associated with cardiovascular events and death in type 2 diabetes patients, researchers reported at EASD....

EASD: No Microvascular Benefit with Intense BP, Glucose Control

Aggressively lowering blood pressure and blood glucose together won't provide any microvascular benefits to type 2 diabetes patients, researchers said....

Post Prandial Elevations Linked to Alzheimer's Risk

Dementia risk may rise when glucose gets out of control, particularly after meals, according to a longitudinal study....

EASD: Intensive Glucose Control Cuts Renal Risks

Intensive glucose-lowering may protect against end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in diabetic patients, according to an analysis of data from the ADVANCE trial....

EASD: Poor Glucose Control in Diabetics Predicts Heart Failure

A new nationwide analysis of glucose management in type 2 diabetes suggests that poor glucose control is a strong predictor of heart failure....

EASD: Twice-Daily Aspirin Betters Platelet Inhibition for People with Diabetes

Twice-daily aspirin administration, but not a once-daily doubling of the dose, appears to provide good inhibition of platelet cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 in diabetic patients who have rapid recovery of COX-1 activity, and might enhance...

EASD: Having Diabetes and Feeling Bad Add Up to Shorter Life

Men with type 2 diabetes and an acute myocardial infarction who score lower on quality-of-life measures have a greater mortality risk than other men with these conditions whose scores indicate they feel better about their health,...

People with Diabetes Are Twice as Likely to Develop Dementia

According to a new study, people with diabetes appear to be at a significantly increased risk of developing dementia and the study also found that risk of developing dementia significantly increased for those with...

More Research Showing Chocolate Good for the Heart and Brain

British investigators are reporting that individuals who ate the most chocolate had a 37% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 29% lower risk of stroke compared with individuals who ate the least amount of chocolate....

Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Kidney Disease

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components are linked to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis....

PCI for Blocked Arteries of Lasting Benefit in Diabetes

Long-term outcomes for patients with diabetes were significantly improved following successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusions, researchers found....

Treatment with Inspra Shows Reduction in CV Mortality for those at High Risk

Even patients with such high-risk features as diabetes or renal compromise showed highly significant drops in CV mortality or heart-failure hospitalizations from treatment with eplerenone (Inspra, Pfizer) in EMPHASIS-HF....

Novel HDL-Raising Drug Appears Safe

A novel cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, dalcetrapib, raised HDL cholesterol without any safety concerns in phase IIb dal-VESSEL trial, but it remains to be seen whether that boost in HDL will improve clinical...

Why Some People are Diabetic and Prone to Heart Disease

A team of researchers has discovered why some obese people develop chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and others do not....

Best Diagnostic Test to Predict Heart Attack Risk

The presence of calcium in coronary arteries is a much better predictor of heart attack and stroke than C-reactive protein among people with normal levels of LDL cholesterol, according to this study....

New Drug Improves Lipids and Glucose in Metabolic Impairment

In two recent trials, the investigational drug GFT505 improved lipid and glucose disorders in abdominally obese patients with combined dyslipidemias or prediabetes....

Certain Foods Said to Help Lower Bad Cholesterol Better than a Low-Saturated Fat Diet

Combining nuts, plant-based foods with low-fat diet produces biggest drops, researchers say....

Scores Help Predict Benefit from Intensive Diabetes Therapy

Validated measures of cardiovascular risk and comorbidity at baseline helped predict response to intensive glucose control in a post hoc analysis of patients who participated in the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial....

Diabetes Linked to Tooth Decay

Research has found a link between diabetes and dental problems....

The Fattier Your Heart the Greater Your Heart Disease Risk

Study links buildup of this hidden fat to heart threat, even in people without symptoms....

Earlier Nephrology Interventions Don't Result in Lower Mortality Rates

Patients approaching end-stage renal disease are increasingly receiving the nephrology consultation they need before initiating kidney dialysis; however, the trend has surprisingly not resulted in an improvement in mortality rates,...

"Swamp Gas" Protects Blood Vessels from Complications of Diabetes

Hydrogen Sulfide,a foul-smelling gas with an odor resembling that of rotten eggs and sometimes called "swamp gas," is generally associated with decaying vegetation, sewers and noxious industrial emissions. As strange as...

Tight Blood Pressure Control for Patients with Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease Not Associated with Improved Cardiovascular Outcomes

Patients with hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease who maintained their systolic blood pressure at less than 130 mm Hg did not have improved cardiovascular outcomes compared to patients with usual blood pressure control,...

Menopause and Diabetes Risk

Menopause does not adversely affect diabetes risk or strategies to prevent diabetes in women who already have an increased risk for the disease, investigators reported....

New Risk for Sudden Death in Dialysis Patients

A low concentration of homoarginine in the blood appears to be a risk factor for sudden cardiac death and heart failure death among diabetic patients who require hemodialysis, researchers found....

Alpha-Lipoic Acid May Improve Diabetic Polyneuropathy

Four years of treatment with alpha-lipoic acid for diabetic polyneuropathy failed to achieve the study's primary endpoint but did yield some clinically meaningful improvements, an international team reports....

Sweetened Drinks Boost Heart Disease Risk

Beverages sweetened with fructose or high-fructose corn syrup can worsen cardiovascular risk factors, even in the young and healthy, researchers have found....

Diabetes + Depression Leads to Serious Eye Disease

Patients with diabetes who also suffer from depression are more likely to develop a serious complication known as diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye's retina, and causes blindness, a five-year study finds....

HbA1c Predicts Cardiovascular Risk

Hemoglobin A1c level was a better predictor of the risk of CVD than simply using a diagnosis of diabetes to establish risk, a new analysis of two large cohort studies showed....

Hyperglycemic Emergencies

Lana Kravarusic Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate, University of Florida 

Essential Oils for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes

Ivory A. Gordon, Pharm.D....

America's Silent Killer: Oprah and Dr. Oz Want to Save Your Life

By...

Preventing Medication Errors

Institute for Safe Medication Practices

The Glucose – CVD Connection: The Search For The Missing Link

There is a new study out trying to show the link between intensive glycemic control and reductions, if any, in cardiovascular endpoints. The VA Diabetes Trial of 1,800 patients, showed like other, larger trials recently published, that there was no...

The Message for World Kidney Day 2009:

Hypertension And Kidney Disease: A Marriage That Should Be Prevented is the message for WORLD KIDNEY DAY 2009 and we have a special feature written jointly by Eberhard Ritz representing the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and George...

HIV-infected patients are at an increased risk for developing Diabetes

More and more patients with HIV are controlling their disease well. When viral loads are under control, patients often are seen by clinicians for other problems. Diabetes seems to be one of those problems that get a lot of attention. My current...

Risks for Drug Induced Pancreatitis

With all the press lately about the incretin mimetics and pancreatitis our current intern, Jennifer Webb, PharmD Candidate, FAMU has taken a look at the facts, and compared the chances of pancreatitis among classes of drugs and how the risk of...

Charcot Foot: A Potenial Risk Factor for Diabetic Patients

Charcot Foot: A Potential Risk Factor for Diabetic Patients, is a valuable report on an under diagnosed problem written by Jennifer Webb, Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate, FAMU. You may want to print this out and hand it to your patients.