ADA: INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH LINKS INFLAMMATION AND TYPE 2 DIABETES

So inflammation may be the common link for developing insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart disease.  Insights Open New Pathways for Prevention and Treatment. 

A series of international research reports have now linked inflammation to type 2 diabetes, opening new pathways for prevention and treatment of the disease and its complications, according to reports last week at the American Diabetes Association's 62nd Annual Scientific Sessions. “In the past year, about six studies have shown that markers of inflammation predict development of type 2 diabetes,” reported Joshua Barzilay, M.D., of the division of endocrinology at Kaiser Permanente of Georgia, who spoke at a symposium on inflammation and diabetes. “One of the purposes of this meeting is to review recent findings and suggest new areas for investigation in this brand new field, including possible ways to reduce inflammation as a means of preventing or forestalling illness.”

Inflammation is the way the body normally responds to injury – sending specialized blood cells to the area to destroy and clean up damaged cells – and can be seen on the skin, for example, as redness, swelling, and heat. But when the immune system malfunctions, such as in rheumatoid arthritis, the inflammatory process itself damages healthy tissue, such as joints. In recent years, researchers have discerned that inflammation may play a role in diseases not previously considered inflammatory, such as coronary heart disease. As a result, doctors theorize that the anti-inflammatory effects of aspirin – long recommended to heart patients for its anti-clotting ability – also may be yielding benefits.

See item 11 for more research.  American Diabetes Association's 62nd Annual Scientific Sessions