Type 2 diabetes
kkrisberg | August 24, 2016On the question of whether a soda tax can actually reduce the amount of sugary drinks people consume, a new study finds the resounding answer is “yes.”
In November 2014, Berkeley, California, voters passed the nation’s first tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in an effort to reduce their impact as a major contributor to chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The small tax was just a penny-per-ounce on sodas, energy and sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and sweetened water, coffee and teas. But according to researchers, that small tax is already having a big impact. In a study…
kkrisberg | September 26, 2014A recent study has uncovered another possible risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes: working long hours in low-paying jobs.
In a study published this week in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, researchers found that people who work more than 55 hours per week performing manual work or other low socioeconomic status jobs face a 30 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to those working between 35 and 40 hours per week. The association remained even after researchers accounted for risk factors such as smoking, physical activity levels, age, sex and…
kkrisberg | June 10, 2014Five million dollars. That’s how much the fast food industry spends every day to peddle largely unhealthy foods to children. And because studies have found that exposure to food marketing does indeed make kids want to eat more, advertising is often tapped as an obvious way to address child obesity. Fortunately, a new study finds that the public agrees.
As part of the Los Angeles County Health Survey, researchers with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health asked nearly 1,000 adults four food policy questions: would they support a tax increase on sodas to discourage kids from…
jtoney | July 12, 2011
Ridue's Flickr photostream. This is not an endorsement for use of marijuana.
I've always known that scientists and the news media don't get along so well, but this is a bit much.
A study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes how fatty foods can increase your appetite:
UC Irvine researchers Daniele Piomelli, Nicholas DiPatrizio and colleagues found that fats in these foods make them nearly irresistible and trigger a surprising biological mechanism that likely drives our gluttonous behavior. The apparent culprit? Natural marijuana-like chemicals in…
jtoney | June 1, 2011
Source.
This venomous lizard, Heloderma suspectum, harbors a billion dollar secret: a special protein in his saliva and tail. That protein, exenatide, is highly effective in treatment for type 2 diabetes.
As American's girth and weight continues to increase, so does type 2 diabetes. It is a vicious cycle:
Increased obesity leads to more enlarged fat cells that respond less and less to insulin needed for control of blood sugar - a hallmark for type 2 diabetes. This leads to increased appetite and overeating and obesity. And the cycle continues.
The protein isolated from the Gila monster…
jtoney | December 1, 2010
NBC's "Biggest Loser" has become a phenomenon, with over 10 million regular viewers. There is no doubt that this show delivers dramatic entertainment. Sagas about victory of the human spirit, against all odds, are timeless. With the final four contestants being featured next week, I would like you to consider the message that this show coveys.
Public embarrassment defines much of today's entertainment - consider the sharp wit of "The Office". The German term, Schadenfreude, expresses it well - deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others. On the "The Biggest Loser", each contestant…
dgmacarthur | January 7, 2010Genetic genealogist Blaine Bettinger has a fantastic post dissecting and contextualising a rather worrying result from his personal genomic analysis: a 50-60% increased lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes.
Blaine is unfortunate enough to be among the 1-2% of individuals who carry two risky versions at each of three major risk variants for the disease. (It's worth noting that type 2 diabetes risk is determined by many different genetic variants, most of which remain unknown, as well as environmental factors - so Blaine's discovery is very far from a certain diagnosis of the disease.)
Blaine's…
dgmacarthur | March 24, 2009Pickrell, J., Coop, G., Novembre, J., Kudaravalli, S., Li, J., Absher, D., Srinivasan, B., Barsh, G., Myers, R., Feldman, M., & Pritchard, J. (2009). Signals of recent positive selection in a worldwide sample of human populations Genome Research DOI: 10.1101/gr.087577.108
I pointed yesterday to a new paper in Genome Research taking a genome-wide look at the signatures of recent natural selection in a worldwide sample of humans.
I promised a more thorough analysis of this paper today, but I see Razib at Gene Expression has already done a fine job of that. Razib's post covers the bulk of…