Diabetes is increasing among U.S. children at an alarming rate, say researchers who report jumps of more than 20 percent since 2001 for type 2 disease, which is linked to excessive weight and sedentary lifestyles, and type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease.Intensive early treatment of type 2 diabetes slows down progression of the disease by preserving the body's insulin-producing capacity, a UT Southwestern study has shown.
The new findings suggest that losing five BMI units, the equivalent of approx. 16kg for a 180cm tall 35 year old man weighing 130kg (BMI 40), can make a real difference to your health by reducing your likelihood of having type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, it suggests that this is true for all patients, as even those who were severely obese showed dramatic improvements.Researchers from Lithuania compared 234 people with type 2 diabetes and 468 people without the disease and found that those who gobble down their food were 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes than those who take their time while eating.
The men who engaged in aerobic exercise for up to 59 minutes weekly reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 7 percent. Between 60 and 149 minutes of aerobics reduced risk by 31 percent, and at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise reduced their risk by 52 percent, according to the report.The combination of weight training and aerobic exercise was the most beneficial, the researchers said. Men who did more than 150 minutes of aerobics as well as at least 150 minutes of weight training per week had a 59 percent lower risk for type 2 diabetes.
Can acupuncture help?
Although there is relatively little scientific support for the theory that acupuncture can promote weight loss, some studies suggest that acupuncture may be of some benefit to people looking to lose weight. In a research review published in 2009, for instance, scientists analyzed 31 studies (with a total of 3,013 participants) and found that acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction of average body weight and improvement in obesity. However, the review's authors caution that many of the reviewed studies were of poor quality.
There is a new review about acupuncture obesity treatment.
31 studies in 3013 patients were included.
And, the results.
2 studies were dropped due to insufficient data.
20 out of 31 studies had the lowest Jadad score — widely used to assess the quality of clinical studies.
Based on what was available…
Acupuncture was better than lifestyle changes.
Acupuncture was better than placebo or sham acupuncture.
Acupuncture was better than conventional medicine.
Only 4 studies reported adverse effects of acupuncture.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded that there's a suggestion that acupuncture is effective treatment for obesity. However, "evidence is not fully convincing because of the poor methodological quality of trials reviewed.”
ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2012) — The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is low in countries where consumption of black tea is high, suggests a mathematical analysis of data from 50 countries, published in the online journal BMJ Open.
