PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Obesity plus low vitamin D may add up to a greater risk of diabetes

2012-07-18
(Press-News.org) PHILADELPHIA (July 17, 2012)— The combination of obesity and vitamin D deficiency may put people at even greater risk of insulin resistance than either factor alone, according to new research from the Drexel University School of Public Health recently published early online in the journal Diabetes Care. Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, a condition that affects 25.6 million adults and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

"Vitamin D insufficiency and obesity are individual risk factors for insulin resistance and diabetes," said lead author Shaum Kabadi, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at Drexel. "Our results suggest that the combination of these two factors increases the odds of insulin resistance to an even greater degree than would have been expected based on their individual contributions."

In the study, obese individuals who had healthy levels of vitamin D had insulin resistance almost 20 times more often than the overall study population. But in obese individuals whose serum vitamin D was low, insulin resistance was much higher: about 32 times more common than the average.

Senior author Dr. Longjian Liu, an associate professor in the School of Public Health, noted, "It's not clear whether obesity itself causes a low vitamin D level or if it's the other way around."

Vitamin D is stored in adipose fat tissues, making it unavailable for the body to use; as a result, people who are overweight are already more likely to have low levels of serum vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with multiple health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases including stroke, depression, dementia and other conditions.

Kabadi, Liu and co-author Dr. Brian Lee, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, analyzed data on serum vitamin D levels and indicators of insulin resistance and diabetes from 5,806 respondents to a major national health survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This was the first study of the association between vitamin D and diabetes risk for obese patients using a large, nationally representative sample of adults. The survey reported data from individuals at a single point in time and was therefore unable to determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship among vitamin D, obesity and insulin resistance.

Further studies could indicate whether vitamin D supplements are effective at reducing the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes in obese individuals. If so, the authors noted that it would be an inexpensive and practical prevention strategy compared to the difficulty involved in healthy weight loss.

Liu said that vitamin D supplements may be useful for people who are overweight or obese to help control diabetes, but he cautioned that too much vitamin D can cause side effects such as weakness and fatigue. In addition, vitamin D deficiency is just one of many known risk factors associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. "Therefore, to control diabetes, we need to have comprehensive prevention strategies. For example, physical activity may be the most cost-effective way to control weight and subsequently to control conditions including diabetes and heart disease," Liu said.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A 'Kit' for increasing insulin production

2012-07-18
Scientists from Western University in London, Canada and the Children's Health Research Institute, an Institute within the Lawson Health Research Institute, have identified the critical role of a receptor called c-Kit in the development and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an exciting therapeutic target for the management of diabetes. The research, led by Rennian Wang, demonstrated that overexpression of c-Kit not only leads to increased insulin production but also counteracts the early diabetic effects of a high-fat diet. The paper and an accompanying ...

Exposure to sexual content in popular movies predicts sexual behavior in adolescence

2012-07-18
Intuitively it simply makes sense: exposure to sexual content in movies at an early age probably influences adolescents' sexual behavior. And yet, even though a great deal of research has shown that adolescents who watch more risky behaviors in popular movies, like drinking or smoking, are more likely to drink and smoke themselves, surprisingly little research has examined whether movies influence adolescents' sexual behaviors. Until now. Over six years, psychological scientists examined whether or not seeing sex on the big screen translates into sex in the real world ...

Refining the tool kit for sustainable fisheries

2012-07-18
Santa Barbara, Calif. – As spatial planning is used increasingly to manage fisheries and other ocean resources, researchers are working to determine the best ways to use and refine the various spatial management tools. Among them are marine protected areas (MPAs), one of the most common methods, which limit or entirely curtail fishing in a given area. A new paper published in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) on July 2 describes research in this area conducted by UCSB Marine Science Institute project scientist Andrew Rassweiler ...

New roadmap suggests proven routes to ending health disparities

2012-07-18
Major disparities exist along racial and ethnic lines in the United States for various medical conditions, but guidance is scarce about how to reduce these gaps. Now, a new "roadmap" has been unveiled to give organizations expert guidance on how to improve health equity in their own patient populations. Finding Answers, a national program based at the University of Chicago and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, seeks evidence-based solutions to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Its new roadmap, outlined as part of a symposium of six papers published ...

Researchers link Kawasaki Disease in childhood with increased risk of adult heart disease

2012-07-18
Los Angeles – July 17, 2012 – Cedars-Sinai researchers have linked Kawasaki Disease, a serious childhood illness that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, with early-onset and accelerated atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease in adults. In a study published in the August 2012 print edition of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association peer-reviewed medical journal, a team of researchers showed how Kawasaki Disease in young mice predisposed them to develop accelerated atherosclerosis, often called ...

Study shows how aging impairs immune response

2012-07-18
July17, 2012 — (Bronx, NY) — Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have uncovered one of the mechanisms by which aging may compromise the ability of the immune system to fight infections and respond to vaccines. The study, conducted in aging mice, shows that administering antioxidants may help reverse this loss of immune function. The findings were published online this month in the journal Cell Reports. "Aging is known to affect immune function, a phenomenon known as immunosenescence, but how this happens is not clear," said study ...

Experimental drug may extend therapeutic window for stroke

2012-07-18
LOS ANGELES — A team led by a physician-scientist at the University of Southern California (USC) has created an experimental drug that reduces brain damage and improves motor skills among stroke-afflicted rodents when given with federally approved clot-busting therapy. Clinical trials to test the safety of the drug in people are expected to start later this summer. Stroke, which occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops, is the No. 4 cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States. According to the American Stroke Association, ...

NASA's TRMM satellite eyeing Tropical Storm Khanun's rainfall

2012-07-18
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is keeping an eye on the rainfall being generated by Tropical Storm Khanun as it moves past Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. The TRMM satellite had an excellent daytime look at Tropical Storm Khanun near Okinawa in the northwestern Pacific Ocean on July 17, 2012 at 0439 UTC (12:39 a.m. EDT/1:39 p.m. Japan). Khanun had estimated wind speeds of over 40 knots (~46 mph) at the time TRMM passed overhead. The storm was compact but well organized and shows possible eye wall formation. The bulk of the strongest precipitation was ...

NASA watching Tropical Storm Fabio head to southern California

2012-07-18
Southern California's coast is already feeling rough surf from Tropical Storm Fabio, and as the storm draws closer it is expected to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms as well. NASA's Aqua satellite peered into Fabio's clouds to see what power lurks under them, and saw only a small area of heavy rainfall remaining and the cooler waters that Fabio is now moving through. When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Fabio on July 16 at 2135 UTC (5:35 p.m. EDT), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured temperatures of cloud tops and the ...

The electric atmosphere: Plasma is next NASA science target

2012-07-18
Our day-to-day lives exist in what physicists would call an electrically neutral environment. Desks, books, chairs and bodies don't generally carry electricity and they don't stick to magnets. But life on Earth is substantially different from, well, almost everywhere else. Beyond Earth's protective atmosphere and extending all the way through interplanetary space, electrified particles dominate the scene. Indeed, 99% of the universe is made of this electrified gas, known as plasma. Two giant donuts of this plasma surround Earth, trapped within a region known as the Van ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

Pusan National University researchers reveal how forest soil properties influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in soil organisms

Korea University researchers find sweet taste cells resist nerve damage through c-Kit protein

HealthFORCE, AAPA, and West Health release “Aging Well with AI” – first in a two part series on AI and the healthcare workforce

The real reasons Endurance sank — study finds Shackleton knew of ship’s shortcomings

Marine heatwaves have hidden impacts on ocean food webs and carbon cycling

Order from disordered proteins

Rocket test proves bacteria survive space launch and re-entry unharmed

New wheat diversity discovery could provide an urgently-needed solution to global food security

Could reducing inflammation help combat fatigue in people with early-stage breast cancer?

Traumatic brain injuries in older adults linked to increased risk of dementia

New intervention helps pediatricians promote early peanut introduction to prevent peanut allergy

New survey: Most Americans believe plasma donation saves lives, yet few have donated

New tools boost pediatricians’ adherence to peanut allergy guidelines 15-fold

[Press-News.org] Obesity plus low vitamin D may add up to a greater risk of diabetes