StemCell Therapy

The results of a new clinical trial published in the journal STEM CELLS Translational Medicine demonstrate how a topical solution made up of stem cells leads to the regrowth of hair for people with a common type of baldness.1

Unfortunately, there are only a few FDA-approved medications to treat hair loss, and these carry a myriad of associated side effects including a negative impact on sexual functioning. There is therefore a pertinent need to develop anti-hair loss treatments that lack such side effects.

Emerging research has demonstrated the potential application of stem cells, particularly adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs), in this space. ADSCs are a type of mesenchymal stem cell that secrete several growth hormones that facilitate cell development and proliferation.

As previous research has demonstrated that growth factors such as hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, insulin-like growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor increase the size of hair follicles during hair development, scientists have explored whether ADSCs can promote hair growth in men and women with alopecia.2,3 The results of such research have been positive, however, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of such a therapeutic approach in AGA did not exist until now.

"Recent studies have shown that ADSCs promote hair growth in both men and women with alopecia. However, no randomized, placebo-controlled trial in humans has explored the effects and safety of adipose-derived stem cell constituent extract (ADSC-CE) in AGA," says Sang Yeoup Lee, M.D., Ph.D., of the Family Medicine Clinic and Research Institute of Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital. "We aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of ADSC-CE in middle-aged patients with AGA in our study, hypothesizing that it is an effective and safe treatment agent."

Participants were instructed to apply 2mL of solution to the area in which they experienced hair loss, twice every day for a total of 16 weeks, massaging the solution into their scalp using their fingers. Each subjected visited the research center four times in total throughout the study, and were requested to keep a diary to record when they were using the solution.

To measure whether the solution was significantly impacting hair growth, the scientists measured changes in total hair number and hair thickness as confirmed by close contract photographs using a standardized technique. This was the primary efficacy variable. Photographs were taken at baseline, eight weeks and 16 weeks after using the product. At baseline, participants received a dot tattoo over their scalp to ensure that the photographs were taken at the same spot at each follow up. The secondary efficacy variables of the study included analysis of global photographs of the participants' scalps by an investigator, and self-evaluation of hair growth by the participants.

Whilst these results are promising, the authors note several limitations to the study. When assessing the secondary efficacy outcomes, the researchers found that the improvement score provided by the investigator was higher in the intervention group than the control, but this was not a significant increase. Additionally, the evaluation provided by the subject was lower in the intervention group. The scientists suggest that a contributing factor here could be the study duration, positing the idea that the length of time in which the participants were involved in the trial may not have been sufficient for them to notice a visual improvement. Furthermore, the self-report assessment could have been limited in validity as subjects may have been impacted by their own expectations towards the intervention. A solution to consider going forward could be to ask participants about their expectations regarding the magnitude of improvement at baseline.

Lee adds, "Our findings suggest that the application of the ADSC-CE topical solution has enormous potential as an alternative therapeutic strategy for hair regrowth in patients with AGA, by increasing both hair density and thickness while maintaining adequate treatment safety. The next step should be to conduct similar studies with large and diverse populations in order to confirm the beneficial effects of ADSC-CE on hair growth and elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the action of ADSC-CE in humans."

"For the millions of people who suffer from male-pattern baldness, this small clinical trial offers hope of a future treatment for hair regrowth," says Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief ofSTEM CELLS Translational Medicineand director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "The topical solution created from proteins secreted by stem cells found in fat tissue proves to be both safe and effective. We look forward to further findings that support this work."

References:

1. Tak, Lee, Cho and Kim. (2020). A randomized, doubleblind, vehiclecontrolled clinical study of hair regeneration using adiposederived stem cell constituent extract in androgenetic alopecia. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sctm.19-0410.

2. Ramdasi S, Tiwari SK. (2016). Growth factors and cytokines secreted in conditioned media by mesenchymal stem cells-promising possible therapeutic approach for hair regeneration. J Stem Cells. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28296872.

3. Lee et al. (2001). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) activator expressed in hair follicles is involved in in vitro HGF-dependent hair follicle elongation. J Dermatol Sci. 25:156-163.

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Clinical Trial Shows Topical Stem Cell Treatment Leads to Hair Regrowth in Common Type of Baldness - Technology Networks

CUBIQ Foods is aiming to replace animal-based fats with vegan and cultured ingredients.

Founded in 2018 by Dr. Raquel Revilla and Andrs Montefeltro, the Barcelona-based food tech startup promotes sustainability, human health, and animal welfare.

One of the companys products, the vegan SMART FAT, enhances the flavor of low-fat vegetable, animal, or cultivated proteins. It contains less saturated fat and fewer calories than traditional emulsions and uses 100 percent sustainable ingredients. SMART FAT is designed to replace unhealthy fats in meat, dairy, flexitarian, and vegan products.

CUBIQ also produces vegan-friendly SMART Omega-3, which carries a concentrated and encapsulated form of the polyunsaturated fatty acid.

The highly concentrated essential oils maintain their properties for use within even the most demanding industrial recipes. This can assist food producers to include recommended daily amounts of omega-3 in affordable and healthy products.

Sustainable omega-3 and vegan healthier fats inspire our team and partners, said Montefeltro. We are ready to deliver a new generation of nutritious, healthy, and accessible products at an industrial scale by the end of this year.

The company just received 5 million in funding from Blue Horizon Ventures and Moira Capital Partners SGEIC.

This new wave of funding will help CUBIQ produce its sustainable fats on an industrial scale, ready to launch at the end of 2020. The company is the first of its kind to produce such products on this scale. It is also the first cultivated fat cell platform to produce such high-quality omega-3s in this way.

CUBIQ Foods also uses cultured fat to produce oil-enriched omega-3.

In an email sent to LIVEKINDLY, Montefeltro explained that the company uses duck stem cells to produce DHA and EPA enriched oils. Montefeltro said the process is more sustainable than fish oil, a traditional source of omega-3.

Proponents of lab-grown food believe that growing ingredients from cell culture can be less resource-intensive than traditional methods. Cultivated animal products can provide a low-impact and clean alternative to conventional animal agriculture.

Traditional animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions globally.The production of food from cell culture, in the form of tissue, will undoubtedly be the most efficient and scalable way to meet the food needs we will face in the coming years, said Montefeltro.

Summary

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This Food Tech Startup Is Replacing Animal Fats With Plants

Description

Barcelona-based CUBIQ Foods produces sustainable, healthy food ingredients, including vegan and cultured fat and concentrated omega-3.

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Liam Pritchett

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LIVEKINDLY

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This Food Tech Startup Is Replacing Animal Fats With Plants - LIVEKINDLY

It will be made in a similar way to brewing beer, says Lavanya Anandan. She is not talking about a new kind of drink, however, but describing a new industry aiming to grow meat in the lab. This new food is known as clean meat, cultured meat or cultivated meat.

Demand for meat has never been higher, but the way we produce it today is unsustainable and, for some, ethically dubious. So scientists around the world are learning to grow meat and seafood in their labs without the need for farms or livestock.

They have had considerable success the worlds first lab-grown beef burger was cooked and tasted in London in 2013, albeit at a price of around $250,000 and costs have dropped by orders of magnitude since. The challenge now is to turn these lab-based successes into food that can be sold on supermarket shelves at reasonable prices.

Thats how Anandan fits in. Leading a new Innovation Field on this topic and based in Silicon Valley, Anandan works for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company in Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials with a 350-year record of innovation. The companys strategy and transformation team is working on new products and technologies for the future. One of their goals is to provide the technology platforms and infrastructure that will enable the cultured meat revolution.

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This revolution is desperately needed. The worlds population is growing, with another 2 billion expected by 2050. Demand for meat is expected to grow by 70 per cent, significantly increasing the pressure on limited resources such as land and water. This in turn will drive climate change. Today, livestock farming is responsible for 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a key cause of deforestation. If you look at the numbers, theyre quite staggering, says Anandan.

If meat could be grown in the lab instead of on farms, it could create an alternative to traditionally-produced meat and help reduce the environmental footprint for meat production. Additionally, by reducing or eliminating the use of antibiotics and hormones, cultured meat could also have positive health aspects.

Cultured meat is produced using some of the same technologies biologists have used for decades to grow animal cells. First, muscle cells are taken from live animals as a small biopsy from which stem cells are isolated and then cultured in the lab.

The next stage is more difficult, however. The cultured cells must then be grown and differentiated into a form of tissue comprising of muscle, fat and other cells that is suitable for food processing and consumption. This takes place inside bioreactors where the cells are trapped and supported in a scaffold of fibres, just as in animal tissue, and submerged in a cocktail of nutrients called a growth media. Finally, this tissue must be processed and formed into products such as burgers patties, sausages or shrimp mince.

Currently, around 60 start-ups around the world are developing and improving the cultured meat process to make different meats and seafood. Most of them are growing its own special cells that require bespoke growth media and cellular scaffolding. And they are all looking to scale up production while bringing down costs.

This is where the expertise of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, comes in. The techniques used to culture meat are the same for the biologics and cell therapy industry and, as a leading life sciences company, weve helped solve similar challenges, says Anandan.

The company is not aiming to grow its own meat but to develop the materials and technologies that will accelerate its development. And it is already working with start-ups, non-profits and academics. We are taking our existing expertise and trying to come up with innovative solutions and technologies such as reagents and analytical tools to solve problems for the clean meat sector, she says.

One important goal is to find the right formulation for the growth media. This is a cocktail of 50 to 100 ingredients such as sugars, salts, amino acids, micronutrients and growth factor. Each cell line is going to require a specific optimised formula, says Anandan.

This growth medium must also not contain animal-derived compounds and economical enough to make lab-grown meat affordable. Cost is an important hurdle that has to be overcome, she says. Currently, culture media costs hundreds of dollars per litre, but for clean meat production to scale this needs to drop to around $1 a litre.

Other challenges for the industry are to develop the tissue scaffolds needed to support growth of the cells, and to engineer the specialised bioreactors needed to scale-up production.

So when will the fruits of this cellular agriculture reach the supermarket shelves? In the next few years we can expect a few launches of small-scale products in high end restaurants. It will be a pretty expensive burger in a restaurant in Hong Kong or San Francisco says Anandan. My prediction is that by 2030 you might see them on supermarket shelves at a decent price.

To find out more:In the US, click hereIn the UK, Europe and RoW, click here

Free online eventThe global demand for meat is expected to rise nearly 70% by 2050. Cultured Meat could help to feed this growing hunger for animal protein with less negative impact on the environment. But which technology hurdles do scientists have to overcome before cultured meat becomes mainstream?When: 10 June 2020, from 16:30 to 17:30 BSTWhere: onlineIn the US, register for free hereIn the UK, Europe and RoW, register for free here

What if medicines could be 3D printed? Or plants grown in agricultural tunnels using nanotechnology that fine-tunes sunlight to boost yields? Or cultured meat grown in bioreactors? These ideas have the potential to transform industries but they need a helping hand to come to fruition. This is exactly the aim of the Innovation Centers of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

The Innovation Center is a playground for scientists and entrepreneurs to explore new fields and develop new businesses beyond the companys current scope. These teams are now operating at the companys headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, with additional hubs in Silicon Valley and China, with involvement from colleagues around the world. Our innovation projects operate like startups, says Lavanya Anandan, who is coordinating the clean meat innovation field at the California site. The Innovation Center and Innovation Hubs are building an ecosystem where we can grow viable new businesses with the backing and know-how of a big company.

In addition to the clean meat research, the Innovation Center is working on a laser-adjustable lens replacements for people with cataracts, new technologies for structure analysis on a sub-microgram scale and many other challenges.

Find out more.In the US, go to: innovationcenter.emdgroup.comIn the UK, Europe and RoW go to: innovationcenter.merckgroup.com

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Accelerating the cultured meat revolution - New Scientist

The idea is hard to stomach at first: animal meat grown in a lab.

But proponents of "cell-based meat" say the emerging technology has the potential to tackle two global problems at once. Lab-grown beef patties, chicken cutlets and even exotic proteins could help satisfy the world's growing appetite for meat, they argue. And it could be done in a way that cuts down on the tremendous environmental impact of animal agriculture.

Standing in the way is a long list of challenges including regulatory obstacles, sky-high production costs and the ever-present ick factor.

Still, advocates say lab-grown meat could hit store shelves as soon as 2025 if not earlier.

One proponent is Krijn de Nood, the chief executive of Meatable, a Netherlands-based company that is producing animal tissue by mimicking the cellular growth that typically happens inside rather than outside of living organisms. In an interview, de Nood said Meatable is "mission driven" and that it aims to address issues from climate change to animal welfare.

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The company is among dozens of startups worldwide that are racing to scale technology they claim produces "real meat" not plant-based alternatives from companies such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat (Climatewire, Oct. 21, 2019).

That's possible, they say, because most cultured protein products originate as stem cells from real animals. Some companies make a point to say that no animals are harmed in the process.

Here's how it typically works. Engineers obtain an animal stem cell sample and isolate "cell lines" with the strongest genetic material. The cells are then placed in an environment like a petri dish or bioreactor that encourages rapid growth, and later differentiation. The resulting fat and muscle tissue is then harvested, structured and processed to create a final product.

De Nood said Meatable already has produced small quantities of meat using this process. And the whole thing took just three weeks a far faster timeline, Meatable notes, than it takes to raise an animal for slaughter. The company plans to host its first public taste testing of a pork prototype in September.

Several other companies already have allowed outsiders to sample their products. Those include Memphis Meats, Peace of Meat and Mosa Meat, which are based in the U.S., Belgium and the Netherlands, respectively.

In fact, one of the first cultured meat tastings dates back to 2013, when Maastricht University physiologist Mark Post presented the world with a beef patty that was produced in a petri dish.

At the time, that single slab of meat cost a whopping 250,000 to produce; Google co-founder Sergey Brin picked up the tab. Several years later, Post co-founded Mosa Meat.

More recently, in March, Peace of Meat hosted an event where attendees sampled a chicken nugget.

Tasting aside, co-founder David Brandes underscored that the startup has a different ambition than many other companies. Rather than producing consumer-facing products, Peace of Meat aims to eventually grow more than 100,000 tons of pure, cultured fat per year. The startup plans to sell the fat to other companies as a key ingredient to enhance the taste and texture of alternative meat products, including those that are plant-based.

"We don't want to make the most fancy-looking piece of food, we don't want to work on exotic species," said Brandes. "You need to produce massive amounts of meat if you really want to have an impact."

Animal agriculture is responsible for a whopping 14.5% of planet-warming emissions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That figure includes greenhouse gases attributable to meat processing, meat-related transportation and manure storage. Then there's the issue of belching cattle which itself is responsible for 65% of the livestock sector's emissions.

Paul Mozdziak, who serves as Peace of Meat's chief scientific officer, was among those who said a central goal of cellular agriculture is to satisfy the world's staggering, and still rising, demand for animal protein but without relying on supply chains that scientists say are environmentally fraught and highly vulnerable to marketplace disruptions.

As an example, Mozdziak pointed to the novel coronavirus crisis, which in recent weeks has temporarily shuttered meat packing plants, forced farmers to cull tens of thousands of animals and spurred fears of a nationwide protein shortage (Greenwire, May 4).

"I absolutely think the pandemic supports the need for this," said Mozdziak, who also directs North Carolina State University's graduate physiology program.

"It's another way to produce food. It's another way to produce protein. It's another way to increase food security," he added. "What if something [else] happens? ... [W]here's the protein going to come from? How are we going to eat?"

But even Mozdziak, who has pondered cultured meat since the early 1990s, acknowledged the obstacles ahead. Despite entrepreneurs' ambitions, he said, the field remains deep in research and development and far from supermarket shelves.

De Nood, of Meatable, highlighted that same issue. "It's all about the scalability of the process," he said, noting that his company is working to drive down costs and move its operations from "small environments" to large bioreactors that would require major processing factories.

Peace of Meat's Brandes agreed. But he said that even if production costs fall, there's the possibility that cultured meat would not meaningfully impact the carbon footprint of the global food system.

"When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, I think there is a big potential," said Brandes. But producing large quantities of cultured meat would inevitably require substantial amounts of energy, too, "so it really depends where you draw the energy from," Brandes said.

Despite those obstacles and more, some projections have named cultured meat as a key driver of a revolutionary shift away from animal agriculture. Independent think tank RethinkX, for instance, predicts that cell-based meat and plant-based alternatives could render industrial cow farming "obsolete" in the U.S. entirely.

Ermias Kebreab, who is a climate and animal agriculture expert at the University of California, Davis, disagreed with that assessment.

Even as the world becomes more invested in exploring alternatives to conventional protein, Kebreab said, researchers and traditional farmers are actively developing strategies like feeding seaweed to cows to cut the sector's environmental footprint.

In his eyes, sustainable agriculture, rather than cellular agriculture, is what will ultimately enhance food security in developing countries where most future population growth is predicted to occur.

"I'd rather have beef" from cows, said Kebreab, adding that cell-based meat also raises other issues for him, like the products' overall nutritional value. He said he's wary of "highly, highly processed food."

Mozdziak, of Peace of Meat, agreed in part. He doesn't see cellular agriculture putting meat companies out of business.

But "at the same time," he said, "let me vehemently state that I think cultured meat is really important. ... [I]f we're going to have a billion more people on the planet in 30 years, we're going to have to find a way to feed them."

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BUSINESS: Can lab-grown meat save the planet and dinner? - E&E News

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Preparedness allows each of us to live the best lives possible. Whether we engage in earthquake drills so we are ready for the Big One; teeth-cleaning procedures for oral hygiene; exercise to maintain good health or even attend college to pave the pathway for a career these approaches seem reflexive. However, preparedness for cognitive impairments in our day and age is still taboo. Generally speaking, when it comes to recognizing the elephant in the room, as Alzheimers innovator, Lauren Mahakian refers when a patient/family resist acknowledging an Alzheimers diagnosis and not believing there is need for a plan, the reaction only curtails hope.

LAUREN, a cognitive impairment educator and care specialist with an emphasis in Alzheimers and as owner of three Alzheimers care communities; host of state-wide Alzheimers seminars/Alzheimers support groups; health advice columnist of The Alzheimers Whisperer, featured in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News and PODCAST host for Unlocking the Doors of Dementia with LAUREN, is the first to sound the trumpet on the dynamic of illness denial: Theres also this part that most people are not prepared for and that is the challenge of managing their loved ones life. It makes sense as most, especially in the midst of a pandemic find it stressful in managing life, let alone the life of a debilitating family member. LAUREN, who is now COVID-19 care certified, is innovatively launching her ZOOM ALZHEIMERS CONSULTANCY: PATHWAYS TO LONGEVITY which assuages the Elephant in The Room syndrome. Through this consultancy approach she will spend as much time with family and loved ones reviewing concerns, symptoms and questions as relates to the family Alzheimers issue, since as she espouses, Alzheimers is a family disease whether the family wants to acknowledge it or not it changes everyones life in the family! The end result of this consultation is a care plan and next steps to a guide of life with hope for the patient and family.

When factoring the current layer of the current pandemic, to an existing Alzheimers diagnosis, NOW is the time to act in a targeted, timely and proactive way by reaching out to FAMILY CONNECT CARE PATHWAYS TO LONGEVITY: ZOOM ALZHEIMERS CONSULTANCY. As LAUREN educates, An Alzheimers diagnosis requires beyond what is needed with normal aging. But, I believe these chronologically gifted can age in place with Alzheimers and enjoy fulfilling long lives.

CONTACT: Lauren@FamilyConnectCare.Com WEBSITE: FamilyConnectCare.comHCO License #: 194700543

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Family Connect Care Launches Zoom Alzheimer's Consultancy: "Pathways to Longevity" With The "Alzheimer's Whisperer" - Business...

Chronological age has little to do with a person's biological age: some people are old at fifty, while others are still sharp and spry at ninety. This book is a guide for living a long and healthy life, providing hundreds of practical tips readers can implement today to help them live a satisfying and productive life.

Dr. Robert M. Goldman and Dr. Ronald Klatz, revolutionary thinkers, innovators, and co-founders of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, authored this handbook loaded with tips for living a long and healthy life. This book provides hundreds of practical tips readers can implement to help them live a satisfying and productive life through anti-aging medical techniques.

Nobody wants to get old. And why would we? The aging process eventually affects every one of our body systems-from mental function and sexual performance to physical appearance, ability, and strength. But chronological age has little to do with a person's biological age: some people are old at fifty, while others are still sharp and spry at ninety. While aging may be inevitable, that doesnt mean that we have to sit idly and just allow it to happen, there are steps we can take to slow the aging process to extend our healthspan and longevity.

The things we've always considered "normal aging" are actually caused by physiological problems that, in many cases, respond to medical treatment and healthy lifestyle habits. As a result, the human life span can be significantly increased while maintaining-or even improving-the quality of life! This contemporary approach to aging-known as anti-aging medicine-is a specialty practiced by more than 30,000 physicians worldwide. It uses advanced scientific and medical technologies for the early detection, prevention, treatment, and reversal of age-related dysfunction, disorders, and diseases. In the near future, we can look forward to boundless health and vitality thanks to these anti-aging approaches.

121 Ways to Live to 121 Years And More!, covers thirteen categories of topics that relate to improving the healthy human lifespan. With hundreds of individual tips on a wide variety of subjects, this book was written to help provide you with the knowledge you need to be your own health advocate and control your health destiny. Each of us must learn enough, and keep learning, about how to keep ourselves healthy. As Marcus Annaeus Seneca, Roman writer (c. 54 BCc. 39 AD) remarked, For the great benefits of our being our life, health, and reason, we look upon ourselves.

Tip 42: Fiber, The Anti-Fat: Fiber soaks up fat. A high-fiber diet can improve your digestion, relieve the strain on your liver and gallbladder, and reduce your risk of large bowel cancer, gallstones, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, colitis, hemorrhoids, hernia, and varicose veins. Your body will benefit from both soluble fiber (sources include dried beans, oats, barley, apples, citrus fruits, and potatoes) and insoluble fiber (found in whole grains, wheat bran, cereals, seeds, and the skins of many fruits and vegetables).

Remember, self-reliance is the key to our health, happiness, and well-being. Anti-aging medicine, a clinical specialty that embraces patient education and empowerment, represents the dawning of an exciting new era in medicine, one that will result with longevity intervention orders of magnitude greater than any other advancements made in medicine to-date. Enjoy a future of boundless health and vitality by implementing anti-aging approaches to help you feel, look, and perform better today by making simple lifestyle changes that can assist you on your way to living a long and healthy lifespan.

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121 Ways to Live 121 Years . . . And More: Prescriptions for Longevity - Anti Aging News

Perhaps your skin has been throwing curveballs at you with random breakouts and redness. Perhaps youve been struggling with skin that is lackluster or oily. Maybe youve simply felt that your skincare routine can use a bit of a pick-me-up. Whatever your concern, this is the perfect time to add a very valuable step to your routine. Enter double cleansing, the superhero of truly pure, healthy and glowing skin. It originates from the popular K-beauty multistep skincare routine, which is famous for being luxuriously indulgent to your skin. And if theres ever a time to treat your skin to a little bit more self-indulgence and pampering, it as to be now, in the midst of a global pandemic.

Speaking to Insider Picks, Dr. Lamees Hamdan founder of the skincare brand Shiffa explains that double cleansing is the method of applying two different facial washes to the face for a deeper clean. It ensures a radiant complexion so that while you sleep, your skin is able to effectively regenerate.

First, you need to understand what youre trying to clean out. For many people, a quick swipe with a cotton pad and some micellar water means their face is clean. However, theyve probably not even broken through the first layer of grime sitting on their cheeks. Its important to know that throughout the day, your skin attracts dirt, pollution, and airborne bacteria. All of that sits on top of a layer of dead skin cells. Left undisturbed, this grime remains on your skin and gets transferred to your pillow at night. Your beauty sleep might have a hard time shining through all of that.

This is why it is important to break down the buildup of SPF, makeup, sweat, bacteria, and old skin cells before you try to clean out your pores. And thats what double cleansing is about. Not only can proper cleansing help you to combat breakouts and irritated skin, but in the long run, you can save your skin from premature aging and pigmentation.

Step 1 usually involves a gentle cleansing balm or oil. This dissolves the upper layer of grime. This layer contains oil-based impurities, and therefore needs to be dissolved with an oil-based cleanser. When you massage this into your skin, it collects everything that has built up into the surface layer. This is followed by a splashing of tepid water on your face, and another massage to remove the first layer from your skin. If you wear long-wear makeup, you might need to repeat the step once or twice. When youre sure your skin is clean, you can either rinse it off or gently wipe it away with a soft, clean face cloth, cotton pad, or wipe. Dr. Hamdan says a muslin cloth works best, because it is both gentle and effective.

Now that the first layer is removed and the skin is clean of dirt and grime, it is now ready for the facial wash. Step 2 involves a water-based wash like a gel. It draws out sweat and dirt, which are water-based impurities. This usually takes a bit of time Rabbia Aslam, Clinical Director at HC MedSpa, suggests taking two minutes to ensure your skin is completely free of grime. After your pores are completely clean, rinse thoroughly with water. Again, make sure the water is not too hot or cold, a this can aggravate or irritate your skin.

However, Dr. Hamdan cautions against using harsh cleansers. Especially if you have sensitive skin, its important to stick to gentle products that are not abrasive and wont disrupt the barrier function of the skin. Stick to double cleansing once a day, at night, so your skin has its best chance of regenerating and showing off fresh skin the next morning.

Choosing a balm or an oil is quite simple, and wholly depends on your preference. Cleansing oils are generally thick and liquid while cleansing balms come in a solid form that melts into a milky liquid when you massage it into the skin. Look for ingredients that are natural, free from toxins, emulsify, will remove makeup, and not dry out the skin or burn the eyes. The right facial wash generally depends on your skin type. If you have oily skin, its best to stick to cleansers that balance oil and sebum without stripping the skin of its moisture. Combination skin will benefit from hydrating cleaners that will leave your skin soft, not greasy. For those with sensitive skin, simple, non-irritating cleansers are best. Thankfully, most oil cleansers are formulated to be very gentle. Also, because double cleansing is becoming more and more popular as a skincare step, you should be able to find the right products for your skin easily. Click on this link to find out which double cleansing duos pair well for your skin type.

Once you have double cleansing down pat, your pores will be able to enjoy a deeper cleanse daily. By removing the dead skin cells regularly, double cleansing also helps to brighten any dullness and improve skin tone. It also takes care of oils and impurities that can lead to clogged pores, thereby reducing nasty breakouts. Not only that but afterward your serums and moisturizers can penetrate deeper into the skin and work their magic. Your skin should soon be looking younger, healthier, and purer. All in all, your skincare regime is more effective, and youre one step closer to the skin youve always wanted.

Elle Beauty Team. 2020. Elle Magazine. How To Double Cleanse Your Skin Everything You Need To Know https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/skin/a36728/double-cleansing-skin-what-is-it/

Mayer, E. 2020. Business Insider. Double cleansing is a popular K-beauty method that removes every last bit of dirt and makeup from your face heres how to do it correctly. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-double-cleanse?IR=T

Here are some great tips on how to manage your skin while you are sheltering or in lockdown. Read on.

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Double Cleansing Is A Must If You Want Younger-Looking Skin - Longevity LIVE

Nostalgia

In her early years, Violet trained as a nurse.

Submitted by Vicki Wilson

A nightly tipple of whiskey along with a good laugh and a sing along is the key to longevity according to one Writtle resident.

Great grandmother, Violet Weaser originally from Somerset, will celebrate her 100th birthday on Tuesday, May 19.

Violet trained as a nurse in her early years. She left Somerset to marry Raymond who she met during the Second World War.

Living in London they helped to run Raymonds Mothers large public house in the East End.

Violet had a baby girl in 1945 and named her Victoria, after VE Day.

After three years they moved to Islington to run a public house called The Drapers Arms and then five years on they had a baby boy named Martin.

Violet was a very hard worker and after Raymond passed away she worked in insurance for twenty-one years and evenings in a local cinema. She carried on working well into her eighties.

Her big move was when she came to live in Writtle, Essex to be nearer to her family.

Violets daughter, Vicki said: She made many new friends and has always been happy and content in Writtle.

Violet has four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

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Whiskey tipple is the key to longevity says 100-year-old Violet - In Your Area

As governments fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Snopes is fighting an infodemic of rumors and misinformation, and you can help. Read our coronavirus fact checks. Submit any questionable rumors and advice you encounter. Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And, please, follow the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease.

Hand sanitizers were flying off grocery store shelves in early 2020 amid the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic, leading to shortages around the United States. While washing hands thoroughly and frequently with soap is the most highly recommended method of preventing the spread of the virus, many people were turning to hand sanitizers.

We received questions about the effectiveness of sanitizers after their expiration date from people who were concerned about using old sanitizer they found in their storage. Some questioned whether hand sanitizers even needed an expiration date, and if the alcohol in them could really expire.

The answer is somewhat complicated. According the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over-the-counter drugs must list an expiration date unless data show they are stable for more than three years. However, the FDA does not have information on the stability or effectiveness of drug products past their expiration date.

Hand sanitizer needs to have 60% to 95% alcohol to be effective at killing germs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hand sanitizers without alcohol are not as effective for most germs, and in most cases, they reduce the number of germs but do not kill them.

Hand sanitizers with alcohol generally take two to three years to expire, and because the FDA regulates them, they are required by law to have an expiration date on their packaging.

According toInsider, the alcohol evaporates quickly when exposed to air. So, when someone pops open the bottle of sanitizer, the alcohol content will gradually decrease over time, since most closed containers are not airtight. As a result, the sanitizer becomes less effective over time. According to Healthline:

The manufacturer estimates how long itll take for the percentage of the active ingredient to drop below 90% of the percentage stated on the label. That time estimate becomes the expiration date.

However, sealed bottles of sanitizer will maintain relatively more alcohol content after their expiration date, especially if they have not yet been exposed to air. According to Insider:

If a bottle hasnt been opened, less of the alcohol will have evaporated, so a freshly-opened bottle of hand-sanitizer that is past its expiration date will likely be more effective than a bottle that is expired and has already been opened.

That said, if expired hand sanitizer is your only option, and you have no access to soap and water, use it. Alex Berezow, microbiologist and vice president of scientific communications at the American Council on Science and Health, said in an interview with Insider, Some alcohol is better than nothing.

Hand sanitizers should not be prioritized over hand-washing with soap, according to the CDC, because they do not eliminate all types of germs:

Soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizers at removing certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can inactivate many types of microbes very effectively when used correctly, people may not use a large enough volume of the sanitizers, or may wipe it off before it has dried.

Thus, based on guidance from the CDC and experts, hand sanitizers should be used as a secondary option to hand-washing, and are less effective at killing germs after theyve been opened and their expiration date has passed. The alcohol content in sealed containers, however, possibly remains almost the same after the expiration date because it has not been exposed to air. We therefore rate the overall truth of this claim as Mixture.

More here:
Is Hand Sanitizer Effective After Its Expiration Date? - Snopes.com

What if the Splash Bros. had Wilt Chamberlain playing center? How many titles would the Lakers have won if Magic Johnson was running the break with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal? Imagine Hakeem Olajuwon and James Harden teaming up in Clutch City.

We asked our NBA writers to come up with an all-time starting five for every current NBA franchise, along with one additional blast from the past. Only a player's contributions during his time with that franchise were considered. (So, no, LeBron James doesn't crack the Lakers' all-time list ... yet.)

In this era of "positionless" basketball, traditional positions don't matter quite as much as they used to, so we allowed some flexibility in choosing a lineup -- but you won't see teams with four centers or three point guards. The idea was to dive into each team's history and create a group that could at least potentially share the floor together.

We rolled out the Eastern Conference on Wednesday. Here is the Western Conference:

G: Derek HarperG: Jason TerryG: Rolando BlackmanF: Mark AguirreF: Dirk Nowitzki

Terry joins Nowitzki as the only players on both of the Mavs' Finals teams and was the second-leading scorer on both squads. There's a reason Harper and Blackman, the backcourt for some good teams that just couldn't get past the Showtime Lakers, have their numbers in the American Airlines Center rafters. Aguirre's jersey probably won't ever be retired in Dallas because of his bitter departure, but you can't dismiss his 24.6 points per game in eight seasons with the Mavs.

The toughest cuts: Michael Finley and Jason Kidd, one of whom helped a young German kid find his way in the NBA and the other who helped Nowitzki finally deliver a title to Dallas.

-- Tim MacMahon

G: Fat LeverG: David ThompsonF: Alex EnglishF: Carmelo AnthonyC: Dikembe Mutombo

You're probably asking yourself the same question I debated for roughly 48 hours: Wait, no Nikola Jokic? There's a good chance Jokic eventually becomes the greatest player in franchise history, but he's just 25 years old.

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Mutombo, on the other hand, is a Hall of Famer and produced probably the most iconic image in franchise history, celebrating the historic upset of the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the 1994 playoffs. Mutombo is the defensive anchor behind a pure scoring lineup that could outgun just about anybody.

English, Anthony and Thompson all averaged better than 20 points a game for their careers, but at their peaks were pushing 30 PPG. Add in a floor general like Lafayette "Fat" Lever to pull the strings, and it could work. Between Fat, Melo and Dikembe, the Nuggets can outname just about anybody, too.

-- Royce Young

G: Stephen CurryG: Klay ThompsonF: Kevin DurantF: Draymond GreenC: Wilt Chamberlain

Adding Chamberlain to the Durant-era Warriors teams that won back-to-back titles would just be unfair. Can you even imagine how dominant that team would be? Curry, Thompson, Durant and Green already have won titles together -- and now they have one of the greatest big men of all time to drop the ball to down low? Unbelievable. The defense is great, the offense is otherworldly.

It's tough leaving Hall of Famers Rick Barry and Chris Mullin out of this group, but who would come out? Curry and Thompson form the best shooting backcourt of all time. Durant is one of the best players of his generation and Green provides the defensive intensity and glue that has propelled them for years -- plus those four already have played together. There is no stopping this team. A juggernaut for the ages.

-- Nick Friedell

G: James HardenG: Calvin MurphyF: Tracy McGradyF: Rudy TomjanovichC: Hakeem Olajuwon

Apologies to Hall of Fame big men Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone and Yao Ming, but it's hard to get one center in the Houston lineup these days. Of course, there's no debate about the candidacy of Olajuwon, who remains the best player in franchise history, even after Harden's run of historic offensive production.

Harden is 22 points away from passing Murphy for second on the Rockets' career scoring list, so for now the flamboyant, 5-foot-9 Murphy continues to be the only player who ranks among the franchise's top two in points and assists.

Rudy T is best remembered as the Clutch City-era coach and for the brutal punch that interrupted his playing career, but he earned his spot here with five All-Star appearances during a career spent entirely in a Rockets uniform.

-- MacMahon

G: Chris PaulF: Kawhi LeonardF: Blake GriffinF: Elton BrandC: Bob McAdoo

Paul and Griffin authored the greatest and most exciting era in Clippers basketball with Lob City. Paul spent six seasons with the Clips, was first-team All-NBA three times and led the league in assists twice during that span. Griffin was Rookie of the Year, a five-time All-Star and the exciting, above-the-rim player the franchise sorely needed.

In the midst of the NBA's 74th season -- currently on hold -- ESPN's experts ranked the 74 greatest in five different categories:

Individual seasons Jerseys | Bottom 10 Sneakers | Bottom 10 Transactions (since The Decision) Players: 74-41 | 40-11 | 10-1

Brand spent seven seasons with the team and made both of his All-Star appearances as a Clipper. McAdoo started his Hall of Fame career when the franchise was in Buffalo, where he led the league in scoring three straight seasons and was MVP in 1974-75.

Leonard is just 51 games into his Clippers tenure, but his elite production already puts him on this roster. Averaging 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists, a healthy Leonard can further validate this choice if he can get the Clippers to the conference finals for the first time.

-- Ohm Youngmisuk

G: Magic JohnsonG: Jerry WestG: Kobe BryantF: Kareem Abdul-JabbarC: Shaquille O'Neal

Four of these picks were no-brainers. Johnson (fifth in career assists) teamed up with Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career scoring leader, to win five championships. Bryant (fourth all time in scoring) paired with O'Neal (eighth in scoring) to win three.

The fifth pick was harder. Is it Elgin Baylor, the greatest small forward in franchise history? Or how about LeBron James, the greatest small forward in NBA history? How about James Worthy, who teamed up with Magic and Kareem and won a Finals MVP?

Ultimately, the pick is West. Baylor never won a ring. James hasn't been a Laker long enough. Worthy would have to play the 4 and you already have Shaq and the Captain on the blocks. The Logo brings shooting and toughness and leadership, and he is extremely important to the franchise as a whole for his post-playing days in the front office.

-- Dave McMenamin

G: Mike ConleyG: Tony AllenF: Shareef Abdur-RahimF: Zach RandolphC: Marc Gasol

The question with the Grizzlies: Who should be the final player to fill out a lineup that features the Grit 'n' Grind mainstays called the Core Four? (I'd make a joke about Chandler Parsons' max contract, but I want to be welcomed back to Memphis.)

Based purely on merit, Pau Gasol would be the pick, but he doesn't fit alongside his brother Marc at center and Randolph at power forward. So we will go with Abdur-Rahim, who was a really good player for some really bad teams in Vancouver, averaging 20.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game over five seasons in which the Grizzlies went a combined 86-292.

-- MacMahon

G: Ricky RubioG: Sam CassellF: Kevin GarnettF: Kevin LoveC: Karl-Anthony Towns

The three best players in franchise history just all happen to be big men: Garnett, Love and Towns. Garnett is the franchise leader in points, rebounds, steals, assists and blocks; he's the only player in NBA history to lead a team in all five categories. Towns (22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds in 358 games) and Love (19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds in 364 games) each put up monster numbers, even though playoff success never came.

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(Side note: Towns is only 14 3-pointers away from becoming the franchise's all-time leader. Seriously.)

Rubio trails only Garnett in franchise history in steals and assists. Since Wally Szczerbiak and Andrew Wiggins were primarily listed as small forwards, the other guard spot goes to Cassell, who played only two years in Minnesota but had a career year and was a second-team All-NBA selection in 2003-04.

-- Andrew Lopez

G: Chris PaulG: Jrue HolidayF: Jamal MashburnF: David WestC: Anthony Davis

(Just a reminder: The Pelicans' franchise history starts in 2002, when the team moved from Charlotte to New Orleans. Anything before that belongs to Charlotte, even though it's the same franchise. Got it? Cool, let's move on.)

First, the locks: Davis, Paul, Holiday and West. Now once you get to the wing ... oof. This spot came down to four players -- Mashburn, Peja Stojakovic, Eric Gordon and, yes, Brandon Ingram.

Mashburn, in the franchise's first season in New Orleans in 2002-03, made the All-Star team and was a third-team All-NBA selection. The Pelicans didn't get another All-Star selection from a wing player until this year, when Ingram made it. But with only 56 games under his belt, Ingram falls off this list. Gordon's time in New Orleans always seemed underwhelming. Stojakovic was a key cog on the 2007-08 team that won a franchise-best 56 games, but he struggled with injuries.

Mashburn was limited to 101 games for New Orleans, but his impact in Year 1 was unmistakable and he still sits second on the team's career scoring average list (21.5), behind only Davis.

-- Lopez

G: Russell WestbrookG: James HardenF: Kevin DurantF: Paul GeorgeF: Serge Ibaka

There's an irony to the Thunder's all-time starting five, because it features their best sixth man. The baggage of Harden's role looms large, whether he wanted to come off the bench, whether starting impacted his contract negotiations and ultimately facilitated the breakup of one of the greatest organically built superteams ever. That's a lot to unpack.

Hindsight and what-ifs aside, the Thunder's all-time group can stand with almost any in NBA history, and most certainly is among the most stout in the past 20 years. The Thunder have been around for just 12 years and boast a remarkable cupboard of talent: three MVPs (Durant, Westbrook, Harden) and piles of All-NBA and All-Star nods. Maybe one of the best examples of how deep they are is in showcasing who didn't make the cut: Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. Not a bad bench.

-- Young

G: Steve NashG: Kevin JohnsonF: Walter DavisF: Charles BarkleyC: Amar'e Stoudemire

No Shawn Marion? No Paul Westphal? No Alvan Adams? No Larry Nance? No Jason Kidd? You can make a solid starting five from the next group of Phoenix legends.

The NBA announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2019-20 season would be suspended effective March 12.

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The franchise's two MVP winners, Nash and Barkley, were locks. Westphal split time as a point guard and shooting guard during his six seasons, but we give the nod at the other guard spot to Johnson, who spent 12 years in Phoenix, and had three consecutive 20-point, 10-assist seasons and five All-NBA nods.

Davis vs. Marion was a tough battle. Both made a pair of All-NBA teams (two second-teams for Davis compared to two third-teams for Marion), but Davis gets the edge as the franchise's leading scorer. At center, Stoudemire stands supreme as his four All-NBA honors best Adams' longevity.

-- Lopez

G: Damian LillardG: Clyde DrexlerG: Brandon RoyF: LaMarcus AldridgeC: Bill Walton

As with any conversation about Blazers history, their starting five comes with plenty of introspective sighing and deep what-iffing. Injuries to Walton and Roy abbreviated what would've been legendary Portland careers. But at their best versions, Walton was a transcendent big man with unique skills, and Roy was a gifted scorer with a knack for the moment.

Drexler is a Hall of Famer who led Portland to its best sustained run of success in franchise history. Aldridge is one of the dominant scoring big men of his era, and Lillard will likely go down as the franchise's all-time best. The Blazers are haunted by history and a compulsion to live in the anguish of what could've been, but there is also a beauty to their all-time five. It represents who they are, and forever, what they might've been.

-- Young

G: Oscar RobertsonG: Tiny ArchibaldF: Peja StojakovicF: Chris WebberC: Jerry Lucas

A Hall of Fame backcourt of Robertson and Archibald knocks Kings great Mitch Richmond out of one of the two guard spots. Lucas, another Hall of Famer, averaged 19.6 points and 19.1 rebounds in six seasons with the Cincinnati Royals. He gets the center position.

For the forwards, we look at two Kings from the early 2000s, when Sacramento was a perennial playoff team. Stojakovic is still the franchise's leader in 3-pointers made, and Webber averaged 23.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 377 career games in Sacramento.

It feels weird not to have DeMarcus Cousins on the all-time Kings squad, but when you look back at the franchise's history -- which dates back to the Rochester Royals and their first year in the NBA in 1949 -- it becomes clearer why he doesn't make the cut.

-- Lopez

G: Tony ParkerG: Manu GinobiliF: George GervinF: Tim DuncanC: David Robinson

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It took about as long as the average Gregg Popovich sideline interview to come up with this squad. These were all easy decisions, considering each player's combination of greatness and longevity with the Spurs. (Kawhi Leonard would have been in strong consideration if not for the lack of the latter.)

Duncan and Robinson are on the short list of MVPs who played their entire careers for one franchise. Ginobili and Parker were essential parts of a dynasty. Gervin was a must-see superstar whose presence made sure that pro basketball stuck in small-market San Antonio.

-- MacMahon

G: Gary PaytonG: Gus WilliamsF: Detlef SchrempfF: Shawn KempC: Jack Sikma

Payton, Kemp and Sikma, the three players to make at least five All-Star appearances in Sonics uniforms, are the three certain selections here. At the other guard spot, there are strong cases for Fred Brown (who's second in career scoring) and Ray Allen (a four-time All-Star in Seattle), but Gus Williams' key role in the Sonics' 1979 championship and pair of All-NBA picks give him the nod.

Spencer Haywood reached greater heights and Rashard Lewis had more longevity, but with the last spot I'm going with Schrempf, whose versatile and efficient game was ahead of its time in the 1990s.

-- Kevin Pelton

G: John StocktonG: Pete MaravichF: Adrian DantleyF: Karl MaloneC: Rudy Gobert

The Jazz's arena is located at the intersection of Stockton and Malone, with statues of the legends prominently featured out front, so we figured those guys should make the cut. Dantley was a historically elite scorer for the Jazz, averaging 29.6 points on 56.2% shooting and winning a pair of NBA scoring titles during his seven-season tenure in Utah.

Gobert gets the nod over fellow dominant defensive anchor Mark Eaton because he's a far superior offensive player and rebounder. It was difficult not to include Darrell Griffith, aka "Dr. Dunkenstein," but Pistol Pete was too productive (25.7 points and 5.7 assists per game) with the New Orleans Jazz to be left out.

-- MacMahon

Original post:
The all-time starting five for every NBA Western Conference team - ESPN

Kaiser Permanente researcher and colleagues reports new findings from long-term study in PLOS Medicine

BySue Rochman

Ten years ago, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research research scientist Erica P. Gunderson, PhD, MS, MPH, became the Principal Investigator on one of the worlds largest and most diverse prospective studies to look at future health outcomes in women who developed gestational diabetes (diabetes diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy) .

Erica P. Gunderson, PhD, MS, MPH, research scientist, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

New findings from the Study of Women, Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes After GDM Pregnancy (SWIFT) were published on May 20 in PLOS Medicine. The new research, Amino acid and lipid metabolism in post-gestational diabetes and progression to type 2 diabetes: A metabolic profiling study, conducted by Gunderson and her long-time collaborators at the University of Toronto, exemplifies what can be learned from a transdisciplinary approach that merges biochemistry and clinical epidemiologic research. The findings have also brought Gunderson a step closer to achieving one of the SWIFT studys primary goals: developing a new blood test for early prediction of women with gestational diabetes who are at greatest risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Gunderson talked about reaching the 10-year anniversary of the SWIFT study, the most recent findings, and where her research on maternal health is headed

Q: What makes the SWIFT study unique?

Gunderson: What makes the SWIFT study different from many other Kaiser Permanente research studies is that it doesnt rely solely on electronic medical records. Our study team recruited 1,033 women with gestational diabetes during pregnancy for the SWIFT study and conducted research oral glucose tolerance tests and assessments from 2 months after delivery and beyond to build a biobank of blood samples and research databases. The SWIFT participants are an ethnically and racially diverse group of women who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during a pregnancy between 2008 and 2011. Each woman consented to 3 in-person research visits, starting 6 to 9 weeks after giving birth and up to two years later, where we measured body weight, height, and waist circumference, and asked questions about breastfeeding and other lifestyle factors during the first year after delivery. At each study visit, each woman was also given a research oral glucose tolerance test. As a result, the blood samples we have collected over the past 10 years provide a rare resource to measure biomarkers preceding the development of type 2 diabetes in the SWIFT study participants.

Q: What were the main findings from your new PLOS Medicine study?

Gunderson: Right now, a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test that requires a woman to fast for 8-14 hours is used to test for diabetes after pregnancy. Our goal for the SWIFT 10-year followup study is to develop an alternative blood test. The new study published in PLOS Medicine added 1,000 more metabolites to our previous analysis. This helped identify an expanded group of metabolites that can predict with over 80% accuracy which women with gestational diabetes are at highest risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes. A blood test that looks at levels of these metabolites would allow obstetricians and primary care providers to identify the women most at risk for type 2 diabetes and advise them about changes in behavior to prevent future diabetes, such as breastfeeding, getting enough sleep, and healthful eating habits to avoid weight gain.

Q: What have you learned from following these women for 10 years?

Gunderson: There are other studies that have looked at progression to diabetes after pregnancy among women with gestational diabetes. But our study is the largest prospective study of women with gestational diabetes in which all participants were given standardized oral glucose tolerance tests from early postpartum and then tested for diabetes annually for up to 2 years. Weve now seen about 20% of these women have developed diabetes within 8 to 10 years after pregnancy. In the general population, among women of this age, about 2% would would have progressed to diabetes within 10 years of giving birth. That means for the women with gestational diabetes, their risk is about 7 to 10-fold higher. My previously published studies have shown that women who breastfed for 5 to 6 months or more had half the risk of developing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes, independent of other factors, and that their infants had less rapid weight gain growth. Our ongoing studies will also provide insights into how the severity of gestational diabetes may affect a womans future risk for cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes.

Q: What will happen next?

Gunderson: Our research staff was ready to begin contacting the women in the SWIFT study for their 10-year follow-up visits to administer a fourth research blood test for type 2 diabetes when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We will pick up where we left off, as soon as we can. The information we glean from the 10-year study research visits will bring us even closer to our goal of developing this test. It will also help us to identify metabolic differences that are associated with race and ethnicity that this test will need to take into account. Many thanks to all of the women who have stayed in the SWIFT research study for 10 years. Their decision to be part of this study and their continued participation will help many women in the future.

Funding for the new study in PLOS Medicine was supported by research grants from The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Gunderson, PI); The National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes and Kidney Disease (Gunderson, PI); Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Companies.

Coauthors of the new PLOS Medicine study include Mi Lai, Ying Liu, Anne Wu, Brian J. Cox, Feihan F. Dai, Hannes L. Rst, and Michael Wheeler of the University of Toronto and Gabriele V. Ronnett of Janssen Research & Development.

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Blood test to identify risk for diabetes after pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes now one step closer - Kaiser Permanente Division of...

Research shows a strong and consistent association between pregnancy loss and type 2 diabetes (T2D), and the risk of developing T2D increases with a higher number of pregnancy losses, according to a study published in Diabetologia.

About 1 in 4 wanted pregnancies in the United States end in a loss, the study's authors said, with pregnancy loss defined as the spontaneous demise of a pregnancy prior to 22 weeks of gestation. This rate corresponds to approximately 1 million lost pregnancies in the United States every year.

According to the researchers, around 60% of pregnancy losses are due to fetal aneuploidy while the remaining 40% of euploid losses may be caused by point mutations, structural abnormalities, or other factors. Previous studies demonstrated pregnancy loss is a predictor of atherosclerotic disease and ischemic heart failure in later life.

In a nationwide case-control study, Danish researchers matched 24,774 women with T2D born between 1957 and 1997 to 247,740 controls. For each case of T2D, 10 female birth year- and education-matched controls without T2D were randomly selected from the Danish general population using an exact matching algorithm, where cases could not be used as controls.

Although 74.5% of the case participants and 78.7% of controls never experienced a pregnancy loss, women with 1, 2, and at least 3 pregnancy losses constituted 19.1%, 4.3%, and 2.1% of the case population and 16.8%, 3.2%, and 1.3% of the controlsl.

Data revealed:

After adjusting for obesity, a case sample of 3064 was compared with 42,276 controls. Data showed women who lost pregnancies still had significantly increased ORs for T2D. Likewise, pregnancy loss remained a significant risk factor after adjustment for gestational diabetes, the authors said.

The study also found women never achieving pregnancy and women with pregnancy losses with a high probability of euploid losses and losses with an immunological background both exhibited an increased risk of T2D.

The association between these predefined groups and T2D supports the theory that the association could be influenced by immunological factors (eg, low-grade inflammation or metabolic disturbances with an immune component), the authors said. However, psychological distress related to pregnancy loss, potentially altering lifestyle habits, and increasing body mass index could also increase the risk of T2D.

Whether metabolic conditions at the time of pregnancy loss explain the association with T2D or the association is caused by a shared aetiology need to be explored in future studies, the authors concluded.

Reference

Egerup P, Mikkelsen AP, Kolte AM, et al. Pregnancy loss is associated with type 2 diabetes: a nationwide case-control study. Diabetologia. Published online May 20, 2020. doi:10.1007/s00125-020-05154-z

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Pregnancy Loss Is Strongly Associated With Development of Type 2 Diabetes, Study Finds - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

While the Mediterranean Diet is not one specific diet plan, it reflects an eating pattern common to many countries in the Mediterranean region (Greece, Italy, Crete, Turkey, etc.) that is associated with decreased health risks and increased longevity.

Principles of this eating pattern include incorporating more whole grains, nuts, and legumes/beans; eating more fruits and vegetables; using olive oil as the primary fat in the diet, choosing fish and beans as the primary protein source, and limiting refined flours, sugars and high fat meats.

Studies have shown that for people with Type 2 diabetes, following a Mediterranean meal plan can decrease fasting glucoses, decrease A1C levels, and increase insulin sensitivity. It can also improve markers for heart disease, including decreasing blood pressure levels, and improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

If youre not already following a meal plan that is Mediterranean based, it is easier than most people think. Its a good idea to start with small changes. For instance, start with one of these steps at a time and before you know it, youll be eating healthier.

1. Substitute one meat meal a week with a fatty fish based meal. Examples of fatty fish include salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines.

2. Substitute one meat meal a week with a vegetarian based meal using beans or lentils.

3. Try a new whole grain once a month. Ideas include brown rice, quinoa, farro, barley or oats.

4. Increase your vegetable intake by at least one more serving per day

5. Use olive oil when sauting, roasting and in homemade salad dressings. This will help to reduce your intake of other fats.

During COVID-19, it is still possible to incorporate Mediterranean eating principles into your diet. Canned and dried beans and lentils are readily available, as are canned tuna, salmon and sardines.

These, plus whole grains like farro, barley and oats, keep for long periods of time. Fresh vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, turnips and carrots also store well. Take advantage of frozen vegetables, too.

Tip #1 recipe: Mediterranean Tuna Salad

2 (5 ounce) cans chunk light tuna in water, drained

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Combine tuna, onion and parsley in a medium bowl.

2. Whisk oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and pepper to make the dressing. Toss with the tuna mixture.

Serve on lettuce/spinach leaves with whole grain crackers

Serves: 4; Calories: 165; Carbohydrate: 2g; Protein: 17g; Total fat: 9.5g; Sodium: 200mg

Tip #2 recipe: Instant Pot Curry Lentil Soup

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp dried ginger

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 (13.5 oz) can lite coconut milk

1 (28 oz) can low sodium crushed or diced tomatoes

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups fresh spinach or unthawed & drained spinach

1. Add all ingredients except spinach into an instant pressure cooker.

2. Seal instant cooker and set to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.

3. Once the 5 minutes are complete, do a quick release of the pressure. Wait to open the lid until all the pressure has been released.

Serves: 12; Calories: 188; Fat: 12g; Protein: 9 g; Carbohydrate: 28 g; Fiber: 6 g; Sodium: 307 mg

Melissa Gaither is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist and provides both nutrition counseling and diabetes education and support. Melissa works with patients at the Healthpark, in Madisonville and Ohio County. She is also a certified lifestyle coach for the Diabetes Prevention Program. She helps with the diabetes support group and cooking programs for the public.

Amanda Owen is the founder and executive director of Puzzle Pieces. Follow Amandas Blog: Pieces of Me: Perspectives on Inclusion and Acceptance, http://www.piecesofme.org.

Amanda Owen is the founder and executive director of Puzzle Pieces. Follow Amanda's Blog: Pieces of Me: Perspectives on Inclusion and Acceptance, http://www.piecesofme.org.

Originally posted here:
Diabetes and the Mediterranean diet | News | messenger-inquirer.com - messenger-inquirer

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.

The rapid escalation of telemedicine due to COVID-19 is likely to shift paradigms in the way type 1 diabetes care is delivered in the future, regardless of how the pandemic unfolds, experts say.

"Because of COVID-19 there's been a need to keep people out of the physician's office and keep them at home, and that's opened up the opportunity for telemedicine to flourish," David C. Klonoff, MD, medical director of the Dorothy L. and James E. Frank Diabetes Research Institute of Mills-Peninsula Health Services in San Mateo, California, told Medscape Medical News.

But use of digitally transmittable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) among patients with diabetes mostly in type 1 diabetes but some with type 2 diabetes as well was already happening pre-pandemic.

So the phenomenon of "tele-diabetes" including communication via video conferencing, telephone, secure smartphone apps, email, or patient portal is likely here to stay, say Klonoff and others.

That is, as long as the loosening of the red tape that has enabled this both in the US and Europe is maintained long-term, they say.

Gregory P. Forlenza, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Barbara Davis Center (BDC), Aurora, Colorado, agrees: "We believe that type 1 diabetes is especially well-suited for telehealth when this pandemic is over, whereas some other areas of medicine might not be ideal for home-based care and not having physical exams."

Both Forlenza and Klonoff nevertheless say there will still be limitations for certain aspects of diabetes care patients will still need to make in-person visits for physical exams and laboratory work,including A1c measurement at least annually.

Those people who are less technically inclined may need additional in-person help with using the devices and uploading data, at least initially. Current integration of the various device data into electronic health records is also still very clunky.

For patients with low health literacy and/or lack of access to technology"tele-diabetes" may not be feasible at all.

And data will be needed to show that tele-diabetes is both effective and cost-effective.

"Just as we're doing an experiment with social isolation and we hope it's right, we're doing an experiment with telemedicine and we hope it's right. We have no data," Klonoff observed.

To address this issue, three newly published articles describe some interesting cases of diabetes telecare delivered during COVID-19 through a variety of platforms.

The first article, by lead author Satish K. Garg, MD, also of the BDC, and colleagues, describes two patients one adult, one pediatric with new-onset type 1 diabetes managed remotely following initial hospitalization during the pandemic. It was recently featured in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, and Forlenza is a senior author.

Garg is also an author of another article published in the same journal, which covers two adults with type 1 diabetes with ketosis and hyperglycemia in whom hospitalization for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was successfully avoided during the pandemic with remote management. One of them was newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

The third article, a commentary by Thomas Danne, MD, of the Diabetes Centre for Children and Adolescents, Hannover, Germany, and Catarina Limbert, MD, PhD, of Central Lisbon University Hospital Centre, Portugal, offers a European perspective with a focus on pediatric type 1 diabetes telemedicine, and was published in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Forlenza said that in new-onset type 1 diabetes, unless the patient and family are already familiar with the condition, the first visit really does need to be in-person.

"Especially in pediatrics you need to deal with needle phobia and the anxiety, and letting parents do it themselves with saline so they can see that the microneedles we use really aren't painful. Those things really need to be done under the direct supervision of a healthcare professional," he said.

But after that, with CGM, the data can be uploaded via phone or computer. Currently with most insulin pumps the data can only be uploaded via computer, but that will change with time, as closed-loop technologies progress.

Forlenza has been using tele-diabetes for the past 5 years for his patients in remote areas.

"I think the biggest advantage is limiting missed time from school and work. The physicians are still keeping normal business hours, but at least there's no travel time," he said.

"Also, with home telemedicine, kids are in their home environment and feel a lot more comfortable, relaxed, and conversive. I think that's a big benefit of this framework."

Drilling down into the details of individual patients, one of the reported new-onset cases was a 20-year-old man initially admitted to hospital with DKA who was in intensive care for 2 days.

He was then seen in person for new-onset diabetes education. He was started on multiple daily insulin injections and given a Dexcom G6 CGM sensor for free by the BDC to avoid insurance hassles.

Because of the COVID-19 lockdown, his follow-up visits every day for 7 days were conducted virtually.

The man shared his data with the team via the Dexcom Clarity app, and his insulin doses were adjusted based on the data. His time-in-range went from 16% at the time of his hospitalization to 37% with no time below range at his 2-week virtual visit. (He subsequently had a honeymoon phase with 90% time-in-range on very low insulin doses.)

The pediatric new-onset case was a 12-month-old girl from rural Wyoming who was medevaced to the BDC with moderate DKA.

She was put on an Omnipod Eros insulin pump and a Dexcom G6 CGM. The family was taught how to use the devices andupload the data the pump via the Glooko app and the Dexcom via the Clarity app, both linked to the respective BDC accounts.

Both the parents and the BDC physician were able to follow the child's blood glucose levels using the Dexcom Follow app. Using the data and the child's anticipated food intake, the physician instructed the mother by phone and email to make daily insulin dose adjustments and provided education for future dosing. The child's glucose levels improved over the subsequent 2 weeks.

One of two patients at risk for DKA was a 21-year-old college student who developed COVID-19 symptoms soon after returning home from college after his campus had closed because of the pandemic.

He had been on an insulin pump and obtained unused CGM sensors and a transmitter from a friend.

Despite weakness, nausea, and strongly positive urine ketones, he managed to take fluids and insulin doses at home while his diabetes team monitored his glucose remotely, and was able to recover without needing to physically interact with the healthcare system.

The other case was a 26-year-old woman already diagnosed with diabetes insipidus who then developed new-onset type 1 diabetes in mid-April, with hyperglycemia and ketosis but not DKA.

She made just one outpatient visit for basic education and was provided with insulin and technology (again, the CGM was provided free), with subsequent remote management including daily insulin adjustments for 7 days, with subsequent periodic tele-visits with a certified diabetes care and education specialist. Her time-in-range went from 13% to 51% at day 6 to 90% subsequently.

The physicians say it's not clear yet whether the emergency regulatory changes that have facilitated telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic will be continued once the threat has eased.

These include changes by the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allowing physicians to be reimbursed for tele-health visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and some changes by the US Department of Health & Human Services "easing previous restrictions on communication via popular technologies such as FaceTime or Skype," Klonoff explained.

Forlenza has been lobbying local representatives in Colorado to keep the new rules.

"For us in diabetes, it would be very useful. We hope to see that it stays and those emergency provisions are kept in place," he says.

In their article, Danne and Limbert see the same thing happening in Europe.

"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was thought that telemedicine approaches would only become established...if it was possible to show in long-term studies that the use of telemedicine leads to significant savings in time and costs," they write.

"However, according to the COVID-19 forum on the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes website, the establishment of these approaches is now happening within days in pediatric diabetes centers around the globe," they explain.

Now, they say, "Rules for access to telemedicine have become more relaxed, families and hospitals have fewer concerns regarding data safety, and remunerations appear to be less important."

Klonoff believes the same will be true of new rules that allow patients' own diabetes devices, including some CGMs, in the hospital during the pandemic.

"The longer that something is used, be it CGM in the hospital or telemedicine for medical care, and the more established it is, the more people are going to be upset to give it up. I think both of those are going to become established, and I think the regulators and payers will go along with it," he said.

Forlenza has reported conducting research supported by Medtronic, Dexcom, Abbott, Insulet, Tandem, and Lilly, and serving as a speaker, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Medtronic, Dexcom, Abbott, Insulet, Tandem, and Lilly. Klonoff has reported being a consultant for Abbott, Ascensia, Dexcom, EOFlow, Fractyl, Lifecare, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and Thirdwayv. Danne has reported receiving grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Lilly, and Sanofi, and personal fees from Novo Nordisk, Medtronic, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Dexcom; and being a shareholder of DreaMed Diabetes, which develops commercial algorithms for dosing advisors. Limbert has reported receiving grants and personal fees from Abbott, Ipsen, and Sanofi.

Diabetes Technol Ther. Published online April 17 and May 5, 2020. Article 1, Article 2

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Published online May 5, 2020. Full text

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A Silver Lining to the Pandemic as 'Tele-Diabetes' Here to Stay - Medscape

Type 2 diabetes can make you feel hungrier than normal. Are you struggling to keep away from the snacks? How can the health condition be related to your appetite?

When the pancreas the large gland behind the stomach struggles to make enough or adequate levels of the hormone insulin, your health deteriorates.

This is because insulin is the key that unlocks access to the body's cells.

As we eat food, it's broken down into glucose (sugar). Insulin enables glucose to enter the body's cells.

People with polyphagia won't be able to satisfy their feelings of hunger - no matter how much they eat.

Instead, simply eating more will increase high blood sugar levels and make the condition worse.

Instead, charity Diabetes UK recommends exercise to help stimulate insulin production.

Other symptoms of type 2 diabetes include: unquenchable thirst, extreme fatigue and frequently needing the bathroom.

See the original post:
Type 2 diabetes symptoms: The sign in your eating habits that could signal the condition - Express

Prediabetes is not associated with cognitive impairment after stroke, whereas a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk for poorer cognitive function at 3 to 6 months after stroke, according to study results published in Stroke.

Diabetes has been associated with cognitive impairment in patients who have had a stroke, but the effect of prediabetes is not clear. The goal of the current study was to explore the association between T2D and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) during hospitalization for acute stroke and poststroke cognitive impairment.

The researchers used data from the STROKOG (Stroke and Cognition) consortium and collected information on 1601 patients with stroke (mean age, 66.0 years; 63% men) from 7 international cohorts in Australia, France, Korea, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States.

According to their medical history and fasting plasma glucose during the hospital stay, patients were classified to 1 of 3 groups: T2D (fasting plasma glucose 7 mmol/L or prior T2D diagnosis or treatment), IFG (fasting plasma glucose between 6.1 and 6.9 mmol/L), and normal fasting plasma glucose (<6.1 mmol/L). Almost all patients (99%) had an ischemic stroke and 36% overall had T2D, 12% had IFG, and 52% were found to have normal glucose homeostasis.

Individuals with T2D had significantly poorer cognitive function in global cognition and in all domains compared with patients with normal fasting plasma glucose (global cognition z scores in T2D vs normal group: SD, -0.59; 95% CI, -0.82 to -0.36; P <.001). For patients with T2D, the greatest relative deficits in cognition were in the attention domain, followed by the perceptual motor and executive function domains.

There were no significant differences in global cognition between individuals with IFG and those with normal fasting plasma glucose (global cognition z scores in IFG vs normal group: SD, -0.10; 95% CI, -0.45 to 0.24; P =.55).

The study had several limitations, including the cross-sectional design, an inability to assess the effect of the duration and severity of diabetes on cognitive function, and possible unknown confounders.

Taken together, the researchers concluded that their findings emphasize the importance of interventions to prevent the progression of prediabetes to diabetes mellitus in stroke patients, as well as the evaluation of diabetes mellitus self-care skills in diabetic patients and the simplification of those routines whenever possible.

Disclosure: Several study authors declared affiliations with the pharmaceutical industry. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors disclosures.

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Reference

Lo JW, Crawford JD, Samaras K, et al. Association of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes with cognitive function after stroke: a STROKOG collaboration study [published online May 14, 2020]. Stroke. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.028428

View original post here:
Diabetes Linked to Worse Cognitive Impairment After Stroke, but No Association Found for Prediabetes - Endocrinology Advisor

SHOCKING new research today revealed that one third of all hospitaldeaths from Covid-19 in England have been among diabetics.

Experts said the major study, which included all patients hospitalised with coronavirus over ten weeks, showed that diabetes which is often fuelled by obesity is driving Britain's death toll.

1

In particular, it revealed that Brits withtype 2 diabetes face double the risk of dying if they catch the deadly virus.

This revelation has inspired many people with type 2 diabetes to try and get their condition into "remission" - this means that your blood sugar levels are healthy without needing to take any diabetes medication.

But how exactly can you reverse type 2 diabetes? Wellevidence suggests that the key to remission is weight loss.

In particular, research from Diabetes UK has shown that losing around 15kg within three to five months significantly improves your chances of putting your type 2 diabetes into remission.

It's important to point out that if you do want to start losing weight quickly to work towards remission, you should talk to a healthcare professional before you begin.

Here, with the help of some top experts, we take you through some of the main ways to reverse type 2 diabetes...

One way people can increase their chances of reversing type 2 diabetes is through regular exercise.

This is because keeping active can help you keep your weight under control and reduce your cholesterol a risk factor in diabetes.

Emma Shields, Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK, told The Sun Online: "We understand that people might not have access to their usual form of exercise but staying at home doesnt have to mean we move less.

Things like hoovering, dancing to music, or working in the garden - if you have one - can all count

"Theres lots you can still do to increase your heart rate.

"Things like hoovering, dancing to music, or working in the garden - if you have one - can all count."

Dr Daniel Atkinson, clinical lead at Treated.com,adds that even you dont get some exercise every day, those with type 2 diabetes should still aim for a weekly target of two and a half hours.

He says: "Go for walks outside and get some fresh air - but be sure to practise social distancing when you do so."

What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

Source: NHS

Some people have put their diabetes into remission by losing weight through alow-carb diet.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and Clinical Director ofpatientaccess.com, says: "In the last few years, more and more people with type 2 diabetes have been following a low-carb diet.

"Replacing refined carbs with lots of low-carb vegetables and foods with low glycaemic index (a measure of how fast food is absorbed and causes your blood sugar levels to spike) can help you lose weight.

"But in addition, it may even allow you to put your diabetes into remission allowing you to stop your medicine but keep your blood sugar levels normal."

Generally, low-carb eating is when you reduce the total amount of carbs you consume in a day to less than 130g.

To put this into context, a medium-sized slice of bread is about 15 to 20g of carbs, which is about the same as a regular apple. On the other hand, a large jacket potato could have as much as 90g of carbs, as does one litre of orange juice.

One of the best ways to lose weight and get type 2 diabetes under control is through drinking more water.

This is because water is known to boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste and it also acts as an appetite suppressant.

Helen Bond, registered dietitian, told The Sun: "Drinking enough water and fluid is essential to help our bodys function well.

"We get some fluid from the foods we eat, but on top of this, its estimated women need around 1.6 litres of fluid and men around two litres a day.

"Water is the best choice as its calorie and sugar free, but tea and coffee, low sugar squashes, reduced fat milks and diet fizzy drinks also count towards our fluid intakes."

Cutting down on your alcohol intake can help to maximise your weight loss and boost your chances of reversing type 2 diabetes.

This is because alcohol has a sneaky way of increasing your daily calorie intake without you realising it.

One pint of beer contains an average of 208 calories while a glass of wine may contain 83 calories.

On top of this many people find themselves reaching for a pizza or a kebab after a night of heavy drinking - which will make your calorie intake go up even more.

Helen says: "Make sure you stick to no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, as drinking too much alcohol can irritate our digestive system and can also interfere with your blood sugar levels.

"Alcohol can also contain a lot of calories, which can lead us to putting on weight."

Cooking meals from scratch puts you in control - and should help you to cut down on unhealthy foods.

Dr Atkinson says: "Being at home more may give you the opportunity to eat fresh food and make home cooked meals more often than you normally would.

"You should reduce your intake of processed foods like ready meals, and cook your meals from scratch so you can have control over the amount of fat, salt and sugar is in your food.

Cook your meals from scratch so you can have control over the amount of fat, salt and sugar is in your food

"Recipes are easy to find online, and easy to follow, if cooking is not your strength."

Emma, from Diabetes UK, adds: Now were spending more time at home, its a great chance to experiment with new recipes and foods.

"Cooking from scratch puts you in control, so you know exactly whats in your meals.

"Why not start by thinking about how you can get more vegetables into your meals? For example by grating carrot or courgette into pasta sauces, stews or soups."

Takeawaysare often cheap, convenient and satisfying but, unfortunately, they're not always very healthy. Sometakeaway meals can push you over your recommended daily maximum amount of salt and fat.

Dr Atkinson urges people to limit how many takeaways they have every month, particularly those with type 2 diabetes.

"Ordering a takeaway as a treat once in a while is fine, but you should try to keep it as that - maybe ordering one a week, or once a fortnight," he says.

"Set aside the night to order yourself a takeaway, like a Friday night, and plan your meals for the rest of the week.

"Social distancing should still be observed when ordering food, so pay for your meal online to avoid having to pay cash, and consider that you may not be able to collect your food from the delivery person themselves, but rather "from a safe distance."

Getting enough sleep can help aid weight loss - because sleep affectstwo "hunger hormones" known as ghrelin and leptin.

Ghrelin is released after the brain signals the stomach is empty, while leptin is released from fat cells to suppress hunger - and tell the brain it's full.

But, when you don't get enough kip, the body makes more ghrelin and less leptin - leaving you hungry and increasing your appetite.

Helen says: "Sleep is so important for your gut, immune and overall health, so try to get the NHS recommended six to nine hours of sleep every night.

"Your gut and immune health will thank you."

People can help themselves move closer to putting their type 2 diabetes into remission is by cutting down on unhealthy snacks.

Helen says: "The danger of being cooped up at home all the time, fed up and missing friends and family, is that we look to food to cheer ourselves up.

"So itstime to stop buying in too many high calorie, high fat, high salt foods during lockdown - they willdo your blood sugars, cholesterol levels and heart health no favours.

RISK FACTORAre people with diabetes more at risk if they catch coronavirus?

STAY SAFECoronavirus high risk groups - from diabetics and the obese to asthma sufferers

RISK FACTORQuarter of people who die of Covid in England have diabetes, NHS figures show

RISK FACTORSevere asthma & diabetes puts Brits 'at highest risk of dying from Covid'

AGAINST ALL ODDSDad, 89, beats virus despite suffering with diabetes & high blood pressure

Exclusive

TAKES THE BISCUITMPs and Commons staff spent over 122,000 on biscuits in three years

SUPER SLIMMERSSmart diet app could help you shed a stone in 12 weeks

SILENT KILLERTwo million at risk of type 2 diabetes & early death - signs to watch out for

TIME CHECKDont eat after 6pm - it increases your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes

"If you dont have them in the house, you will not be tempted to constantly raid the fridge and cupboards, when you need a little pick-me-up to fill in the boredom gap."

Despite the above top tips, Diabetes UK say everyone with type 2 diabetes is different - and something may work for some, while they may not work for others.

Emma, Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK, concludes: There isnt a one size fits all so what is important to remember is that whatever you decide to do, it should work for you.

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The 8 ways to reverse type 2 diabetes as its linked to almost a THIRD of Covid deaths - The Sun

A research study spearheaded by clinical researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar (WCM-Q) has shown for the first time that type-2 diabetes can be reversed in those originating from the Middle East and North Africa region.

The internationally competitive work is the first intensive lifestyle intervention trial in the Middle East and North Africa region and the first clinical trial in primary care in Qatar. The clinical trial demonstrated significant weight loss as well as reversal of type 2 diabetes in more than 60% of intervention participants.

Led by Dr. Shahrad Taheri, professor of medicine at WCM-Q and a consultant endocrinologist at Hamad Medical Corporation and the Qatar Metabolic Institute, the research team conducted a randomized control trial, comparing the effects of the best medical care for diabetes with intensive lifestyle intervention therapy that included dietary change, physical activity, and behaviour change.

The study participants were younger adults who had all been diagnosed with diabetes within the previous three years. They were all aged between 18 and 50 and had a body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/m or more. Participants were randomly placed into the control group or the intensive intervention group. Individuals in the intervention group underwent atotal diet replacement phase, in which the participants were given formula low-energy meal replacement products followed by the gradual reintroduction of food combined with physical activity support. This was in conjunction with a weight loss maintenance phase that involved structured lifestyle support. Participants in the control group received the best currently available diabetes care based on clinical guidelines.

The results were highly significant with participants in the intervention group losing about 12 kg on average after 12 months, compared with about 4kg in the control group. Most importantly, almost two thirds (61%) of participants in the intervention group saw their diabetes go into remission, meaning that their blood sugars were no longer in the diabetes range. Finally, over one third of participants in the intervention group saw their blood sugar levels return completely to normal.

The research is of such importance for its impact on health that it has been published inThe Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinologymedical journal, one of the worlds leading medical journals. This is the highest impact health publication in which a clinical research study conducted in Qatar has been published.

Dr. Taheri said: This study was highly significant, proving for the first time the benefits of an intensive lifestyle intervention for patients with diabetes originating from 13 different countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

It is also the first time that a health study originating and conducted in Qatar has featured, because of its high clinical value, in such a prestigious publication as The Lancet. Our study shows that it is possible to reverse diabetes in young individuals with type 2 diabetes. We can now take this directly into the clinic in Qatar and make a difference to peoples lives.

The study, entitled Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention on bodyweight and glycaemia in early type 2 diabetes (DIADEM-I): an open-label, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial was funded by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF - NPRP 8-912-3-192), a member of Qatar Foundation.

Dr. Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director of Qatar National Research Fund said: Funding research which promotes the healthcare of the citizens of Qatar is one of the cornerstones of our mission at Qatar National Research Fund. Type 2 diabetes and its spread in the Middle East is a matter of high concern which requires research that focus on the local populations and conditions.

Therefore, I am very glad to learn that QNRF funding has resulted in such a significant research project with positive implications for the Qatari people and all affected by type 2 diabetes. Such research projects which focus on the local populations will be helpful in developing effective and specialized treatments to help people with type 2 diabetes in Qatar and the region.

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, also praised the research.

Dr. Sheikh said: Given that diabetes is so prevalent within Middle Eastern populations, this study has the potential to help tens of thousands of people, improving their quality of life and enhancing their life expectancy.

Not only that, but by revolutionizing the way type 2 diabetes is treated in Qatar, we could see more people reverse diabetes, removing the need for lifelong medical care and so improving health budgets.

It is testament to what can be achieved when different organizations collaborate, in this case WCM-Q has worked in partnership with QNRF, Qatar Foundation, the Primary Health Care Corporation, Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar Diabetes Association, Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, and Cornell University in the US to achieve remarkable results.

It also clearly demonstrates that the funding and infrastructure that has been put in place by Qatars leadership is bearing fruit and that the country is a Middle Eastern hub for clinical science and research.

Original post:
WCM-Q Study Shows That Type 2 Diabetes Can Be Successfully Reversed With Intensive Lifestyle Change - Al-Bawaba

Letters to the EditorNewsday9 Hrs Ago

THE EDITOR: In Tuesdays Newsday, Simon Wright wrote forcefully in his letter about the need to launch an assault on diabetes, one of the common non-communicable diseases that apparently is becoming even more prevalent in this country.

The Ministry of Health, the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) and the Diabetes Association will need to intensify their health promotion initiatives to educate the population about lifestyle choices to minimise the risk of contracting non-communicable diseases, including diabetes.

Faith-based bodies, public and private sector companies and community groups all need to get involved in promoting healthy living and raising awareness about diabetes.

In addition, some specific attention should be given to educating the public about the complications of diabetes and the impact of the disease on the family, society and economy.

Although diabetes education is ongoing in the society through the Health Ministry, the RHAs and the Diabetes Association, this is an appropriate time for more attention to be given to the planning and promotion of health education events for World Diabetes Day, which is observed annually on November 14.

There should be an aggressive nationwide campaign to educate the population about diabetes for this day.

IAN GREEN

Couva

Excerpt from:
Tackling the diabetes crisis in TT - Trinidad News

Reporting byJacquie Cosgrove

As data on COVID-19 continues to pour in, one thing has become incredibly clear: As a whole, African-Americans are impacted more by the coronavirus. Black Americans are infected with the virus and die from it at disproportionately higher rates than any other group in the U.S.

There are many layers to this, but diabetes plays a role, according to Dr. Jennifer Caudle, family physician and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine atRowan University. Black Americans are 80 percent more likely than white people to have diabetes, she says, adding, that can put you at higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically lists people with diabetes as having a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 than the general population. Diabetes is a condition that can affect your whole body in different ways, Caudle explains, noting that it can impact your brain, eyes, heart, extremities and kidneys. And, when you add COVID-19 on top of possible complications from diabetes, there is the potential for severe illness from the virus.

When we talk about African-Americans, what weve seen is its almost compounded when we talk about COVID-19, says Caudle. For example, the doctor points to data from Chicago that found that, while black residents make up just 30 percent of the citys population, nearly 50 percent of those who have died from complications of COVID-19 in Chicago were African-American. Thats true in other areas, as well. We are often making up a large percentage of those who are becoming severely ill with COVID-19 or dying from complications of COVID-19, she says.

I often think of it as something that is like an iceberg, says Caudle. The top of the iceberg is the stuff above the water African-Americans are 80 percent more likely to have diabetes. But, she says, underneath the iceberg are other factors that can contribute to severe COVID-19 infections in this group:

Story continues

African-Americans are more likely to not be able to work from home during the pandemic.

Theyre more likely to be essential workers.

Theyre more likely to need to take public transit.

Theyre more likely to be underinsured.

Theyre more likely to live further away from grocery stores and healthcare facilities.

COVID-19 is really shining a light on these health disparities, Caudle says.

Caudle recommends that people with diabetes do the following to help lower their risk of severe COVID-19 complications:

Try to get your diabetes under control. We certainly know that people with controlled underlying illness may do better [with COVID-19] than those who dont have controlled illness, she says. We want diabetes to be under control. That can look different for every diabetes patient, so connect with your doctor if youre not certain of what your target numbers should be.

Have regular check-ins with your doctor. If youre nervous to visit a doctors office right now, Caudle points out that many are offering telemedicine or telehealth visits.

Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. We know that is a mainstay to controlling and helping to control type 2 diabetes, Caudle says.

Overall, Caudle advises that everyone regardless of race or diabetes status be aware of their individual risk factors for COVID-19. Its certainly a reminder to us to look at what risk factors we may have so that we can stay as safe as possible.

Original post:
Why African-Americans with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 - Yahoo Lifestyle