In the United States, 23.6 million children and adults — 7.8% of the population — have diabetes and one-third of U.S. adults are obese [1-2]. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as insulin resistance, a condition that precedes the development of type 2 diabetes. New research published in the Journal of Nutrition now suggests that blueberries can help improve insulin sensitivity in obese, non-diabetic and insulin-resistant people [3].
Archives for 2010
1000 Genomes Project Publishes Analysis of Completed Pilot Phase
November 17, 2010 | by
Small genetic differences between individuals help explain why some people have a higher risk than others for developing illnesses such as diabetes or cancer. Recently in the journal Nature, the 1000 Genomes Project, an international public-private consortium, published the most comprehensive map of these genetic differences, called variations, estimated to contain approximately 95 percent of the genetic variation of any person on Earth.
Follow Science Conferences at Highlight HEALTH
November 15, 2010 | by
To promote public involvement in current scientific research as well as to provide a resource for medical and research professionals, we’ve put together a research conferences page here at Highlight HEALTH where you can follow along with current scientific meetings.
Currently, there are two major conferences going on: the Society for Neuroscience 2010 and the 2010 American Heart Association meetings.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin Found to be Ineffective for Relief of Arthritis Pain
November 10, 2010 | by
For over a decade, chondroitin and glucosamine have been recommended in guidelines, prescribed by general practitioners and rheumatologists, and used by patients as over-the-counter medications to modify the clinical and radiological course of arthritis. Nevertheless, a recent meta-analysis in the British Journal of Medicine (BMJ) measuring pain intensity and joint inflammation in over 3,800 patients concludes that chondroitin, glucosamine and their combination do not reduce joint pain or have an impact on narrowing of joint space [1].
Cartilage is an elastic, fibrous connective tissue found in many areas of the human body, including the joints between bones, the elbow, the knee and the ankle. Glucosamine and chondroitin are key structural components in cartilage and are frequently prescribed to reduce joint pain and slow the progression of the disease. It has been thought that oral administration of these compounds compensates for the loss of cartilage in damaged joints. Glucosamine and chondroitin are partially absorbed in the intestine and several studies suggest that at least some of what was ingested can reach the joints. Nevertheless, the recent study, not a clinical trial itself, but a study of studies (i.e. a meta-analysis), compared glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulphate, and/or chondroitin with placebos and found that none reduced pain intensity or changed the width of joint space (i.e. reduction of inflammation) [1].
NIH Introduces Images, a Database of Images in Biomedical Literature
November 5, 2010 | by
More than 2.5 million images and figures from medical and life sciences journals are now available through Images, a new resource for finding images in biomedical literature. The database was developed and will be maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health. Images is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/images.
