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FDA approves first treatment to delay onset of type 1 diabetes

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CNN
 — 

A biologic therapy that delays the onset of type 1 diabetes received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday.

It is the first therapy approved for prevention of type 1 diabetes.

The monoclonal antibody teplizumab, which will be marketed under the brand name Tzield, from ProventionBio and Sanofi is given through intravenous infusion.

It is thought to work by turning down the body’s misdirected attack on its own insulin-producing cells. The idea is that protecting these cells buys people more time before they become dependent on insulin to manage their condition.

In clinical trials, Tzield delayed progression to full-blown diabetes by a little over two years. But the benefits have lasted much longer in some of the study participants.

One of them, Mikayla Olsten, was screened for diabetes after her 9-year old sister, Mia, suddenly developed a life-threatening episode of diabetic ketoacidosis and was diagnosed with diabetes. There was no history of diabetes in the family, and Mikayla wasn’t sick, but she had four of the five types of autoantibodies that doctors look for to assess a person’s risk.

“They told us when somebody has that many markers, it’s not if they’re going to develop diabetes, it’s when,” said her mom, Tracy.

Mikayla was 15 when she joined the study and received teplizumab. She’s now 21 and a senior in college. She gets an annual battery of tests to check her pancreas and blood markers, and Tracy Olsten says her condition hasn’t progressed in six years.

According to a scientific statement from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Endocrine Society and the American Diabetes Association, when a person has markers for autoimmune disease and episodes of uncontrolled blood sugar, the five-year risk for progression to insulin-dependent symptomatic disease is 75%. The lifetime risk of developing insulin-dependent diabetes is nearly 100%.

So far, Mikayla seems to be beating those odds.

Tracy said that for Mia, who is dependent on insulin, managing her diabetes is a constant chore.

“She has a tremendous amount of juggling that her peers don’t have to do. She has to plan ahead when she has a basketball game or practice on making sure she carbs up and decreases her insulin levels,” Tracy said. “She cannot go a minute or a day without thinking about it nonstop, and to be able to give Mikayla the opportunity where she doesn’t have to think about it 24/7 is amazing.”

Aaron Kowalski, CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, says the main challenge in prescribing Tzield will be finding people who need it. The drug is approved for people who don’t have any symptoms of the disease and may not know they’re on the road to getting it.

“Screening becomes a really big issue, because what we know is, about 85% of type 1 diagnoses today are in families that don’t have a known family history,” Kowalski said. “Our goal is to do general population screening” with blood tests to look for markers of the disease.

Tzield is approved for use in people 8 and older who are in stage 2 of their type 1 diabetes. In that stage, doctors can measure antibodies that attack insulin-producing beta cells in the person’s blood, and they have abnormal blood sugar levels, but their body can still make insulin.

“The way in which not just industry but our medical system go about managing autoimmune diseases, and especial type 1 diabetes, is really suboptimal in today’s day and age,” ProventionBio co-founder and CEO Ashleigh Palmer said. “What we do is, we wait until the symptoms of the disease present to doctors, and then doctors treat the patient’s symptoms chronically for a lifetime. The trouble is that in type 1 diabetes, when the symptoms first present, it’s too late.”

The treatment comes in a single 14-day course of infusions that each last 30 to 60 minutes.

The most common side effects reported in the trial participants were low white blood cells and lymph cells, rash and headache.

With type 1 diabetes, a person’s immune system attacks cells called beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that helps blood sugar enter cells, where it’s used for energy. The attack can happen for years before any symptoms of diabetes appear. Without insulin, blood sugar can build up in the bloodstream and break down the body’s own fat and muscle.

Palmer says Tzield holds off the disease before symptoms appear by stopping the autoimmune disease process and the underlying destruction of beta cells. The treatment essentially reboots the immune system, preserving beta cell function.

“We really have no preventative measure for type 1 diabetes to date, and that is despite [the National Institutes of Health] funding hundreds of millions of dollars over the last 20-plus years of a program called TrialNet that has tested many, many different things, including this, and some of this came out of that work,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association. “Finally, there is something that delays the onset of type 1 diabetes, and it’s so exciting.”

Unlike type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented with lifestyle changes like losing weight and exercising, type 1 is a genetic disease that has not had any prevention options until now.

“For some reason, we don’t screen for type 1 diabetes, even though there are biomarkers available to show that the autoimmune disease process is already underway,” Palmer said. He added that the hopes the drug will catalyze the medical system to start population-based screening during routine childhood well visits in order to intercept the disease and delay its onset.

With Tzield, doctors would screen individual family members of people with type 1 diabetes to see whether they have those specific antibodies. If antibody levels are high and it appears that the person is about to develop diabetes, the treatment will delay that process.

“If somebody has type 1, a common question that comes up is ‘well, what about my child? Are they going to develop type 1?’ It’s only about a 5% risk, so more often than not, they won’t, but if you could find the ones that would and treat them, that can make a big difference,” Gabbay said.

A delayed diagnosis of type 1 diabetes could have a significant impact.

“Obviously, the quality of life is substantially impacted, negatively impacted, if you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It’s a disease that never goes away,” Palmer said.

People who are type 1 diabetics must monitor their blood glucose levels around the clock, affecting how they exercise and eat. High blood sugar can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, in which the body starts to break down fat as its fuel, and can cause a buildup of acids called ketones in the bloodstream. That condition can lead to hospitalization, coma or death.

As of 2019, about 1.9 million people have type 1 diabetes in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association, including 244,000 children and adolescents. Type 1 affects 8% of everyone with diabetes.

“The incidence of the type 1 is mainly in kids and teenagers, and when you are in the turmoil of adolescence, when you just want to forget that you have it,” said Olivier Bogillot, Sanofi’s head of US general medicines. “So when you have the ability with a treatment to just delay the onset of the disease, you can change the way the quality of life is impacted for families and for those kids.”

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Health

Key cause of type 2 diabetes confirmed: Chemicals produced to break down sugar worsens condition

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How high blood sugar REALLY causes type 2 diabetes: Chemicals produced when glucose is broken down are to blame, study finds

  • Oxford University researchers looked into how type 2 diabetes progresses 
  • Found chemicals released when sugar is broken down cause patients’ decline
  • Discovery could lead to new treatments that could slow the condition’s effects 

By Joe Davies Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

For decades, scientists have been puzzled over how exactly high blood sugar causes type 2 diabetes.

But Oxford University researchers may finally have the answer.

Tests revealed it wasn’t the elevated glucose levels that were directly to blame for the pancreas being robbed of its insulin-making ability. 

Instead, they found glucose metabolites — the chemicals released when sugar is broken down — rather than glucose itself is behind the decline.

The discovery could lead to diabetes patients being given new treatments to slow down glucose metabolism, preventing the condition getting worse, they said.

Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 2million people in Britain and 37million in the US. It occurs when blood sugar is too high, which can lead to complications including blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage if left uncontrolled.

Patients are currently encouraged to eat well and exercise to maintain a healthy weight to slow its progression.

Medication like Glucophage to improve insulin function is usually prescribed later on if diet and exercise is not effective alone.

However, the latest research could lead to new drugs that could stop the disease getting to that point in the first place.

Oxford University researchers found glucose metabolites — the chemicals released when sugar is broke down — rather than glucose itself is behind type 2 diabetes progression

WHAT IS TYPE 2 DIABETES? 

Type 2 diabetes is a condition which causes a person’s blood sugar to get too high.

More than 4million people in the UK are thought to have some form of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight and you may be more likely to get it if it’s in the family.

The condition means the body does not react properly to insulin – the hormone which controls absorption of sugar into the blood – and cannot properly regulate sugar glucose levels in the blood.

Excess fat in the liver increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as the buildup makes it harder to control glucose levels, and also makes the body more resistant to insulin. 

Weight loss is the key to reducing liver fat and getting symptoms under control.

Symptoms include tiredness, feeling thirsty, and frequent urination.

It can lead to more serious problems with nerves, vision and the heart.

Treatment usually involves changing your diet and lifestyle, but more serious cases may require medication.

Source: NHS Choices; Diabetes.co.uk

 

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Co-author Professor Frances Ashcroft, a physiologist, said: ‘This is potentially a useful way to try to prevent beta-cell decline in diabetes. 

‘Because glucose metabolism normally stimulates insulin secretion, it was previously hypothesised that increasing glucose metabolism would enhance insulin secretion in T2D [type 2 diabetes] and glucokinase activators were trialled, with varying results.’

She added: ‘Our data suggests that glucokinase activators could have an adverse effect and, somewhat counter-intuitively, that a glucokinase inhibitor might be a better strategy to treat T2D. 

‘Of course, it would be important to reduce glucose flux in T2D to that found in people without diabetes — and no further. 

‘But there is a very long way to go before we can tell if this approach would be useful for treating beta-cell decline in T2D. 

‘In the meantime, the key message from our study if you have type 2 diabetes is that it is important to keep your blood glucose well controlled.’

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, looked at the effects of hypoglycaemia — high blood sugar — in diabetic mice.

They measured how much insulin the mice released when given sugar for those with low blood glucose and those with chronic hypoglycaemia.

Mice were given drugs that blocked glucokinase — an enzyme that aids the break down of blood glucose — for two days to see whether it was glucose or the break down of glucose that causes the normally lower levels of insulin in those with hypoglycaemia.

Results showed the drug had little effect on the low blood sugar mice but ‘largely prevented the dramatic reduction in GSIS and insulin content produced by chronic hyperglycaemia’.

This lower levels of insulin in those with hypoglacaemia was being caused by the breakdown of glucose, not the sugar itself, the team said. 

When people eat carbohydrates, the food is broken down into blood sugar. This tells the pancreas to release insulin, which allows glucose to enter the body’s cells.

But over time, high blood sugar levels can cause insulin resistance. 

Because the insulin isn’t as effective at breaking down the sugars, it causes the body to produce more and more of it.

Eventually, this leads to the pancreas becoming worn out, sending the system out of whack and causing blood sugar levels to stay high.



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Health

Health Experts Agree: This Is The One Type Of Snack You Should Stop Eating (It Causes Inflammation!)

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This post has been updated since it was originally published to include more expert insight.

In order to promote and support a healthy metabolism, it’s vital to evaluate what you eat in a day and acknowledge where you can add more nutrients and ultimately, create a balanced diet. With that said, it’s equally as important to take note of what snacks make you feel sluggish, have less energy or cause inflammation and indigestion.

We checked in with health experts to learn more about one common type of carb found in many processed snacks and beverages that is best to avoid for a healthy metabolism and optimal energy. Read on for tips and suggestions from Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, registered dietitian and Melissa Morris, ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and ISSN-certified sports nutritionist.

 

 

 

 

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The Ultimate Worst Carbohydrate: Added Sugars In Processed Foods

The least healthy type of carbohydrate to eat for a snack is an ultra-processed one that is frequently found in packaged foods such as pastries (think Pop-Tarts, energy bars or bakery goods), Hunnes explains. The reason these types of carbs are not great at any age, let alone over 40, she notes, is because they provide “no nutritional benefit, they are often devoid of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds.”  This, she says, is terrible for the metabolism because it “leads to insulin spikes, increases in IGF-1, an inflammatory marker, and increases risk for chronic diseases and deposition (fat storage) of calories in the body.” 

 

 

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Morris agrees, and said she believes that the “worst type of carbohydrates to eat at any age are added sugars,” which are found in sugary drinks, junk food, processed foods, and desserts. “Added sugars just add extra calories without many healthy nutrients,” she says, and points out that too much added sugar in the diet can also increase inflammation in the body; “This impacts the immune system and can increase the risk for many chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Instead of these types of carbs, Hunnes stresses that “we are best off to eat the least processed carbohydrates possible, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, in their natural form unprocessed.”  These, she says, are “not harmful for our metabolism and are anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, and help regulate weight.” 

 

 

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Morris agrees, and says that it’s also important to understand the different types of carbs when creating a healthy diet after 40 to reap the most benefits. “There are different types of carbohydrates in the foods we eat so we have to understand that concept first,” she says. “There are simple carbohydrates or simple sugars and there are complex carbohydrates,” she continues. 

 

 

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A few examples of simple carbohydrates that Morris lists are sucrose (table sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). Complex carbohydrates are found in foods with starches and fiber, she explains, and fruits, vegetables, and grains have complex carbohydrates. “Complex carbohydrates take longer to be digested, so they help keep us full longer. They also usually have more vitamins and minerals than foods with simple carbohydrates,” she concludes. The more you know! 

 

 

 

 

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Health

I Went to 5 Doctors Before I Was Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes

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  • When I lost weight, became easily fatigued, and had blurry vision, I didn’t know what was going on.
  • I went to five healthcare professionals, and they didn’t know what was wrong with me either.
  • My husband rushed me to the ER, and bloodwork showed I was dealing with Type 1 diabetes.

I wasn’t surprised when I fell ill with a stomach virus over Thanksgiving break in 2005. I’d been working nonstop for the past six months to earn my master’s degree. In addition to taking two grad-school classes — both in the evenings — I was teaching an entry-level writing class to mostly college freshmen. Thanksgiving was the first break I’d had in months.

I thought I’d bounce back quickly, as I always had. But I didn’t gain back the 5 pounds I lost during my illness. Despite eating thousands of calories a day — and consuming much of those in the form of juice to quench my incredible thirst — I continued dropping weight. I went from a size 6 to a size 00 in about six months.

The symptoms began to add up with seemingly no explanation

I also began to experience chronic sinus infections that never completely cleared up, even with strong antibiotics. I went to the doctor each time, leaving with the same diagnosis and a new prescription.

My symptoms progressed. I began feeling depressed about my weight. I bought padded bras to make up for the breast tissue I was losing and layered all my clothes to appear bigger than I was. My classmates and my students whispered about me, and professors looked at me with increasing concern. The strategic wardrobe I’d started wearing wasn’t fooling anyone.

My general practitioner gave me a referral for a dietitian. I was excited to see her, hoping she would offer me some answers. Instead, she told me to eat more calories, and I wasn’t sure how I would manage that. Despite being very thin, weighing under 100 pounds on my 5-foot-8 frame, I was usually bloated from all the juice I was drinking.

Around this time, I also had my annual eye exam. The doctor handed over my prescription, and I chose new glasses and ordered contact lenses. However, when I received them, my vision was still blurry. I returned to the doctor multiple times, complaining that I couldn’t see well. He grew exasperated with me, as much as I grew exasperated with him.

I also decided to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist for my sinus infections. This appointment was not only expensive but pointless. I left with no answers and more dismay.

I saw 5 medical professionals and got no answers. I was starting to lose hope.

I grew increasingly depressed and wondered what was wrong with me. I remember lying in my bed one night, looking at my wedding photo. We both looked so happy and healthy, and now I was wasting away, and no one seemed able to help me.

My feet were also numb much of the time, but I figured it was from my long walks across campus. I was also weak and required daily naps. I also remember a few nights I would wet the bed. I had to urinate frequently, of course — I was guzzling water and juice.

I visited my GP again. It was my 18th appointment in a year and a half. He said I was either a hypochondriac or anorexic, and he sent me on my way.

Then I saw my gynecologist. She looked at me and told me she thought I needed a specialist. I left, exhausted, and took a nap on my couch. My phone was ringing — my husband and I usually had a check-in call during the day — but I didn’t hear it. The next thing I knew, he was putting me in our car and driving to the emergency room.

It was there, after several blood draws, that I got a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. My blood sugar was seven times as high as the norm, and I was in diabetic ketoacidosis. The doctors told me I was very lucky to be alive, as my body was in a state of toxicity. I was dying.

I finally had a diagnosis: Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body stops making insulin, a life-sustaining hormone. Each medical professional I’d seen had evaluated me based on the scope of their specialty, missing the big picture.

Common symptoms of the onset of Type 1 diabetes are blurry vision, chronic thirst, urinary issues, weight loss, mood changes, and more. These can be mistaken for symptoms of other common illnesses, like a urinary-tract infection, depression, or an eating disorder.

Undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes can quickly become deadly. If my husband hadn’t taken me to the emergency room when he did, I wouldn’t be alive today.

Medical professionals and everyday people need to know the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes and act accordingly — and quickly. Doing so may just save a person’s life.

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Health

Pancreatic Cancer Can Cause This Type of Skin Rash — Best Life

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Unlike other illnesses which announce themselves with a variety of symptoms, the warning signs of pancreatic cancer can be easy to miss, or even non-existent, until the cancer is at an advanced stage—making it extremely difficult to treat. The numbers tell a scary story. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 62,210 people in the US will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022, and an estimated 49,830 people will die of the disease.

Why is pancreatic cancer so hard to catch early? “The pancreas is deep inside the body, so early tumors can’t be seen or felt by health care providers during routine physical exams,” warns the ACS. “People usually have no symptoms until the cancer has become very large or has already spread to other organs.”

Knowing the risk factors for pancreatic cancer is important, as is catching any potential red flags early on. Read on to find out about one symptom that may show up on your skin if you have a particular type of this disease.

READ THIS NEXT: If You Notice This On Your Skin, Get Checked for MS.

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The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach, in the upper abdomen, explains the Mayo Clinic: “The pancreas produces enzymes that help digestion and hormones that help regulate the way your body processes sugar (glucose).”

While it is possible to live without the pancreas, if it is removed, “People are left without the cells that make insulin and other hormones that help maintain safe blood sugar levels,” says the ACS, which also notes that this causes diabetes, leading to complete dependence on insulin shots and enzyme pills to assist with digestion. “People who have had this surgery also need to take pancreatic enzyme pills to help them digest certain foods,” says the site.

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As with other cancers, pancreatic cancer is caused when abnormal cells located in the organ grow, divide, and create a tumor. There are two types of pancreatic cancer tumors, exocrine and endocrine (neuroendocrine). “This is based on the type of cell they start in,” says the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). “Knowing the type of tumor is important because each type acts differently and responds to different treatments.”

According to PanCAN, over 90 percent of pancreatic cancers are exocrine; under ten percent are endocrine, also known as neuroendocrine or islet cell tumors, which “often grow slower than exocrine tumors.”

“Pancreatic cancer’s exact causes are not well understood,” says PanCAN, noting that some of the risk factors include family history, smoking, obesity, and a diet high in red meats. “This does not mean that everyone who has these risk factors will get pancreatic cancer, or that everyone who gets pancreatic cancer has one or more of these,” cautions PanCAN.

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The potential signs of pancreatic cancer are subtle, varied, and often do not even occur until the disease has progressed, reports the Cleveland Clinic. Once the cancer has become more advanced, some of the warning signs may include fatigue, weight loss, and back pain. Another common symptom of pancreatic cancer is jaundice (when the skin and whites of the eyes turn a yellow color). “This can occur when a tumor blocks the bile duct connecting the pancreas to the liver,” explains PanCAN. These increased levels of bilirubin (the bile’s pigment) in the bloodstream is responsible not only for jaundice, but also “itchy skin, dark urine and light or clay-colored stools,” PanCAN says.

A type of cancer called glucagonoma begins in neuroendocrine cells of the pancreas (responsible for producing a hormone called glucagon). Cancer Research UK notes that 70 to 90 percent of those afflicted by glucagonoma will get a rash known as necrolytic migratory erythema (NME).

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When a glucagonoma tumor causes blood sugar levels to increase, this can cause the painful, itchy NME rash. “It usually begins in parts of your body with creases—most commonly your groin area—and will spread from there,” says WebMD. “It looks red and blotchy, with dry, crusty, white, or yellow patches.”

“It was all over my face [and] I could literally shave only every other day, because it was so painful over the top of the blisters,” Edward Williams told ABC News about his experience with NME. “I just thought I had a rash and was getting older and didn’t have quite the energy and stamina.” ABC News advises that “diabetes, diarrhea, and anemia” can also occur with NME—but did not for Williams, whose rash manifested under his arms, around his eyes, the backs of his legs, on his back, and behind his shoulders.

Fortunately for Williams, he persisted in speaking to medical providers about the rash and was diagnosed correctly and underwent successful surgery, but only after suffering from the condition for six years.

If you have a rash or other suspicious symptoms, make an appointment to get checked out by your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

 

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Health

A Special Type of Diet Can Reduce Symptoms of Dementia

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Initial data indicates that the diet is safe for Alzheimer’s patients.

Short cycles of a low-calorie diet that mimics fasting appeared to lower inflammation and delay cognitive decline in

The study was recently published in the journal Cell Reports. 

The team, led by Professor Valter Longo and included Professors Christian Pike and Pinchas Cohen, discovered that mice that had undergone several cycles of the fasting-mimicking diet showed less Alzheimer’s pathology.  Lower levels of two important characteristics of the disease were discovered: amyloid beta, the principal driver of plaque accumulation in the brain, and hyperphosphorylated tau protein, which creates tangles in the brain. They also discovered that brain inflammation was reduced and mice performed better on cognitive tests when compared to mice given a regular diet.

The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) is rich in unsaturated fats and low in total calories, protein, and carbs, and is intended to mimic the effects of a water-only fast while still delivering essential nutrients. Previous research led by Longo has shown that brief, periodic FMD cycles have a variety of beneficial effects in mice and humans, including the promotion of stem cell regeneration, the reduction of chemotherapy side effects, and the reduction of risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other age-related diseases.

Promising results in mouse models of Alzheimer’s

Alongside healthy mice, the team investigated two mouse models of Alzheimer’s, E4FAD and 3xTg. During the study, mice were fed the fasting-mimicking diet for 4 or 5 days twice per month and were allowed to eat normally between FMD cycles. In a long-term experiment to see the effects in aged mice, 3xTg mice were placed on the diet for 30 cycles in 15 months. Shorter-term experiments in both 3xTg and E4FAD mice ranged from a single FMD cycle to 12 cycles in 6 months.

In both models, mice who underwent FMD cycles showed promising reductions in amyloid beta – which form the sticky, disruptive plaques in the brain – and tau pathology compared to mice eating a standard diet. The FMD mice also showed lower levels of brain inflammation, including a reduction in the number of active microglia, the immune cells that seek and destroy pathogens, and damaged cells in the brain. In addition, mice on the diet demonstrated a lower level of oxidative stress, which plays a role in Alzheimer’s pathology by damaging neurons and contributing to the accumulation of amyloid in the brain. The study specifically pointed to the free radical “superoxide” as a central culprit in the damage occurring in these Alzheimer’s mouse models, Longo explained.

Outwardly, mice of both Alzheimer’s models who underwent the FMD showed less cognitive decline than their standard diet counterparts. Cognitive behavior, including exploration and performance within mazes, was tested in young mice before the dietary regimen began and again after several months of either a standard diet or twice-monthly FMD cycles. The Alzheimer’s mice given the FMD significantly outperformed the Alzheimer’s mice given standard diets and in some instances performed similarly to the non-Alzheimer’s-prone control mice, indicating that cognitive decline had been significantly slowed.

The FMD cycles appeared effective in reversing a range of pathology markers but also cognitive defects in two of the major mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease. Longo said that the results are promising.

A small clinical study explores the feasibility for humans

In addition to the study in mice, Longo and colleagues also included data from a small Phase 1 clinical trial of the fasting-mimicking diet in human patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease. Forty such patients who were otherwise healthy and had family support were randomized to either a once-monthly, 5-day fasting-mimicking diet or a 5-day period in which lunch or dinner was replaced with a meal based on pasta or rice.

Initial data indicates that the FMD is safe and feasible for patients with mild impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease. Further tests in the ongoing clinical trial will measure cognitive performance, inflammation, and more, Longo said.

Other early trials of the diet published by Longo and colleagues have indicated other benefits of a monthly cycle, such as a loss of fat mass without loss of muscle mass and improved cardiometabolic risk factors, especially in overweight or obese people.

Notably, in a recently published clinical trial in which Longo was a co-author, FMD cycles were associated with disease regression in diabetes patients. Diabetes nearly doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, per the Alzheimer’s Association.

Reference: “Fasting-mimicking diet cycles reduce neuroinflammation to attenuate cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s models” by Priya Rangan, Fleur Lobo, Edoardo Parrella, Nicolas Rochette, Marco Morselli, Terri-Leigh Stephen, Anna Laura Cremonini, Luca Tagliafico, Angelica Persia, Irene Caffa, Fiammetta Monacelli, Patrizio Odetti, Tommaso Bonfiglio, Alessio Nencioni, Martina Pigliautile, Virginia Boccardi, Patrizia Mecocci, Christian J. Pike, Pinchas Cohen, Mary Jo LaDu, Matteo Pellegrini, Kyle Xia, Katelynn Tran, Brandon Ann, Dolly Chowdhury and Valter D. Longo, 27 September 2022, Cell Reports.
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111417

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Italian Ministry of Health.

Longo is the founder of and has an ownership interest in L-Nutra; the company’s food products are used in studies of the fasting-mimicking diet. Longo’s interest in L-Nutra was disclosed and managed per



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Health

A nutritionist with type 1 diabetes shares the top 5 ‘food swaps’ she eats to manage her blood sugar

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More than 11% of Americans have diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.

As a nutritionist who has been living with type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years, I’ve found that having diabetes doesn’t mean you have to completely stop eating what you enjoy. Managing blood sugar is often more about making small food swaps, or adding, rather than eliminating, certain foods.

For example, you can still eat carbs, but you also need to add protein, a small amount of healthy fats and plenty of fiber. Protein, fat and fiber all moderate how quickly food is digested, which is helpful in balancing blood sugar levels.

Here are the foods I eat — and the foods I try to cut back on — to help manage my diabetes:

1. Bean-based or vegetable pasta

Turning vegetables into noodles using a spiralizer is a great way to increase your fiber and vitamin intake.

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Wheat-based pasta is mostly carbohydrates, and it can lead to a blood sugar spike if eaten in large portions on its own.

Instead, I’ll opt for bean-based pasta or a vegetable pasta. Turning vegetables (e.g., carrots, zucchini and sweet potatoes) into noodles using a spiralizer is a great way to increase your fiber and vitamin intake.

If you do choose to eat traditional pasta, whether it’s gluten-free or wheat-based, be sure to add lots of protein and fiber to your dish. I recommend poultry, fatty fish like salmon and beans, and vegetables like kale, peppers, onions and broccoli.

2. Riced broccoli, zucchini or chickpeas

As a substitute for grain rice, try riced broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, chickpeas or cauliflower. These are fiber-rich and gentler on blood sugar.

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As a substitute for grain rice, try riced broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, chickpeas or cauliflower. These are fiber-rich and gentler on blood sugar.

Brown rice is a common substitute for white rice in diabetes diet plans, but the carbohydrate amounts in both are actually pretty similar. And the small amount of additional fiber you get from brown rice isn’t typically enough to have a significant impact on blood sugar levels.  

So, just as with pasta, when you want to enjoy some rice, just be mindful of your portion size and pile on the protein, fat and fiber (e.g., from nuts, veggies, fish, or beans).

3. Almond, coconut or oat flour

To make these chocolate chip almond butter breakfast bars, I use a combination of ground up oats (or oat flour) and almond flour. This combo creates a more blood sugar-friendly flour that also gives a great fluffy texture!

Mary Ellen Phillips

Instead of using traditional flour when baking or cooking, I’ll opt for blood sugar-friendly flour made from almonds, coconuts or oats.

One of my favorite tricks is to use a blend of almond flour and oat flour. The resulting flour is lower in carbohydrates and higher in fiber and protein than wheat flour.

And it’s equally tasty: This chocolate chip almond butter breakfast bars recipe is delicious!

4. Breakfast cereals with protein and fiber

Breakfast cereal can do a number on your blood sugar if you’re not careful. Instead of choosing cereals with large amounts of added sugars, opt for brands that have more fiber and protein.

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Breakfast cereals can do a number on your blood sugar if you’re not careful. Instead of choosing cereals with large amounts of added sugars, choose brands that have more fiber and protein.

My recommendation for a high-fiber, low-sugar option: bran flakes. With about five grams of fiber per serving, this type of cereal contains 19 grams of net carbs per 3/4th cup serving, making it lower in carbohydrates than many breakfast cereals.

A bonus: The added fiber is beneficial to digestive health, heart health and weight management.

5. Fruits low in sugar

Berries are delicious and also low in sugar.

Viktoryia Vinnikava | Twenty20

Many people with diabetes are told they should avoid fruit. But there’s often no reason to eliminate entire food groups, especially something as nutritious and tasty as fruit.

I always go for fruits low in sugar, such as berries, kiwi, melon and citrus. Watermelon is great, too, if consumed in moderation. One cup of diced watermelon has less than 10 grams of sugar.

If you want to eat fruits that are higher in sugar like bananas or mangos, enjoy them with a source of protein, like peanut butter, cheese or plain yogurt.  

Mary Ellen Phipps is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and founder of Milk and Honey Nutrition. She is also the author of “The Easy Diabetes Desserts Cookbook: Blood Sugar-Friendly Versions of Your Favorite Treats,” and a writer for HealthDay. Follow her on TikTok and Instagram.

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Technology

2023 BMW M2 Performance Parts Will Give Civic Type R Owners Goosebumps

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We always knew that M Performance Parts would follow shortly after the launch of the 2023 BMW M2 to rekindle the flames of our interest in the new sport coupe, but there’s no need to wait because we can, apparently, already see them.

Instagram’s Wilcoblok has posted a set of official-looking photos of the new M2 said to be sourced directly from BMW M with a range of performance parts on. While the standard car isn’t exactly what you’d call conservative, these add-ons take the design over-the-top.

Compared by many to the last-generation Honda Civic Type R due to its big wing and abundance of strakes, the M Performance parts are proving to be controversial. In response to the photos, one commentor to Wilcoblok’s post wrote that “they just made it worse!”

Read Also: The 2023 BMW M2 Shakes Off Conservative Design, Retains Driver-Oriented Focus

You can decide for yourself, though, whether the new parts are an improvement or not. They appear to include an extended front splitter that rises up along the sides of the bumper ahead of the front wheels. The side inlets on the bumper also have diagonal strakes, instead of straight ones.

Black mirror caps, meanwhile, can be found a little farther back on the M2, and there are black strakes pointing rearward from the back of all four wheel arches. In front of the rear wheel arches, meanwhile, there are L-shaped brackets.

Up higher, there are two aero elements. The first is a spoiler at the very top of the rear window and the second is a larger wing that arches over the trunk. At the back, the bumper gets new black fillers, and the exhaust tips are moved to the center of the bumper, in much the same way as can be done to the M4. On the hood, meanwhile, M2 script can be seen at the center of the power bulge.

The opposite of subtle, these alleged M Performance parts make the standard M2 look reserved by comparison. Fortunately, they are fully optional, so those to whom they do not appeal can simply ignore them. For those who are interested in them, you can check back in with us when pricing becomes available.

PHOTO GALLERY

more photos…

Photos BMW M via Wilcobloc, BMW



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Health

Knowing Your Blood Type Is Useful: 3 Easy Ways to Find Out Yours

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Knowing your blood type is important. I was recently filling out a volunteer application and was asked to provide my blood type. Luckily, I knew off the top of my head that I’m type O-positive, but I wanted to find documentation to confirm that. I called my mom to see if blood type is listed on my birth certificate — no luck. I checked my physician’s health portal — also no luck. 

So how does someone figure out their blood type if they don’t already know it?

If you have no clue what your type is, you’re not alone. According to a 2019 CBS News poll, only 66% of Americans reported knowing their blood type. Considering blood type can be vital to understanding your health, including your heart health — and of course, saving you in an emergency — it’s important to know what kind of blood courses through your veins. Finding out your blood type is relatively simple. Here are three easy ways to find out your blood type. 

Read also: 5 Unexpected Reasons You Get So Many Mosquito Bites: Blood Type, Clothing and More

Blood type basics

Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative. But what determines blood type and what does that blood type mean?

Blood types are determined by antigens — a substance that triggers an immune response — on the surface of red blood cells. There are ABO antigens, which designate ABO blood types. This is determined by the ABO gene. For example:

  • Type A blood type has the A antigen
  • Type B blood type has the B antigen
  • Type AB blood type has both the A and B antigen
  • Type O doesn’t produce any A nor B antigen

There are also Rhesus (Rh) antigens, which determine if blood is “positive” or “negative.” If you have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you are Rh positive. If you don’t have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you have negative blood.

Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative.


Ekachai Lohacamonchai/EyeEm/Getty Images

How can you type your blood?

Here’s three main ways to type your blood:

  • Have your doctor do a blood test 
  • Donate blood
  • Use an at-home blood test

1. Clinical test

One of the easiest and most effective ways to determine blood type is to have your doctor perform a test. A professional will draw blood and then perform two tests on the blood sample: forward typing and reverse typing. 

During forward typing, the blood sample is mixed with antibodies against type A and B blood. Based on whether the blood cells stick together when mixed with the antibodies, your blood type can be determined from there. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type B blood, you have type B blood. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type A blood, you have type A blood.

To confirm the result, the next step is reverse typing, meaning the blood sample without red blood cells — called a serum — is mixed with type A and type B blood cells. Type A blood will have antibodies against Type B blood in the sample and type B blood will have antibodies against Type A blood. Type O blood will contain antibodies against Type A and Type B. So, if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type B blood cells, you have type A blood, and if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type A blood cells, you have type B blood. 

I recommend calling your doctor’s office to see what a blood type test costs out-of-pocket and if it’s covered by insurance. 

2. Donate blood

This is an easy — and free — way to determine blood type, but results are not immediate.

If you donate to a blood drive, you can simply ask the staff about your blood type. Blood usually is not tested right away, so it may take up to a few weeks to get results. 

With at-home kits, you can determine blood type in the comfort of your own home in just a few minutes. 


EldonCard

3. At-home blood test

At-home tests are relatively straightforward. You will usually start by wiping your finger with an alcohol wipe and then be required to prick your finger with a disposable lancet to draw blood. Then, you will wipe blood on the provided card. Depending on how the blood dries, clumps or spreads, you will be able to compare your blood stain to a results card. Within minutes, you’ll be able to determine which blood type you are. 

More for your wellness

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Health

New model says Type 1 diabetes cases worldwide could double by 2040

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Using a new model for projecting the number of people with Type 1 diabetes worldwide, members of an international team of researchers estimate up to 17.4 million cases by 2040, double the number of people known to have the disease today.

A study published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology says 8.4 million people now live with Type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin, leading to a buildup in blood sugar that can be disabling or fatal. Symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, blurred vision, exhaustion, dry skin and unintended weight loss.

Tracking has improved in recent years, but Type 1 diabetes is underrepresented. In addition, because many countries don’t collect Type 1 diabetes data, the numbers have historically skewed toward North America and Europe.

Learning to live with diabetes

To counter the spotty numbers, the researchers created a model that used the available data to predict Type 1 diabetes worldwide.

The estimates counter some myths about the disease, which was once called juvenile diabetes because its onset often occurs during childhood. Yet the majority of people diagnosed with the disease are between ages 20 and 59, and more adults than children are diagnosed each year.

Children, however, are more at risk for death from the disease, especially in low-income countries. A 10-year-old who develops Type 1 diabetes in a low-income country has an average remaining life expectancy of just 13 years vs. 61 years in high-income countries, the researchers write.

About 175,000 people worldwide died because of Type 1 diabetes in 2021, they believe, and 63 to 70 percent of the deaths in those under age 25 occurred because the disease wasn’t diagnosed.

Better data could help that diagnosis rate rise, the researchers say.

“There is an opportunity to save millions of lives in the coming decades,” said Graham Ogle, a University of Sydney Medical School researcher and one of the study’s co-authors, in a news release. The numbers are a warning, he said, that without solutions — such as universal insulin access, a better standard of care and awareness of the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes — the team’s projection will become a reality.

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