News and Research

Don’t be the type to leave it too late

9 May 2009

A new emotive television advertisement launched today will alert the 700,000 Victorians with pre-diabetes to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes before it is too late.

The insidious progression of pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes and then on to the complication of amputation can be prevented in high risk cases by reducing body weight and increasing physical activity.

The new television campaign ‘Don’t be the type to leave it too late’ aims to raise community awareness and help people address their weight and sedentary lifestyles by enrolling in a Life! Taking Action on Diabetes course.

Hidden Barriers to Metabolic Control - Eating disorders and insulin manipulation amongst individuals with Type 1 diabetes

27 April 2009

Results of a recent online survey conducted by Diabetes Australia – Vic have revealed an alarming mental health issue amongst individuals living with type 1 diabetes in Australia. The Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders Online Survey 2008 Report shows almost 60 per cent of survey respondents had skipped or restricted insulin at some time to lose weight and gain control over their body. Of those, 11 per cent were currently doing so at the time of the survey. Approximately one third of respondents who reported insulin manipulation either skipped or restricted their insulin on a daily basis.

Gestational diabetes triples in six years

7 April 2009

The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) registrations indicate that gestational diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate¹– with significant health risk to mothers and babies.

According to Professor Greg Johnson, Diabetes Australia – Vic’s Chief Executive, gestational diabetes has tripled over the past six years with 3422 Victorian women recorded on the NDSS in 2007-08.

‘We know this is happening due to women having babies later and the population becoming overweight. The 25-34 age group showed the greatest increase in weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference compared with other age groups2.’

Lifestyle Intervention Program For Diabetics Improves Mind, Body And Wallet

27 February 2009

Workers with diabetes and obesity improved their absenteeism and disability rate by as much as 87 percent with the help of a lifestyle intervention program administered by researchers at the University of Virginia Health System. The results appear in the February edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Improving Control with Activity and Nutrition (ICAN) is a dietitian-led lifestyle intervention aimed at improving health factors such as blood sugar control, weight, diet and physical activity. According to Anne Wolf, dietitian and lead researcher in the Department of Health Evaluation Sciences in the University of Virginia School of Medicine, models such as this should be available and affordable for people with chronic diseases.

Examining The Role Of Genetics And Environment In Type 1 Diabetes

26 February 2009

Another 200 newborns in Georgia and Florida with high-risk genes for type 1 diabetes will be enrolled over the next year in a long-term study to determine how genetics and environment cause the disease.

A $10 million, five-year grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health will enable the additional enrollment as well as ongoing monitoring of participants from the two states in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young, or TEDDY, study, says Dr. Jin-Xiong She, director of the Medical College of Georgia Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine and TEDDY principal investigator.

Teen Obesity as Deadly as Smoking

25 February 2009

Obese teens are just as likely to die before they reach old age as teens who are heavy smokers, while those who are overweight, but not obese, have the same risk for early death as lighter smokers, a new study shows.

Researchers followed 45,000 Swedish men from the time they were drafted into the military at the age of 18 until most were in their mid-50s.

Higher Risk Of Depression For Diabetic Women During And After Pregnancy

24 February 2009

A study in the February 25 issue of JAMA reveals that low- income diabetic women who are pregnant or new mothers, have almost double the risk of suffering from depression during and after pregnancy, than women without diabetes.

In the perinatal period, usually known as the last few months of pregnancy and the year following childbirth, at least 10 to 12 percent of new mothers are affected by depression, according to the article, and about 2 to 9 percent of pregnancies are complicated by diabetes. A connection between depressive disorders and diabetes in general adult populations has been confirmed in previous research.

Out-of-Control Blood Sugar May Affect Memory

19 February 2009

A rise in blood sugar levels causes poorer brain function in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study that included nearly 3,000 people aged 55 and older at 52 sites in Canada and the United States.

The participants, who were part of a larger study on cardiovascular risk in diabetes, underwent cognitive tests designed to measure several aspects of memory function. The researchers found that a 1 percent increase in A1C levels (average blood glucose levels over a period of two to three months) was associated with slightly lower scores on tests of psychomotor speed, global cognitive function, memory and multi-tasking.

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