30 August DRC Director's Update - September 2019 August 30, 2019 By The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center 0 It has long been known that increased abdominal fat, is a major risk factor for developing diabetes. A new study done by Yangbo Sun, MD, PhD, and colleagues, under supervision of Wei Bao, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and a member of the FOEDRC, has identified a concerning new and underrecognized complication of increased belly fat, namely a high-risk for premature death particularly in post-menopausal women, who might not be obese or overweight. They found that women with normal weight (body mass index [BMI] 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) and central obesity (waist circumference >88 cm), are at increased risk of death from any cause, from cardiovascular disease, or from cancer. Current public health guidelines for obesity prevention and control, focus on promoting a normal BMI, but rarely do they address central obesity, which is actually common in the general population. People with a normal weight are usually considered low risk, regardless of their waist size. However, compelling evidence has indicated the importance of waist circumference, in addition to body mass index, in assessing health risks. This new study was based on a nationwide prospective cohort of 156 624 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative at 40 clinical centers in the United States between 1993 and 1998. These women were observed through February 2017. According to their BMI and waist circumference, these women were classified into six groups: (1) normal weight without central obesity (BMI, 18.5-24.9; WC, ≤88 cm), (2) normal weight with central obesity (BMI, 18.5-24.9; WC, >88 cm), (3) overweight without central obesity (BMI, 25.0-29.9; WC, ≤88 cm), (4) overweight with central obesity (BMI, 25.0-29.9; WC, >88 cm), (5) obese without central obesity (BMI, ≥30.0; WC, ≤88 cm), and (6) obese with central obesity (BMI, ≥30.0; WC, >88 cm). During more than 20 years of observation, women with normal weight central obesity, compared with women with normal weight and no central obesity, had a 31% higher risk of death from any cause, a 25% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 20% higher risk of death from cancer. These risk estimates are similar to those among women who had obesity with central obesity, the highest risk subpopulation. This new study has sent a clear message that waist size is important, even among those with normal weight. Further investigations are needed to determine the best intervention strategies such as diet and lifestyle modifications to reduce the long-term risk among people with normal weight central obesity. Future guidelines will need to include waist circumference to help reclassify health risks among people with normal weight. Related Articles DRC Director's Update - August 2019 FOE Diabetes Research Center faculty recognize the importance of continuing the tradition of research excellence as we fight for the bridge to the cure. Because of this, part of our mission must be the preparation of the next generation of diabetes researchers. In addition to our commitment to training Ph.D. students and Postdoctoral scholars, the FOEDRC is a leader at the University of Iowa in providing research experience to our undergraduate students. DRC Director's Update - June 2019 In healthy adults, blood pressure (BP) decreases during sleep at night to lower levels than during the daytime. This phenomenon is referred to as nocturnal BP “dipping” and normally dips 10-20% compared with daytime. Blunted nocturnal BP dipping has been independently associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The prevalence of blunted nocturnal BP dipping is higher in persons with obesity and diabetes, which are traditional risk factors for CVD. DRC Director's Report - March 2019 Brian T. O’Neill, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology in the Department of Internal Medicine and member of the FOEDRC recently published in the journal Diabetes the discovery that FoxO proteins, which are transcription factors that regulate DNA, are the critical regulators of diabetes-related muscle atrophy. DRC Director's Report - April 2019 In a recent study done by Wei Bao, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and member of the FOEDRC, his research team found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried chicken and fried fish/shellfish, was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease in women in the United States. Women with at least one serving per week of fried chicken had a 13% higher risk of death from all causes, and a 12% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease, when compared with women with no consumption of fried chicken. DRC Director's Report - September 2022 Over the past decade, evidence has emerged indicating that high blood sugars in type 1 diabetes cause adverse brain changes in children. The adverse changes include abnormal brain structural alterations and reduced functioning on some cognitive tests. Over the past few years, hybrid closed-loop insulin pumps have become commercially available. These devices combine a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with an insulin pump that is controlled by an algorithm that uses the CGM data to inform insulin delivery. DRC Director's Report - October 2019 The current epidemic of obesity is a major contributing factor in the rising rate of type 2 diabetes. Recent work from the laboratory of Kamal Rahmouni, PhD, a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC), uncovered a novel and important role for a protein complex called the BBSome in the function of key nerve cells called neurons in small a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus that controls food intake, body’s fat and glucose metabolism. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.