How diabetes causes fracture

Type 2 diabetes is known to be a risk factor for bone fractures. New research in animal models by a team of scientists at UC San Francisco, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley suggests that the disease compromises the collagen within bones, making the bones less flexible and more likely to break.
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Adults with Type 2 diabetes have a higher fracture risk for a given bone density, which is otherwise the main clinical predictor of fracture risk. This is a widespread and growing issue now that these individuals are living longer with better insulin management.

Fields and colleagues looked at factors outside of bone density that could explain bone fragility in diabetes. In healthy bones, networks of collagen fibers stretch and slide in response to strain, which helps the bones resist cracking. But hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to the accumulation of advanced glycation end products, which bind collagen fibers to each other and impair their stretching and sliding, according to the new findings.

The researchers examined bones from the lower back and forearm of lean, obese and diabetic obese rat models. They imaged the bones with high-resolution CT scans, tested their biomechanical properties, and measured the collagen networks' response to strain using small-angle X-ray scattering at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Advanced Light Source.

They then simulated the contribution of these various factors to bone strength using supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas. Both the obese rats and the diabetic obese rats had overall weaker bones for a given bone mineral content. In obese rats, the reduced strength was attributable to structural deficits, such as changes to the microarchitecture of the bones and inefficient distribution of bone mass.

In the diabetic obese rats, however, these structural deficits were compounded by material deficits -changes to the collagen networks that were previously not well documented. By comparing the obese rats with the diabetic obese rats, the researchers could isolate the effect of hyperglycemia on bone fragility. In the forearm bones, for example, the collagen changes were responsible for significant reductions in the elastic, yield and ultimate tensile properties of the bone tissue.

The researchers note that they did not study animals with an advanced duration and severity of diabetes, which may limit generalizability, but they expect that long-term diabetes would only further impair bone strength.
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Fat distribution increases the risk of heart attack

It's not the amount of fat in the body but where it's stored that may increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes. People of the same weight or body mass index (BMI) may have different risk profiles, based on genetics, lifestyle and diet. In addition, body composition differs between men and women, with women having proportionately more fat and men having more muscle mass.

Fat distribution is an important determinant of cardiometabolic risk.  There are different body shapes, common descriptors of human body shapes, based on where fat tends to be stored in the body. In apple-shaped bodies, fat is distributed largely around the midsection, while in pear-shaped bodies, fat is distributed lower around the hips and thighs. The type of fat stored also plays a role in cardiometabolic risk. One type of fat-ectopic fat-is dangerous. It may be found in places such as the abdominal region, muscles, liver and other organs.

There are gender-based differences in body composition and ectopic fat depots and that these could be associated with gender-specific risk profiles for diseases like diabetes, heart disease and stroke, researchers examined overweight and obese men and women wit the same BMI who were otherwise healthy. After fasting overnight, the study participants underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and CT scans to determine body composition, as well as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for fat quantification and analysis.

The results showed that the women had a higher percentage of fat and more subcutaneous (below-the-skin) fat but lower lean mass, compared to men. However, men had more visceral adipose tissue (VAT), or ectopic fat depots located in the abdomen around the internal organs known as a "beer belly", and more ectopic fat in the muscles and liver. Obese men have relatively higher visceral fat, fat within muscle cells and liver fat, which are all risk factors for cardiometabolic disease, compared to women with the same BMI. However, men have higher muscle and lean mass, which are protective for cardiometabolic health.

Women have a higher relative amount of total body fat and higher superficial thigh fat, which is protective for cardiometabolic health. Compared to women, men had higher measures of cardiometabolic risk overall, but ectopic fat was not significantly associated with cardiometabolic risk in men. Ectopic fat in women, however, was strongly associated with cardiometabolic risk measures. The detrimental fat depots deep in the belly, muscles and liver are more damaging for cardiometabolic health in women compared to men.

The researchers looked at the relationship between sarcopenic obesity-or the loss of skeletal lean muscle mass in the presence of obesity and its relationship to cardiometabolic risk. Many factors can lead to sarcopenic obesity in young adults, particularly obesity and lack of exercise. Growth hormone helps to build muscle mass. Nutrition also plays an important role, and too little intake of protein can lead to muscle loss. The researchers studied  young, overweight and obese adults who were otherwise healthy.

Participants underwent DXA and CT scans and various metabolic tests. Results showed that having a lower lean muscle mass to BMI ratio was associated with cardiometabolic risk, and these effects were stronger in women than in men. Sarcopenic obesity may be an under-appreciated mechanism linking obesity to cardiometabolic disease.
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Reversing maternal obesity

A drug that increases energy metabolism may lead to a new approach to prevent obesity in children born to overweight mothers. Research in animal models showed that overweight expectant rats are more likely to have babies who may have an increased risk of developing obesity later in life.

Exercise can reverse some of the negative consequences of maternal obesity. Exercise increases the function of mitochondria, which are the powerhouse of human cells that make energy.

During the study, female mice whose mothers were obese were given either a normal diet or a high-fat diet and given treadmill exercise for nine weeks or nicotinamide mononucleotide NMN for 18 days. The researchers discovered that both the NMN treatment and exercise reduced the negative metabolic consequences of maternal obesity in the offspring.

Both interventions reduced the amount of body fat, and led to some improvement in glucose tolerance and markers of mitochondrial function. A short-term NMN treatment of animals from obese mothers had the same benefit as their siblings who exercised.
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Impact of shift work on your health

According to the latest research, workers who regularly pull overnight shifts may be more prone to accumulation of excess weight. Many workers across the globe follow that work pattern, routinely working a night shift increases the risk of becoming obese or overweight.

Sleep disruption is responsible for the accumulation of excess weight, the human body is programmed to sleep when it is dark, allowing hormones that impact hunger and satiety to reset. When people are awake and working when they should be sleeping, the hormones related to hunger and satiety are active resulting in changes in eating, metabolism and a tendency to eat more than needed.

Sleep deprivation is a major stressor that should be avoided, working night shifts is working against natural biological clocks. According to the International Labour Organization, any schedule that requires working between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. is considered night-shift work.

The review revealed that workers who are permanently assigned to overnight work are prone to accumulation of excess weight, compared with those who alternate between day and night shifts. The longer a worker engages in regular night-shift work, the higher the risk for gaining weight.

Abdominal obesity is linked to night-shift work, night-shift work is related to metabolic syndrome. The syndrome includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels, and it drives up the risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, wakefulness naturally hits its lowest point between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., at the center of a standard night shift. Night shifts also challenge a worker's ability to access good food and exercise regularly.
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Facts about gullet cancer

The gullet, also known as oesophagus is the tube that carries food from mouth to stomach. Smoking, persistent acid reflux, drinking of alcohol, being overweight and obese can cause gullet cancer.

There are two types of gullet cancer – squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma. Eating foods low in fruit and vegetables can also increase the risk of developing gullet cancer.

If the disease is detected early it is possible to be cured. However, because the disease doesn’t usually cause symptoms until a later stage, it can be quite developed before it is detected.

The main symptom of gullet cancer are difficulty swallowing, heartburn, vomiting, weight loss, loss of appetite, chest pain, croaky voice, fatigue and dark poo.

Advanced stage of gullet cancer can spread to another part of the body.
Tumor that has not spread beyond the gullet can be treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.

For squamous and adenocarcinoma cell cancer, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and chemoradiotherapy are recommended as the first treatment. Surgery may be used after checking the result of the chemoradiotherapy.

Bowel cancer can be prevented by avoiding smoking, eating fruits and vegetables, avoiding alcohol and seeking medical help when you have heart burn and when you experience any form of difficulty in swallowing food.
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Weight maintenance may prevent diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease with many health consequences, being overweight is associated with type 2 diabetes. Obese people who lose weight, exercise and improve their diet can lower their risk of developing diabetes.

According to latest research, maintaining the same weight as you age may prevent diabetes, even in people who are moderately overweight.

We studied over 30,000 people aged 30 to 60 from Västerbotten county in northern Sweden. The participants had their weight and blood sugar measured on two occasions, ten years apart.

Based on the body mass index (BMI) of the participants, over a third of them were overweight and about a tenth were obese. We discovered that after ten years, one third of the people had maintained the same weight, just over half had gained weight and about a sixth had lost weight.

Comparing occurrence of newly diagnosed diabetes after 10 years in those who gained any weight to those who maintained their weight, we found that the risk of diabetes was considerably lower in those who maintained their weight.

These results show that diabetes can be prevented even in people who are moderately overweight.

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Obesity can cause kidney cancer

Obesity is a condition of accumulating too much fat in the body that is having negative effects on health. Body Mass Index that is 30 or more is considered obese.

Consuming excess calories, sedentary lifestyle and endocrine disruptor are common causes of obesity. Obesity is associated with different types of cancer, kidney cancer is one of the cancer caused by obesity.

Insulin is made by the pancreas that allows breakdown of sugar from carbohydrates for energy, kidneys process insulin in the body.

Excess weight can cause insulin resistance, which can leads to high level of insulin, causing cells to divide rapidly.

Carrying excess weight put stress on kidneys and other vital organs in the body, eating more of fruits, vegetables and being active can reduce your risk of kidney cancer.

Increase in weight increases death risk

A new study suggests increase in death risk for overweight and obese people. Being overweight or obese attract many diseases like: cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

Scientists examined data from 225,000 people, after checking their weight history, the results shows that becoming overweight at any stage in life could have negative impact on health.

The overall risk of dying increased based on their maximum Body Mass Index BMI, 10 percent increased risk for the overweight, 34 percent for obese, and 98 percent for the morbidly obese.

Being underweight does not have advantage, underweight people have increase overall risk of death by 46 percent and 77 percent for heart disease.