Diabetes News

1. Take it from the rats: A junk food diet can cause long-term damage to adolescent brains

   A study on the effects of a junk food diet on rats reinforces scientific understanding about the gut-brain connection.

2. Scientists uncover a missing link between poor diet and higher cancer risk

   A research team has unearthed new findings which may help explain the connection between cancer risk and poor diet, as well as common diseases like diabetes, which arise from poor diet. The insights gained from this study hold promise for advancing cancer prevention strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging.

3. This outdated diabetes drug still has something to offer

   Researchers have discovered the biochemical workings of an old-fashioned diabetes drug, and it's helping them develop new, safer alternatives.

4. Does the time of day you move your body make a difference to your health?

   Undertaking the majority of daily physical activity in the evening is linked to the greatest health benefits for people living with obesity, according to researchers who followed the trajectory of 30,000 people over almost 8 years.

5. Beating back bitter taste in medicine

   The bitter taste of certain drugs is a barrier to taking some medications as prescribed, especially for people who are particularly sensitive to bitter taste. A team found that the diabetes drug rosiglitazone could partially block the bitter taste of some especially bad-tasting medications. The hope is that repurposed drugs could be added in small doses to other medicines to make them less bitter and taste better, thereby encouraging compliance with bitter drug regimens.

6. Few newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics succeed in losing weight -- weight gain linked to much higher risk of complications

   A register-based study identified three distinct BMI trajectory groups among patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. In a four-year follow-up, most patients followed a stable trajectory without much weight change. Only 10% of patients lost weight, whereas 3% gained weight. Mean BMI exceeded the threshold of obesity in all groups at baseline. Weight loss is a central treatment goal in type 2 diabetes, but the study shows that few patients succeed in it.

7. Study finds less invasive, safer option for removing benign pancreatic tumors

   Researchers describe a new technique for the minimally invasive removal of benign tumors located in the challenging posterior head of the pancreas (right side of abdomen, nestled in the curve of the duodenum (or first part of the small intestine). The technique, called the retro-laparoscopic approach, allows surgeons to safely and effectively remove these tumors without removing healthy pancreatic tissue, thereby preserving organ functionality.

8. Large language models respond differently based on user's motivation

   A new study reveals how large language models (LLMs) respond to different motivational states. In their evaluation of three LLM-based generative conversational agents (GAs)--ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Llama 2, scientists found that while GAs are able to identify users' motivation states and provide relevant information when individuals have established goals, they are less likely to provide guidance when the users are hesitant or ambivalent about changing their behavior.