1, January 2015

Your birth year can influence obesity risk

People born before 1942 are less likely to be affected by a variant to a gene linked to obesity risk than those who are born after 1942. The effect is stronger in those born in later years, finds a fascinating research.

The findings underscores the effect of broad environmental changes to increase in obesity in recent times.

"We found that the correlation between the best known obesity-associated gene variant and body mass index increased significantly as the year of birth of participants increased," said lead author James Niels Rosenquist from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The researchers used data gathered between 1971 and 2008, when participants ranged in age from 27 to 63.

Looking at the relationships between participants' body mass index (BMI), as measured eight times during the study period, and the FTO gene variants they had inherited.

The previously reported association between a specific FTO variant and BMI was seen, on average, only in participants born in later years.

While there was no correlation between the obesity-risk variant and BMI for those born before 1942, in participants born after 1942 the correlation was twice as strong as reported in previous studies.

Post-World War II factors such as increased reliance on technology rather than physical labour and the availability of high-calorie processed foods are likely contributors to the environmental effects of obesity, the authors noted.

The study appeared in the journal PNAS Early Edition.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.01.2015

Economic insecurity impacts diabetes control

People facing difficulty paying for food and medicines find it harder to manage their diabetes than those who are affluent, a study says.

Poor diabetes control leads to higher blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure than normal.

The findings suggest that mere access to health insurance may not lead to better diabetes care unless people can meet even their basic material needs.

"Health care systems are increasingly accountable for health outcomes that have roots outside of clinical care," said lead author Seth Berkowitz from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

"Strategies that increase access to health care resources might reasonably be coupled with those that address social determinants of health, including material need insecurities," Berkowitz said.

The study of 411 patients included data from June 2012 to October 2013 in Massachusetts.

The researchers found that food insecurity and medication under-use were associated with greater odds of poor diabetes control.

Greater number of economic insecurities increases the likelihood of poor diabetes control and increased health care use, the findings showed.

"Food insecurity and cost-related medication under-use may be promising targets for real-world management of diabetes mellitus," the researchers said.

The study appeared online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.01.2015

Inaction breeds doubt and fear, action breeds confidence and courage

Dale Carnegie