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NEW YORK – Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study appeared in the December issue of Annals of Neurology.

The widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia is linked to a greater risk of heart attack and possibly death, a new scientific analysis revealed, and the U.S. government issued a safety alert Monday. The Food and Drug Administration urged diabetics taking the pill to talk to their doctors, but stopped short of forcing a sharper warning label on the drug sold by GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) of London. More than 6 million people worldwide have taken the drug since it came on the market eight years ago. Pooled results of dozens of studies revealed a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack,...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong scientists have invented a device to help diabetics measure their blood sugar painlessly for the first time — without pricking their fingers. The instrument, which is the size of a mobile phone, emits a weaker form of infrared, or near-infrared, which penetrates the skin on the finger and homes in on the bloodstream. Out of the many components in the blood, the beam is able to identify bits of glucose through the frequency or wavelengths they transmit and the amount of blood sugar present would be displayed in 10 seconds. "There are different types of cells...

Scientists have used stem cells from human bone marrow to repair defective insulin-producing pancreatic cells responsible for diabetes in mice. The treatment also halted damage to the kidneys caused by the condition. Researchers from New Orleans' Tulane University are hopeful it can be adapted to treat diabetes in humans. The study, featured in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was welcomed as "interesting work" by Diabetes UK. Stem cells are immature cells which have the capacity to turn into any kind of tissue in the body. The US team treated diabetic mice who had high blood sugar and damaged...

SALINA, Kan. — A high school science teacher was suspended for allowing students to use the same instrument to draw blood from their fingers as part of a class project, district officials said Tuesday. About 50 juniors and seniors in two science classes at Salina High School South used the same lancet, or small pin, to prick their fingers on Monday, said Carol Pitts, spokeswoman for the Salina school district. The science teacher, who was not identified, was suspended with pay during an investigation, Pitts said....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who ate a low-fat vegan diet, cutting out all meat and dairy, lowered their blood sugar more and lost more weight than people on a standard American Diabetes Association diet, researchers said on Thursday. They lowered their cholesterol more and ended up with better kidney function, according to the report published in Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes Association. Participants said the vegan diet was easier to follow than most because they did not measure portions or count calories. Three of the vegan dieters dropped out of the study, compared to eight on...

July 29, 2005 -- Whey may be good for more than just Little Miss Muffet. A new study shows adding whey to a high-carbohydrate meal may help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels under control. Researchers found drinking a whey supplement mixed with water along with a high glycemic index (GI) meal, like mashed potatoes with meatballs, prevented the dramatic spikes in blood sugar that normally occur in people with type 2 diabetes. Whey is a protein found in milk and is also available as a nutritional supplement. Researchers say the results suggest that whey aids in blood...

Elevated blood sugar increases the risk of heart disease, not only in people with diabetes but also in those with high-normal readings not considered diabetic. Two new studies provide strong evidence that the increased risk is due to blood sugar itself, independent of other problems that often go along with it, like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Before the studies, diabetes was already known to be bad for the heart: it doubles the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and 70 to 80 percent of people with diabetes die from heart attacks, strokes and artery disease. But researchers were not...

Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics, a new study has found. The effect, which can be produced even by soaking a cinnamon stick your tea, could also benefit millions of non-diabetics who have blood sugar problem but are unaware of it. The discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. "We were looking at the effects of common foods on blood sugar," he told New Scientist. One was the American favourite, apple pie, which is usually spiced...

The dwarf mouse, otherwise known as GHR-KO 11C, died Jan. 8 after living the equivalent of 180 to 200 human years, said Andrzej Bartke, a physiologist who worked with the mouse.