Research

Even short-term dieting can help diabetics long term

A study by Portland-based Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research shows a positive impact on health or people with diabetes even if dieters gain everything back.

The clinicial study followed more than 2,500 adults with type 2 diabetes for four years. Those who lost weight within an average of 18 months after diagnosis were as much as twice as likely to achieve their blood pressure and blood sugar targets as those who didn’t lose weight. Those who’d lost weight were also more likely to maintain control even if they regain their weight.

“We don’t know if the initial weight loss increased the body’s sensitivity to insulin, or if the sustained lifestyle changes were the reason for the long-term health benefits,” said Gregory A. Nichols, Ph.D., a study co-author. “But we do know that losing weight reduces the risk factors that often lead to heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage, amputations, and death in type 2 diabetes patients.”

The story was published online in Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association.

Read the full story at the Kaiser Permanente web site, or download the full text of the article from Diabetes Care.

Meditation shown to boost immune system, strengthen brain

It has long been known that mindfullness meditation—sitting back, getting comfortable and concentrating on one’s own breathing patterns—helps people deal with stress.

Now multiple medical studies show meditation can help other aspects of health as well, including boosting the immune system and thickening the brain areas in charge of decision-making and emotion regulation.

Another new study has found that meditation delays the progression of HIV.

David Creswell, a research scientist at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, and his colleagues are now beginning to investigate the brain. This will be done using brainimaging techniques to study the specific pathways that are being impacted by the awareness meditation.

The Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology reports more.

Counseling helps low-income patients with medication

Oregon State University’s College of Pharmacy reports that counseling by medication specialists help low-income patients comply better with prescription instructions.

The findings, published in the journal Pharmacotherapy, indicate that one of the real obstacles to better health care for the poor is not their unwillingness or inability to follow medication regimens, but a lack of understanding of available benefits and how to deal with the bureaucratic obstacles to obtain them.

“When we facilitate access to programs and help people understand their options, we found that indigent patients actually picked up their medication more than patients with health insurance,” said Joel Marrs, an assistant professor in the OSU College of Pharmacy. “It was surprising how many people obtained and benefited from their medications.”

The biggest obstacle to better medication assistance for low-income people, the study suggests, may be knowledge about what programs exist and how to sign up for them.

The College of Pharmacy reports more about the study on its web site.