Diabetes Risk Factors Develop Earlier in Women than MenFebruary 21, 2007BUFFALO, N.Y. — The "diabetes clock" may start ticking in women years in advance of a medical diagnosis of the disease, new research has shown. Epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have found that newly identified risk factors for diabetes found in the blood, such as markers of endothelial dysfunction, chronic sub-acute inflammation and blood clotting factors, are present early on in women who eventually progress from normal glucose status to the pre-diabetic condition. Pre-diabetes is diagnosed when blood sugar levels are higher than normal (between 100-125 mg/deciliter of blood), but not high enough to indicate full-blown diabetes (over 125 mg/deciliter of blood). The markers weren't associated with progression from normal to pre-diabetic status in men.
Results of the study appear in the February 2007 issue of Diabetes Care. "This is one of the first reports to show that otherwise healthy women are more likely than men to show elevated levels of endothelial factors and other markers of progression to pre-diabetes," said lead author Richard Donahue, Ph.D., professor of social and preventive medicine and associate dean for research in UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions. "Because these pre-diabetic markers are not routinely assessed, and because diabetes is strongly linked with coronary heart disease, the study may help explain why the decline in death rates for heart disease in diabetic women lags behind that of diabetic men," he said. "Previous research had shown that hypertension and cholesterol were elevated among women who later developed diabetes. However, current findings that these novel risk factors [markers of endothelial dysfunction, chronic sub-acute inflammation and blood clotting factors] are elevated among women even earlier than previously recognized does suggest that the 'diabetes clock' starts ticking sooner for women than for men." The study involved 1,455 healthy participants originally enrolled in the Western New York Study, a case-control investigation of patterns of alcohol consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease conducted from 1996-2001. In the current study all participants were free of pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and known cardiovascular disease. They received a physical examination when they entered the study and again for this six-year follow-up. Standard measures — height, weight, waist girth, blood pressure — were taken, plus blood samples to determine concentrations of fasting glucose and insulin, specific proinflammatory markers, C-reactive protein and markers of dysfunction in the endothelial tissue, the tissue lining blood vessels. Results showed that 52 women and 39 men had progressed from normal blood glucose levels to pre-diabetic status during the previous six years. Donahue said the question of what explains the sex difference remains to be determined, and he plans to study this in the future. Meanwhile, he suggested that women whose blood glucose increases over time, even if it doesn't reach diabetic levels, should be screened more intensively for cardiovascular disease. Karol Rejman, Lisa Rafalson, Jacek Dmochowski, Ph.D., Saverio Stranges, M.D., Ph.D., and Maurizio Trevisan, M.D., all from the UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, contributed to the study. Dmochowski also is affiliated with the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. The research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. The School of Public Health and Health Professions is one of five schools that constitute UB's Academic Health Center. The University at Buffalo Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size. Biosensor Liver Injury Chlamydia Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cardiac Arrest Drug Discovery Salmonella Epilepsy Genetic Mutation Biomass Saturns Rings Space Telescope Ethanol Production Pain Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Volcanic Eruption Cannabis Immune System Inflammatory Disease Colonoscopy HIV infection Hip Fracture Pneumococcal Disease Nanoparticle Prefrontal cortex
See More: Science News Tags | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Cardiovascular Disease Current Events and Cardiovascular Disease News Articles Lack of sleep could be more dangerous for women than men Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns. Lap-band weight-loss surgery can reverse metabolic syndrome in obese teens A new study of obese adolescents has shown that laparoscopic gastric banding surgery -- the "Lap-Band" procedure -- not only helps them achieve significant weight loss but can also improve and even reverse metabolic syndrome, reducing their risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Sleep duration is associated with variations in levels of inflammatory markers in women A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men. Mayo Clinic Proceedings reviews deep brain stimulation to treat psychiatric diseases Pioneering therapeutic trials to investigate the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in hard-to-treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are underway at multiple medical centers around the world. New tool finds best heart disease and stroke treatments for patients with diabetes Researchers from North Carolina State University and Mayo Clinic have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and stroke. Polycystic ovarian syndrome: New light on its causes and its effect on brothers Researchers have found evidence that chronic disease in either a mother or father can create unfavourable conditions in the womb that are associated with the development of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in daughters. Patients with moderate to severe periodontitis need evaluation for heart disease risk Additional research is called for and patients with moderate to severe periodontitis should receive evaluation and possible treatment to reduce their risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Study shows 1 in 25 deaths worldwide attributable to alcohol Research from Canada's own Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) featured in this week's edition of the Lancet shows that worldwide, 1 in 25 deaths are directly attributable to alcohol consumption. For Women With PCOS, Acupuncture And Exercise May Bring Relief, Reduce Risks Exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments can reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to a new study. Tiny levels of carbon monoxide damage fetal brain A UCLA study has discovered that chronic exposure during pregnancy to miniscule levels of carbon monoxide damages the cells of the fetal brain, resulting in permanent impairment. More Cardiovascular Disease Current Events and Cardiovascular Disease News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||