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Endocrinology
Fewer people may need statins to prevent heart disease – US study
A new way of determining heart disease risk could slash the numbers of people who are prescribed statins, suggests a recent study, although doctors...
Olympic athletes embrace diabetes tech in quest for medals
The tiny continuous glucose monitors used by diabetics to track their blood glucose levels have become popular among athletes who hope to boost their...
Gender-affirming healthcare matters in SA
Gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth has sparked intense debate globally. In South Africa, we need to significantly improve accessibility countrywide, ensure services are well-resourced,...
Is pre-diabetes over-diagnosed?
Some experts have disagreed on whether or not pre-diabetes is over-diagnosed, and how and when to screen for this potential precursor to type two...
Medical community at a crossroads on child gender-affirming care
The release of a major review of gender identity services for children has sparked debate about the best approach to providing care for young...
Weekly insulin jabs show good results
A once-weekly insulin injection, efsitora, has showed blood sugar reduction consistent with commonly used daily insulins across two studies in patients with type 2...
CVD benefits from weight-loss drugs a 'game-changer'
Two important studies were presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO), based on the landmark Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes (SELECT) trial from...
Diabetes a leading killer in SA, but we don't know how many have it
Although diabetes is the second leading cause of death in SA after TB, there is no clear picture of how many people have it...
Food emulsifiers tied to type 2 diabetes risk – French study
French researchers have identified seven food additive emulsifiers found in ultra-processed foods – including some in previously regarded ‘healthy foods’, like plant-based milk –...
No link between suicide and weight loss drugs – EMA
Evidence does not support a causal association between the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) – dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide and semaglutide – and suicidal...
Hundreds of websites flog fake weight-loss and other drugs
An Israeli cybersecurity firm has taken down more than 250 websites selling fake versions of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs in the GLP-1 class,...
Diabetes drug shows promise in slowing Parkinson’s – French study
Researchers say findings that diabetes drug lixisenatide may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease could be a major step forward, and provide hope for...
Tanzania winning NCD war as it merges HIV and diabetes care
Non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes have emerged as serious health crises in developing countries, as HIV was a decade ago. New models of...
Eli Lilly warns of insulin shortages
Two formulations of insulin from Eli Lilly would be temporarily out of stock until the beginning of April, the company has said, citing a...
Undiagnosed diabetes added to Covid death toll
A recent study found that patients with undiagnosed diabetes represented 21.1% of all Covid-19 hospitalisations and 30.5% of all Covid-19 deaths across eight low-...
Global study finds new genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are both environmental and genetic, and while researchers have identified many genetic risk factors thus far, the...
Health concerns as girls reach puberty earlier than ever
For no clear reason any experts appear able to confirm, girls are starting to develop breasts as early as six or seven, with researchers...
Weight regained after tirzepatide discontinued – US study
The current class of anti-obesity drugs is proving remarkably effective at removing excess kilos – but a phase three randomised clinical trial found that...
Daily change in pace cuts diabetes risk: global study
Walking faster could lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a recent worldwide analysis and the first global study of its kind, which...
Passing on salt risks iodine deficiency, say experts
Although there are plenty of good reasons to bypass the salt shaker – too much sodium increasing the risks of high blood pressure, heart...
Could cellphone use be responsible for declining sperm quality?
Scientists are probing whether electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones affects semen quality in a research project launched this year, after a study associated...
Air pollution linked to diabetes in landmark Indian study
A seven-year study of 12 000 residents of Delhi and Chennai – the first of its kind in the country – has found links between...
Red meat eaters have higher type 2 diabetes risk – US study
People who regularly eat red meat may have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes later in life, suggest scientists, who after analysing data...
Early-onset diabetes tied to shortened lifespan
Recent research has suggested that the lifespan of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes by the age of 30 is 14 years less than...
At least 60% of Africa's diabetes goes undiagnosed – global report
The largest survey of its type to date has revealed that at least 40% of all people living with diabetes globally go undiagnosed, most...
Tirzepatide beats semaglutide in glucose control, weight loss
A meta-analysis of 22 randomised controlled trials – with data from nearly 19 000 patients – across Medline and the Cochrane Library, has suggested...
‘Night owls’ at higher risk for diabetes than ‘early birds’ – US analysis
People who go to bed late and wake up late have more chance of developing diabetes than those who are “early to bed and...
The mystery behind new obesity drugs
The new weight loss drugs taking the world by storm are game changers, say experts, and while they are proving hugely successful, no one...
Turmeric could benefit diabetes patients – Thai review
A recent and comprehensive review has suggested that turmeric supplementation can play a positive role in reducing glycaemic levels and other metabolic parameters in...
Nine-year US study gives clue to predicting who gets diabetes
A team of scientists has taken an important step forward in predicting, in children, who will develop type 1 diabetes months before symptoms appear.
Researchers...
More than 1.3bn people will have diabetes by 2050, study predicts
The number of adults with diabetes worldwide will more than double by 2050, according to research that blames rapidly rising obesity levels and widening...
New study dispels testosterone supplement link to heart attacks
Researchers have determined that testosterone supplementation in men with low levels of the hormone does not increase the risk of heart attacks, easing concerns...
Half of obese teens on Wegovy return to normal weight – STEP TEENS trial
In what researchers describe as unprecedented, the drug Wegovy (semaglutide) reduced the weight of nearly 50% of teenagers “to a level below what is...
Diabetes screening should be by age, not weight – US study
A recent study found that millions of diabetes cases are possibly being missed under the current US screening guidelines, especially among Asian Americans, with...
Vitamin D slashes diabetes risk in prediabetes cases – US meta-analysis
A meta-anaylsis of three trials has found that in adults with prediabetes, vitamin D helped decrease the risk of developing diabetes by a statistically significant 15%...
Being married may help stave off type 2 diabetes, study finds
Recent research has showed that being married or living together might prevent type 2 diabetes and help keep sugar levels under control, regardless of...
UK study finds higher cancer death risk with type 2 diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to die from some cancers compared with the general population, according to a recent study, which...
Ten-minute scan detects common cause of high BP – UK study
A new non-invasive type of CT scan has been shown to light up tiny nodules in a hormone gland and cure high blood pressure...
US approves new drug to delay onset of diabetes in children
A new kind of therapy that could delay the start of type 1 diabetes in children by up to three years – thought to...
Artificial ‘light at night’ exposure raises diabetes risk – Chinese study
A recent study found that outdoor artificial light at night (LAN) was associated with impaired blood glucose control and an increased risk of diabetes,...