Nibbles: Many teens don’t get enough D, Gupta opts out of surgeon general post, and diabetes news
Half of black teens could be considered deficient
There’s a lot of debate about whether the current levels considered healthy for vitamin D consumption are too low, and if a new standard is agreed on it would mean about 14 percent of all teens would be considered deficient, as well as half of all black teens. That would be the case if the acceptable level were raised from the current 11 nanograms per milliliter to 20, according to research from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Researchers looked at blood levels of D in almost 3,000 12- to 19-year-olds and say teens should consider D supplements to help build strong bones, boost the immune system and potentially prevent illnesses like type 1 diabetes and heart disease when they’re older.
More than 2,000 in UK get disability benefits for obesity
Last August, 2,130 people in Britain were getting disability benefits based on a diagnosis of obesity, according to government figures. People who get such payments receive £63.75 weekly for the first 28 weeks and £84.50 a week after the first year. Tories say the payments are evidence of the Labour party’s inability to do anything about the “ticking obesity timebomb” and that the country will only have to pay more of these sorts of benefits in the future. The country is working on changing its system for dealing with incapacitated workers that will aim to get some of those people back to work.
Gupta says he won’t be surgeon general
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who was never formally announced but was considered to be the prime candidate for the next surgeon general of the United States, has decided not to pursue the post. He says it’s a matter of finances and bad timing, given that his wife is about to have their third child and taking a post in Washington would mean spending a lot of time away from home. As is, he’s plenty busy as the chief medical correspondent for CNN, a practicing neurosurgeon on staff at Emory University and a columnist for Time magazine, among other projects. An Obama staffer says he was under serious consideration for the post, and Gupta says he’s flattered to have been considered.
Viruses linked to childhood diabetes
Two studies have found links to common viruses and type 1 diabetes, suggesting it may one day be possible to vaccinate against the illness, which destroys the body’s insulin-producing cells. One study found enteroviruses (which normally cause colds, vomiting and diarrhea) in the pancreases of deceased children with diabetes but not as many in healthy children. The second study found that a genetic mutation involving the body’s response to viruses may play a role in development of type 1 diabetes. Researchers say lots of factors are probably involved in development of the disease, but studies like these provide a deeper understanding of the disease and how it might be prevented in the future.
Belly fat and stress bad combo for black women
Finally, combining high levels of stress with excess belly fat seems to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among black women, who disproportionally have the disease. Researchers at Duke measured the abdominal fat of non-diabetic African American women and asked them about stressful events in their lives, while giving them tests for blood sugar and epinephrine, a hormone released in times of stress. Women with lots of belly fat and high epinephrine levels also had higher blood sugar levels, which weren’t seen in either thinner women with high epinephrine levels or women with more fat but lower stress. Researchers say the hormone breaks down fat into free fatty acids, which contribute to increased blood sugar, raising the risk of diabetes.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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