Diabetes

CHEVY CHASE, Md. — A recent study of obese and nonobese children found that low vitamin D levels are significantly more prevalent in obese children and are associated with risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. This study was accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A combination of two insulins made by Novo Nordisk reduced abnormally low blood sugar in diabetes patients, according to study results presented at a medical conference.

INDIANAPOLIS — A drug currently under clinical development for Type 2 diabetes produced "meaningful" reductions in blood sugar, according to results of a late-stage clinical study.

Eli Lilly & Co. and Boehringer Ingelheim announced results of a 24-week, open-label arm of a phase-3 study of the investigational drug linagliptin combined with the generic drug metformin, presenting results at the International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Conference in Dubai.

BOSTON — Women who work a rotating schedule that includes three or more night shifts per month, in addition to day and evening working hours in that month, may have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when compared with women who only work days or evenings, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard's School of Public Health that was released Tuesday.

In addition, the researchers found that extended years of rotating night shift work was associated with weight gain, which may contribute to the increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Obese diabetes patients could experience weight loss when taking Vivus' anti-obesity drug, according to an oral presentation at the International Diabetes Federation's World Diabetes Congress in Dubai.

MINNETONKA, Minn. — United Health Foundation’s "2011 America’s Heath Rankings," released Tuesday, found that increases in obesity, diabetes and children in poverty are offsetting improvements in smoking cessation, preventable hospitalizations and cardiovascular deaths. According to the report, the country’s overall health did not improve between 2010 and 2011 — a drop from the 0.5% average annual rate of improvement between 2000 and 2010, and the 1.6% average annual rate of improvement seen in the 1990s.

Sam’s Club has been on a roll the past few years, and an emphasis on health-and-wellness categories has figured prominently into the warehouse club operator’s improved performance.


ATLANTA — As many as 111 million Americans had gotten a flu shot by mid-November, representing 36% of the 305 million Americans over the age of 6 months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a media telebriefing Monday afternoon. The number of people getting vaccinated is up slightly from last year, the CDC reported, most notably among children and seniors.