Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/5/10.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Regular use of aspirin increases risk of Crohn's disease by 5 times, study finds - Science Daily, 5/4/10 - "the researchers discovered that those taking aspirin regularly for a year or more were around five times more likely to develop Crohn's disease"

Broccoli component limits breast cancer stem cells, study finds - Science Daily, 5/4/10 - "In the current study, researchers took mice with breast cancer and injected varying concentrations of sulforaphane from the broccoli extract. Researchers then used several established methods to assess the number of cancer stem cells in the tumors. These measures showed a marked decrease in the cancer stem cell population after treatment with sulforaphane, with little effect on the normal cells. Further, cancer cells from mice treated with sulforaphane were unable to generate new tumors. The researchers then tested sulforaphane on human breast cancer cell cultures in the lab, finding similar decreases in the cancer stem cells" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.

Olive oil could guard against developing ulcerative colitis - Science Daily, 5/3/10 - "those with the highest intake of oleic acid had a 90 per cent lower risk of developing the disease ... Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in this illness ... We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect"

Testosterone directly amplifies but does not program male behaviors - Science Daily, 5/4/10 - "androgen receptor (AR) ... testosterone signaling via AR does not control masculine differentiation of the brain and behavior but regulates the frequency and extent of male typical behaviors"

Teens in South Getting Too Little Vitamin D - WebMD, 5/3/10 - "young people who live in the South, where sunlight is ample, also have low vitamin D levels ... About half (56.4 %) of the youths tested had vitamin D insufficiency, meaning the level was low but not affecting health. But 28.8% had vitamin D deficiency -- a level low enough to cause health problems" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Obesity linked to low testosterone in men - Men's health - MSNBC, 5/3/10 - "Forty percent of obese participants in the study had lower-than-normal testosterone readings. And for those obese men who also had diabetes that percent rose to 50 percent"

'Cuddle hormone' makes men more empathetic - BBC News, 4/30/10 - "Professor Kendrick said the oxytocin spray may prove to be useful in people with conditions associated with reduced social approachability and social withdrawal, such as schizophrenia ... The bottom line is it improved the ability of people to learn when they had positive feedback and that is pretty important because this might help improve the effectiveness of behavioural therapy or even be useful in people with learning difficulties" - [Science Daily] [Time Magazine] - See Oxytocin 6x5iu tablets at International Antiaging Systems.

FDA approves $93K prostate cancer vaccine - USAToday, 4/29/10 - "The new vaccine, Provenge doesn't prevent cancer, unlike the polio shot or recently approved vaccines that block infection with viruses that cause most cervical tumors. Provenge, which will cost $93,000, also doesn't cure cancer ... But studies show that the vaccine does help men with advanced prostate cancer live four months longer than men given placebo shots"

Low vitamin D levels are related to MS brain atrophy, cognitive function, studies show - Science Daily, 4/29/10 - "only seven percent of persons with secondary-progressive MS showed sufficient vitamin D, compared to 18.3 percent of patients with the less severe relapsing-remitting type ... Higher levels of vitamin D3 and vitamin D3 metabolism byproducts (analyzed as a ratio) also were associated with better scores on disability tests, results showed, and with less brain atrophy and fewer lesions on MRI scans"

Vitamin E may be new boon for liver disease - MSNBC, 4/28/10 - "In the study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, 247 adults with advanced fatty liver disease were randomly assigned to take a high dose of vitamin E (800 international units), the diabetes drug Actos or dummy pills for nearly two years ... Biopsies before and after treatment showed that liver function improved in 43 percent of those in the vitamin E group compared with 19 percent in the placebo group ... participants on the diabetes drug Actos also improved, but to a lesser degree and with a drawback: gaining 10 pounds on average, which remained even after they stopped taking the drug" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Zinc decreases C-reactive protein, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory cytokines in elderly subjects: a potential implication of zinc as an atheroprotective agent - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Apr 28 - "One group was given an oral dose of 45 mg zinc/d as a gluconate for 6 mo ... These findings suggest that zinc may have a protective effect in atherosclerosis because of its antiinflammatory and antioxidant functions" - See Jarrow Zinc Balance at Amazon.com (zinc decreases copper).

Dietary phylloquinone and menaquinones intake and risk of type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2010 Apr 27 - "phylloquinone intake tended to be associated (p=0.08) with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes with a hazard ratio of 0.81 (95%-CI: 0.66-0.99) for the highest versus the lowest quartile. For menaquinones intake, a linear, inverse association (p=0.038) with risk of type 2 diabetes was observed with a hazard ratio of 0.93 (0.87-1.00) for each 10 mug increment in the multivariate model. Conclusion: This study shows that both phylloquinone and menaquinones intake may be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes"

Health Focus (HbA1c):

Alternative News:

• Effect of Oral Acetyl L-Carnitine Arginate on Biomarkers in Pre-Diabetics - Medscape, 10/28/09 - "3 g.day−1 of ALCA (n = 14; 31 +/- 3 yrs) or placebo (n = 15; 35 +/- 3 yrs) in a double-blind design, to consume for eight weeks ... slight improvements in glucose (109 +/- 5 to 103 +/- 5 mg.dL−1), HbA1c (6.6 +/- 1.1 to 6.2 +/- 1.2%), and HOMA-IR (3.3 +/- 1.3 to 2.9 +/- 1.2) ... slight improvement in glucose metabolism, as evidenced by minor decreases in blood glucose, insulin, and HbA1c (which may have been more pronounced with longer treatment, as HbA1c has a half-life equal to approximately 12 weeks" - See propionyl-l-carnitine products at Amazon.com.
• Low Glycemic Diets Help Diabetics Control Blood Sugar, Review Suggests - Science Daily, 1/2/0/09 - "Clinicians measured hemoglobin A1c levels, which give a picture of a person's blood glucose control over several weeks or months. The reviewers found that levels decreased by 0.5 percent with a low GI diet, noting that the findings were significant, both statistically and clinically"
• Fructose consumption and consequences for glycation, plasma triacylglycerol, and body weight: meta-analyses and meta-regression models of intervention studies - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Nov;88(5):1419-37 - "The meta-analysis shows that fructose intakes from 0 to >or=90 g/d have a beneficial effect on HbA(1c). Significant effects on postprandial triacylglycerols are not evident unless >50 g fructose/d is consumed, and no significant effects are seen for fasting triacylglycerol or body weight with intakes of <or=100 g fructose/d in adults" - I don't get it.  It would seem like fructose would make HbA(1c) worse.
• Effects of niacin on glucose control in patients with dyslipidemia - Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Apr;83(4):470-8 - "the effects of niacin (</=2.5 g/d), alone or in combination with statins, on fasting glucose (an increase of 4%-5%) and hemoglobin A1c levels (an increase of </=0.3%) are modest, transient or reversible, and typically amenable to adjustments in oral hypoglycemic regimens without discontinuing niacin. Niacin therapy was infrequently associated with incident diabetes or the need for new insulin prescriptions. Studies showed important clinical benefits of niacin or niacin-statin regimens despite modest effects on glucose control. On a population basis, significant reductions in incidences of cardiovascular events and the degree of atherosclerotic progression associated with long-term niacin (or niacin-statin) therapy in patients with diabetic dyslipidemia outweigh the typically mild effects of this therapy on glycemic regulation"
• Randomized controlled trial for an effect of green tea-extract powder supplementation on glucose abnormalities - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun 6 - "consumed a packet of green tea-extract powder containing 544 mg polyphenols (456 mg catechins) daily ... A significant reduction in hemoglobin A1c level and a borderline significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure were associated with the intervention" - See Jarrow green tea at iHerb.
• Study Results Show Diachrome(R) Improves Poorly-Controlled Blood Sugar Levels for People on Antidiabetic Prescription Medications - Doctor's Guide, 9/13/05 - "Study participants taking Diachrome with one or more antidiabetic medications saw an average range of 0.7 - 1.9% point reduction in HbA1c levels. The study also showed that insulin resistance was significantly reduced (P<0.05) in those taking thiazolidinediones and Diachrome ... Diachrome is a nutritional supplement specifically formulated for people with diabetes. It contains 600 mcg of chromium as Chromax(R) chromium picolinate and 2 mg of biotin" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com and biotin at iHerb.
• The effect of the ingestion of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) on the pharmacokinetics of metformin in non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic subjects-A double blind placebo-controlled, crossover study - Clin Nutr. 2006 May 12 - "Ingestion of EGb 761 produced no significant changes in diagnostic laboratory tests in either group, except reducing glycosylated hemoglobin A(1c) levels (from 7.7+/-1.2 to 7.2+/-0.9%, P<0.05) in T2DM the subjects"
• Supplemental Chromium Picolinate and Biotin Appear to Decrease Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in Type 2 Diabetics: Presented at ADA - Doctor's Guide, 6/17/05 - "Our most important finding is that chromium picolinate and biotin help to decrease hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] values in poorly controlled diabetics ... 600 mcg chromium picolinate and biotin 2 mg/per day" - See biotin at Amazon.com.
• Uses of Metformin May Extend Beyond Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/03 - "In type 2 diabetics, metformin appears to decrease plasma fasting glucose and HbA1c levels without causing weight gain. Metformin may also have a positive influence on a variety of cardiovascular risk factors and may be useful in preventing diabetes in overweight individuals with mild hyperglycaemia ... while further study is necessary before more widespread use is encouraged, the role of metformin may be expanded for glucose control in children and teenagers with type 2 diabetes, in non-diabetic women with PCOS, and to prevent progression to diabetes"
• Chromium Supplements Appear to Improve Glucose Sensitivity in Diabetics - Medscape, 8/29/03 - "We think that chromium picolinate can influence a person's diabetic treatment so that levels of insulin required may be reduced ... HbA1c levels decreased from 9.5% to 9% during a six-month period in patients receiving a higher dose of the supplement, a difference that was statistically significant ... The study also showed a significant reduction in cholesterol levels and trends for improvement in triglycerides in both chromium picolinate groups as well as a reduction in blood pressure in all groups" - See iHerb or Vitacost chromium products.

Other News:

• A1c Levels: Is Lower Always Better? - Medscape, 4/23/10 - "A1c values in the lowest decile (median, 6.4%) were associated with an increased risk for mortality for all patients (hazard ratio [HR], 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-1.64). This finding was stronger in the INS cohort (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.45-1.22) than in the SUMET cohort (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.07-1.58). Only the 10th decile (median, 10.4%) was also associated with increased mortality risk in the SUMET cohort (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.55-2.42); but in the INS cohort, deciles 2 (median, 6.95%; HR,1.45; 95% CI, 1.17-1.80), 3 (median, 7.3%; HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.09-1.67), 9 (median, 9.4%; HR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.21-1.77), and 10 (median, 10.6%; HR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.49-2.17) were all associated with greater risk. The combined model yielded results similar to the INS cohort, and the inclusion of a variable for membership in the INS cohort was significantly associated with increased mortality (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.39-1.59). The adjusted risk for progression to large-vessel disease had the same general U-shaped association as for all-cause mortality, and insulin treatment was associated with an increased risk for a first large-vessel disease event"
• Hemoglobin A1c outperforms fasting glucose for risk prediction - Science Daily, 3/3/10 - "Measurements of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) more accurately identify persons at risk for clinical outcomes than the commonly used measurement of fasting glucose ... people with HbA1c levels between 5.0 to 5.5 percent were identified as being within "normal" range ... With each incremental HbA1c increase, the study found, the incidence of diabetes increased as well; those at a level of 6.5 percent or greater are considered diabetic, and those between 6.0 and 6.5 percent are considered at a "very high risk" (9 times greater than those at the "normal" range) for developing diabetes"
• Effect of age and race/ethnicity on HbA1c levels in people without known diabetes mellitus: Implications for the diagnosis of diabetes - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010 Jan 8 - "Over 90% of all race/ethnicity groups would have diabetes with HbA1c levels >/=7.0% ... we recommend an HbA1c level of >/=7.0% to diagnose diabetes"
• A1C Blood Test OK for Diabetes Diagnosis - WebMD, 12/29/09
• HbA1c Treatment Targets Cut CV Risk in Diabetics With Few Comorbidities - Medscape, 12/16/09 - "aggressive control of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels--that is, to no higher than 6.5% or 7%--significantly improves cardiovascular risk over five years, but only in patients who aren't too old or sick at the outset"
• HbA1c Levels Predict Carotid IMT in Diabetic Adolescents - Medscape, 11/13/09 - "For every 1% increase in HbA1c, the likelihood of having a thicker common carotid IMT increased by 35%, after adjustment for sex, systolic blood pressure z-score, and insulin use ... These data suggest that poor glycemic control is associated with structural changes in the carotid artery that are consistent with early atherosclerosis"
• HbA1c is associated with intima media thickness in individuals with normal glucose tolerance - Diabetes Care. 2009 Oct 6 - "normal glucose tolerant individuals (NGT) ... 1h-glucose and HbA1c were significantly correlated to carotid IMT in individuals with NGT, while fasting and 2h-glucose were not informative. Only HbA1c was associated with IMT independent of other confounders, while 1h-glucose was not informative ... HbA1c was the most informative glycemic marker with respect to IMT in individuals with NGT"
• Erectile function in men with diabetes type 2: correlation with glycemic control - Int J Impot Res. 2009 Sep 17 - "the level of HbA(1c) is significantly higher with declining degrees of potency (P-value=0.003). Also, there is an association between potency degree and glycemic control (P=0.002). We conclude that glycemic control is independently and inversely associated with ED in men with diabetes type 2"
• Efficacy and safety of therapy with metformin plus pioglitazone in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial - Curr Med Res Opin. 2009 Mar 23 - "Mean HbA(1c) was reduced by 0.67% in patients receiving pioglitazone plus metformin versus an increase of 0.25% in those receiving metformin alone (p < 0.0001). After 8 weeks' treatment and until the end of the study, HbA(1c) was significantly lower with pioglitazone plus metformin and more patients in this group achieved an HbA(1c) < 6.5% (38.6% vs. 8.1%; p < 0.0001). FBG was also reduced by a significantly greater amount in patients receiving pioglitazone plus metformin compared with metformin monotherapy (-20.5 vs. 1.9 mg/dl; p < 0.0001). Combination therapy was associated with significantly increased HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and adiponectin, and significantly decreased levels of fasting insulin, free fatty acids, and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-R) compared with metformin monotherapy" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Diabetes Linked To Cognitive Deterioration - Science Daily, 3/5/09 - "people with diabetes were 1.5 more likely to experience cognitive decline, and 1.6 more likely to suffer from dementia than people without diabetes ... suggests that higher-than-average levels of blood glucose (blood sugar) may have a role in this relationship ... in people with type 2 diabetes, higher levels of haemoglobin A1C (a measure of average blood glucose) are significantly associated with poorer performance on three cognitive tasks which require memory, speed and ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time. A higher A1C level was also associated with a lower score on a test of global cognitive function ... lowering A1C levels could slow the accelerated rate of cognitive decline experienced by people with diabetes"
• Higher Blood Sugar Levels Linked to Lower Brain Function in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 2/11/09 - "The ongoing Memory in Diabetes (MIND) study, a sub-study of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Trial (ACCORD), found a statistically significant inverse relationship between A1C levels over a period of 2 to 3 months and subjects' scores on four cognitive tests ... This study adds to the growing evidence that poorer blood glucose control is strongly associated with poorer memory function and that these associations can be detected well before a person develops severe memory loss"
• Doctors use diabetes test A1C as diagnostic tool- USA Today, 2/1/09 - "Within the next six months, a consensus by several leading diabetes organizations will lead to the publication of guidelines recommending the A1C test as a diagnostic tool for type 2 diabetes ... The benefit of the A1C test is that it can be taken at any time of day and is not thrown off by events of the day ... People who don't have diabetes typically have about a 6 or less reading"
• HemoglobinA1c level in healthy Thai adults: reference interval and fasting plasma glucose - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2009 Feb;83(2):e43-6. Epub 2009 Jan 8 - "Reference interval of HbA1c IFCC was 2.90-4.90%" - Note:  I saw this abstract last month and deleted it and have been thinking about it ever since so I did a medline search of "hba1c thailand" and found it again.  The point is that the range of hba1c was 2.90-4.90% in non-diabetics in Thailand.  Mine is 4.97% and I had two doctors tell me that was great.  In my opinion, and I'm not a doctor (Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering), American doctors are so used to seeing a high hba1c that they've lost track of what's normal.
• HbA1c Tied to Cardiovascular Risks in Patients With Symptomatic HF - Medscape, 8/28/08 - "Over a median follow-up period of almost 3 years, the researchers found that for each 1% rise in HbA1c, the risk of cardiovascular death, heart failure hospitalization and overall mortality rose by about 25%. Moreover, this was true in subjects with and without a history of diabetes and whether or not ejection fraction was reduced or preserved"
• Comparison of the effects of telmisartan and olmesartan on home blood pressure, glucose, and lipid profiles in patients with hypertension, chronic heart failure, and metabolic syndrome - Hypertens Res. 2008 May;31(5):921-9 - "telmisartan had more beneficial effects on glucose and lipid profiles in patients with relatively high HbA1c, serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Therefore, we concluded that telmisartan was more beneficial than olmesartan for controlling blood pressure in the early morning, as well as for improving glucose and lipid profiles in patients with hypertension, chronic heart failure, and metabolic syndrome" - Click here for why I feel that telmisartan should be the first line treatment for hypertension.
• HbA1C, but not serum glycated albumin, is elevated in late pregnancy due to iron deficiency - Diabetes Care. 2008 Jul 3 - "HbA(1C) levels were elevated in late pregnancy due to iron deficiency. Serum GA may offer a better index for monitoring glycemic control in pregnancy"
• Translating the A1C Assay Into Estimated Average Glucose Values - Diabetes Care. 2008 Jun 7 - "28.7 x A1C - 46.7"
• Hemoglobin A1C Levels Strongly Linked to Subsequent Mortality in Diabetes - Medscape, 6/9/08 - "For participants without a previous diagnosis of diabetes, HRs for all-cause mortality steadily increased from the A1C reference category to the highest category (≥ 7.0%; HR, 2.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72 - 3.25). In addition, A1C was associated with mortality from circulatory, endocrine, nutritional, metabolic, and immune diseases as well as from other and unknown causes"
• New Insights In Diagnosing Diabetes May Help The Millions Who Are Undiagnosed - Science Daily, 5/27/08 - "The measurement of HbA1c does not require fasting, while current accepted tests require the patient to fast for at least eight hours. Furthermore, HbA1c more accurately reflects longer-term glucose concentration in the blood; other tests can easily be affected by short-term lifestyle changes, such as a few days of dieting or exercise. And finally, HbA1c laboratory methods are now well standardized and reliable ... HbA1c greater than 6 percent would qualify as being in need of follow-up; HbA1c greater than or equal to 6.5 percent confirmed by a glucose-dependent test should establish the diagnosis of diabetes" - Note:  I feel there is something to this.  My fasting glucose is always high yet my HbA1c is 4.97 (normal 4.7 to 6.2) and my 2 hour fasting glucose bounces a point or two about the low normal.
• The Relationship Between A1C Levels & PAD Severity - Physician's Weekly, 11/19/07
• Rosiglitazone Reduces Liver Fat and Insulin Requirements While Improving Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity And Glycemic Control In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Requiring High Insulin Doses - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Oct 23 - "During rosiglitazone, HbA1c decreased from 8.9+/-0.4% to 7.8+/-0.3% (p=0.007) and insulin requirements from 218+/-22 to 129+/-20 IU/day (p=0.002). Liver fat content decreased by 46+/-9% from 20+/-3% to 11+/-3% (p=0.0002). Hepatic insulin sensitivity, measured from the % suppression of endogenous glucose production by insulin, increased from -40+/-7% to -89+/-12% (p=0.001). The % change in liver fat correlated with the % decrease in HbA1c (r=0.53, p=0.06), insulin dose (r=0.66, p=0.014), and suppression of endogenous glucose production (r=0.76, p=0.003)"
• Insulin Linked to Colonic Polyps, Neoplasia - oncologystat.com, 10/23/07 - "those with poorly controlled diabetes, identified by a high serum level of hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ), were significantly more likely to have advanced colonic adenomatous polyps, compared with diabetic patients with better glycemic control ... patients with poorly controlled diabetes were more than sixfold as likely to have advanced polyps and nearly sixfold as likely to have right-sided polyps, compared with patients who had better glycemic control. The average number of polyps found in poorly controlled patients was 5.5; in better-controlled patients, the average was 2.5 polyps per patient. Results from a third study reported at the meeting showed that having three or more polyps was the strongest predictor of risk for recurrent advanced neoplasia in the colon"
• The Association of Elevated HbA1c on the Behavior of Adenomatous Polyps in Patients with Type-II Diabetes Mellitus - Dig Dis Sci. 2007 Oct 16 - "colonic adenomatous polyps (APs) ... univariate analysis (UA) ... UA demonstrated that patients with poorly controlled DM-2 had a significantly increased incidence of right-sided APs (P = 0.001), a greater number of APs (P < 0.005), more advanced APs (P < 0.005), a younger age of presentation (P = 0.001), a history of smoking (P = 0.05), and greater use of exogenous insulin (P = 0.01). Logistic regression, as measured by HbA1c, demonstrated that poorly controlled DM-2 independently predicted a greater prevalence of right-sided AP, a more advanced lesion at the time of presentation, a greater number of polyps, and greater use of exogenous insulin"
• Hemoglobin A1c predicts diabetes but not cardiovascular disease in nondiabetic women - Am J Med. 2007 Aug;120(8):720-7 - "HbA1c levels are elevated well in advance of the clinical development of type 2 diabetes, supporting recent recommendations for lowering of diagnostic thresholds for glucose metabolic disorders. In contrast, the association of HbA1c with incident cardiovascular events is modest and largely attributable to coexistent traditional risk factors"
• Thiazolidinedione increases serum soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products in type 2 diabetes - Diabetologia. 2007 Jul 18 - "At 6 months, both rosiglitazone and sulfonylurea resulted in a significant reduction in HbA(1c), fasting glucose and AGE"
• Relation of increased hemoglobin a(1c) levels to severity of peripheral arterial disease in patients with diabetes mellitus - Am J Cardiol. 2007 May 15;99(10):1468-9 - "the higher the hemoglobin A(1c) levels in patients with diabetes with PAD, the higher the prevalence of severe PAD"
• New Data Shows Rimonabant Benefited Patients with Type 2 Diabetes by Improving Blood Sugar Control, Reducing Weight and Acting on Other Cardiometabolic Risk Factors - Doctor's Guide, 12/5/06 - "treatment-naive type 2 diabetes patients receiving rimonabant 20mg per day for a duration of six months significantly lowered their HbA1c levels by 0.8% from a baseline value of 7.9 as compared to a reduction of 0.3% in the placebo group (P =.002). In addition, patients with an HbA1c level greater than or equal to 8.5% at baseline, significantly reduced their HbA1c by 1.9% with rimonabant as compared to 0.7% with placebo" - See rimonabant at International Antiaging Systems.
• HbA1c - the gold standard in the assessment of diabetes treatment? - Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 2006 Dec;131 Suppl 8:S243-6
• Chronically High Blood Sugar Linked To Risk Of Cognitive Impairment - Science Daily, 8/9/06 - "Women with a glycosylated hemoglobin of seven percent or higher at baseline were four times more likely to develop MCI or dementia than women who tested at less than seven percent"
• Periodontal Therapy May Help Diabetic Patients Improve Sugar Control - Doctor's Guide, 4/12/06 - "periodontal therapy may reduce a diabetic patient's HbA1c count by as much as 20% at three and six months following treatment"
• High Blood Sugar Levels a Risk Factor for Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 9/14/05 - "Lowering blood sugar levels could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in both diabetics and non-diabetics ... Non-diabetic persons with HbA1c levels of 6% or higher had almost a two-fold greater heart disease risk compared to persons with an HbA1c level below 4.6%"
• Rimonabant Study Shows Significant Improvements in Hba1c and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in People With Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 6/16/05
• Metabolic Effect of Telmisartan [Micardis] and Losartan [Cozaar] in Hypertensive Patients with Metabolic Syndrome - Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2005 May 15;4(1):6 - "Telmisartan, but not losartan, significantly (p < 0.05) reduced free plasma glucose, free plasma insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and HbAic. Following treatment, plasma glucose and insulin were reduced during the oral glucose tolerance test by telmisartan, but not by losartan. Telmisartan also significantly reduced 24-hour mean systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05) compared with losartan"
• Glycosylated haemoglobin levels and the severity of erectile function in diabetic men - BJU Int. 2005 Mar;95(4):615-7 - "This study suggests that the severity of ED is associated with increasing HbA(1c) levels in diabetic men"
• High-Dose Atorvastatin Associated with Worsening Glycemic Control - Doctor's Guide, 11/10/04 - "Atorvastatin was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of developing an HbA1c greater than 6 -- both in non-diabetics and in diabetics"
• Death Risk Rises With Blood Sugar - WebMD, 9/20/04 - "As your blood sugar level goes up, so does your risk of death and heart disease - even if you don't have diabetes ... every 1% increase in HbA1c ups the risk of death -- from all causes -- by 24% for men and 28% for women ... These are important studies because they show we should be concerned about blood glucose elevations even in people who do not have diabetes"
• Hormone Therapy May Need to be Used Cautiously in Patients Taking Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 9/19/03 - "rosiglitazone reduced glucose levels from a mean of 9.15 to 7.5 mM/L; (P=0.013), insulin from 11.7 to 8.8 mU/L (P=0.026), haemoglobin A1c from 8.0% to 6.9% (P=0.001), triglycerides from 2.3 to 1.8 mM/L (P=0.009), systolic BP from 130 to 117 mm Hg (P=0.02), diastolic BP from 72 to 67 mm"
• Indications and Management Strategies for Insulin Therapy in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/8/03 - "The American Diabetes Association goals for glucose control are a haemoglobin A1c level of less than 7%, a fasting glucose level between 90 and 130 mg/dL, and a post-prandial glucose concentration of less that 180 mg/dL"

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