New research could change the way type 1 diabetes is diagnosed
A study of 894 volunteers in Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa found 65 percent of youth-onset diabetes cases lacked typical autoantibodies and genetic predispositions.
This indicates that many young people in these regions have a non-autoimmune form of type 1 diabetes, unlike the commonly understood autoimmune type.
Similar findings were observed in 15 percent of Black Americans diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, contrasting with White Americans who typically show autoimmune patterns.
Researchers are calling for urgent investigation into the biological and environmental factors driving this form of diabetes to adapt diagnostic and treatment approaches for African settings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Telegraph
Rhino horns injected with radioactive material to deter poachers
Rhinos in South Africa will have their horns injected with radioactive material to deter poachers. A team from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) said the rhinos would not be harmed by a process that would allow smuggled horns to be tracked across the world. Hundreds of the animals are poached every year in South Africa, which has the largest rhino population in the world. The Rhisotope Project, which cost about £220,000, involved six years of testing and research, according to those involved. James Larkin, a Wits professor involved in the project, told the BBC: 'At least one animal a day is still being poached. ' I think the figures are only going to go one way if we don't watch out.... this is a significant tool to help reduce the numbers of poaching, because we're proactive rather than being reactive.' Prof Larkin said the study, which initially involved 20 rhinos, confirmed that radioactive isotopes could be stored inside their horns completely safely. The academics worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the project. They found that rhino horns stashed inside fully-sized metal shipping containers could be detected due to the radioactive isotopes – even at low levels. This could lead to the arrests of poachers and traffickers. The project was praised by animal rights activists, including Jamie Joseph, the director of the charity Saving the Wild, who said it was 'much needed'. He said: 'It's not the endgame – only better legislation and political will can bring an end to the rhino crisis. 'But it will certainly help disrupt the flow of horns leaving the country and help experts better map out the illegal channels by providing reliable data.' Around 500 rhinos were killed for their horns every year in South Africa since 2021, according to Save the Rhino, the conservation charity. Jessica Babich, head of the Rhisotope Project, said: 'Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa's most iconic and threatened species. 'By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage.' The International Union for Conservation of Nature has estimated that the global rhino population was 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century but has now declined to 27,000 due to continued demand for rhino horns on the black market.
Medical News Today
19 hours ago
- Medical News Today
3 diet types may help reduce chronic disease risk in older adults
Researchers from Karolinska Institutet studied how dietary patterns influence the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, dementia, and diabetes in older adults who regularly ate healthier diets that included vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats experienced a slower buildup of chronic who consumed more red meat, processed foods, and sugary beverages were more likely to develop multiple chronic conditions over often brings new health challenges, including an increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, arthritis, COPD, and dementia.A new study from researchers in Sweden offers hope for older adults concerned about their studying what effect diet has on chronic disease, the researchers found that people who consumed healthier diets tended to see a slower progression of chronic health issues and fewer chronic diseases overall. In contrast, participants who consumed a pro-inflammatory diet were more likely to develop multiple chronic study appears in Nature the link between food choices and agingAging may bring about new health problems such as hearing loss, mobility issues, and a weakened immune system. While some decline is expected, being proactive about one's health, including dietary choices, can help reduce the risk associated with chronic authors of the current study focused on chronic disease in older adults. Some of the health problems they considered included cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric diseases, and musculoskeletal diseases. To do this, they analyzed data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), a long-term registry that tracks health metrics, medical histories, and cognitive testing among aging researchers included a group of more than 2,400 older adults from SNAC-K who were an average age of 71.5 years at the baseline. The researchers divided the participants into four groups based on the answers they provided on food questionnaires: MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), which focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy (Alternative Healthy Eating Index), which evaluates diet quality based on foods linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, such as fish, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. AMED (Alternative Mediterranean diet), which focuses on plant-based foods and healthy fats, but adjusts recommendations for some food items such as red (Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index), which is a pro-inflammatory diet pattern high in red meat, processed foods, and sugary researchers considered the first three diets healthy, while the EDII represented an unhealthy, inflammation-promoting diet. The scientists used 15 years of data to examine how the diets impacted the accumulation of chronic adults who ate well developed fewer chronic illnesses The results of this study demonstrated yet another way maintaining a healthy diet is important to health. Over a 15-year period, participants who followed one of the healthy diets experienced a slower progression of chronic diseases. Additionally, these participants had up to two fewer diseases compared to people with the least adherence to healthy eating. Healthy eaters also experienced a slower rate of heart disease and neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia. The only area where researchers did not find a negative association between a pro-inflammatory diet and health outcome was regarding musculoskeletal disease. The protective effects of the MIND and AHEI diets on neuropsychiatric health were strongest among the oldest participants. This suggests that even later in life, adopting a healthy diet can make a warn that shifting eating patterns may pose challengesDavid Cutler, MD, board certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center, shared his thoughts about the study with Medical News Today. 'These results suggest that diet quality is a modifiable risk factor in slowing the rate of chronic disease accumulation among older adults,' said emphasized that the study made it clear that a pro-inflammatory diet can be harmful to one's the study demonstrated the importance of healthy eating habits, Cutler noted that 'changing eating behaviors is challenging.''This is especially true of [older adults] whose patterns have been ingrained longer, and they may see a shorter period of time to appreciate the benefits of a healthier diet,' Cutler continued. Mir Ali, MD, board certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon, and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center, also spoke with MNT.'I thought this was a good study linking a healthier diet to slower disease progression,' said Ali. 'Though it is difficult to separate all factors, I think it is reasonable to conclude that diet plays a major role in chronic inflammation and disease.'Ali also shared concerns about the difficulty in changing eating patterns for older adults.'The older someone is, the harder it is to make long-term changes; furthermore, disease and inflammation can progress more as we age, so it becomes more difficult to reverse these changes,' explained Ali. 'In general, we recommend to all our patients, including older adults, to reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake and emphasize protein and vegetables. This helps direct the body towards breaking down fats, reducing diabetes and inflammation overall.'— Mir Ali, MD
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Cambridge study says healthy diets could reduce risk of diabetes
Several healthy diets can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of a person's ethnicity, a new study has foundResearchers from the University of Cambridge looked at 33 studies on three different diets featuring 826,000 analysis suggested the eating habits, all of which place a focus on consuming more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, "can be promoted across all populations".They said the findings "suggest that major ethnic groups benefit equally from higher adherence to these dietary patterns", although more research is needed for specific populations. Researchers said the Mediterranean diet, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) were trialled. The study found that the top 10% who adhered to the diets had a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes happens when the hormone insulin does not work properly, causing high blood sugar. Treatment for the condition could include lifestyle changes such as healthier eating and exercise to help lower review suggested that the Dash diet reduced the risk of developing the condition by 23%, the Mediterranean by 17% and AHEI linked to a 21% lower benefits of following each diet also did not appear to vary across African, Asian, European, and Hispanic ethnic groups, according to added: "This study strengthens the evidence that the Mediterranean, AHEI, and Dash dietary patterns may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes across diverse ethnic groups, and that they can be promoted across all populations."The findings will be presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna in September. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
