We round up the latest agetech research spanning diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, eye health and beyond.
Yo-yo dieting may significantly increase kidney disease risk in people with type 1 diabetes
Body-weight cycling (also known as yo-yo dieting) has been shown to significantly increase the risk of kidney disease in people with type 1 diabetes, regardless of body mass index (BMI) and other traditional risk factors, according to a new study.
Yo-yo dieting is defined as repeatedly losing and gaining weight multiple times over the years. Its prevalence is reported to be as high as 35 per cent in men and 55 per cent in women.
This patten of dieting has been shown to increase risks of cardiovascular events in both the general population and in people with type 2 diabetes, and more recently in type 1 diabetes.
This is the first study to show a link between yo-yo dieting and kidney events in people with type 1 diabetes, according to the authors.
Type 1 diabetes was long considered a disease of lean individuals. But as with the general population, the prevalence of obesity is rising among those with type 1 diabetes as well, the authors note.
Marion Camoin, M.D., of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, France, is the study’s lead author.
The researcher said: “We showed that high body-weight variability is associated with increased risk of different outcomes of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progressions in people with type 1 diabetes, independently of traditional DKD risk factors.”
Drug shows promise in reversing memory loss for early Alzheimer’s patients
Experimental drug, GL-II-73, has the potential to restore memory and cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, new research has shown.
The study demonstrated that the drug improves memory deficits and reverses brain cell damage, offering hope for improving cognitive functioning, delaying Alzheimer’s progression, and potentially preventing some of the brain damages associated with the disease.
Unlike many existing drugs that target beta-amyloid buildup, GL-II-73 selectively targets GABA receptors in the hippocampus to restore brain function and repair damaged neural connections.
Early studies also suggest the drug shows promise for other mental health conditions associated with cognitive impairment, including depression, epilepsy and schizophrenia.
Studies reveal lasting impact of PTSD on Vietnam veterans
Two major new studies have revealed that veterans of the Vietnam War continue to face significant psychological and physical health challenges decades after their combat experience.
The research, one of the longest observational studies of Vietnam veterans to date, finds that PTSD and combat exposure are strongly linked to cardiovascular disease and chronic illnesses, as well as ongoing psychological distress, with effects persisting up to 50 years after their service.
Professor Emerita of Health Policy and Management at Columbia Mailman School said: “Combat exposure and PTSD were strong predictors of heart disease and other chronic illnesses in veterans, especially those who faced the most intense combat.”
The study’s findings are especially concerning regarding veterans’ cardiovascular health.
They revealed that 28 per cent of participants reported being diagnosed with heart disease, with those who experienced higher levels of combat exposure being twice as likely to report heart disease compared to those with less exposure.
PTSD was also strongly associated with increased rates of chronic conditions such as arthritis (46.5 per cent), sleep apnoea (33 per cent), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (23.5 per cent).
Spinal cord stimulation restores neural function
A new drug-free, minimally invasive intervention targets the root cause of progressive loss of neural function in spinal muscle atrophy (SMA), an inherited neuromuscular disease.
An intervention, which involves electrical stimulation of the sensory spinal nerves, can gradually reawaken functionally silent motor neurons in the spinal cord and improve leg muscle strength and walking in adults with SMA.
Early results from a pilot clinical trial in three human volunteers with SMA show that one month of regular neurostimulation sessions improved motoneuron function, reduced fatigue and improved strength and walking in all participants, regardless of the severity of their symptoms.
The study is first to show that a neurotechnology can be engineered to reverse degeneration of neural circuits and rescue cell function in a human neurodegenerative disease.
Co-corresponding author Robert Friedlander, M.D. is chair of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh and co-director of the UPMC Neurological Institute.
He said: “Our results suggest that this neurostimulation approach could be broadly applied to treat other neurodegenerative diseases beyond SMA, such as ALS or Huntington’s disease, as long as appropriate cell targets are identified in the course of future research.”
‘Good’ cholesterol may be linked to heightened glaucoma risk among over 55s
‘Good’ (HDL) cholesterol, usually considered to be beneficial for health, may be linked to a heightened risk of the serious eye condition, glaucoma—at least among the over 55s— suggest the results of a large observational study.
Paradoxically, ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol, usually regarded as harmful to health, may be associated with a lower risk of glaucoma, a condition that damages the optic nerve, potentially leading to irreversible sight loss or total blindness.
The findings challenge received wisdom about what may help and hinder eye health, and suggest that a rethink may be needed of how patients with high blood fats and who are at risk of glaucoma, are treated, say the researchers.
The researchers said: “These findings challenge existing paradigms about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol in relation to eye health.
“This could prompt a re-evaluation of lipid management strategies in patients at risk for glaucoma.”
“HDL cholesterol has been regarded as the ‘good cholesterol’ for seven decades.
“However, this study demonstrates that high levels of [it] are not consistently associated with a favourable prognostic outcome.
“Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms behind these associations.”
