Month: November 2014

A cup of yogurt a day may help keep diabetes away, a new study suggests. But the reduction in risk was relatively small. The study was based on information about the diets of nearly 200,000 health professionals. They were part of three long-term studies. Researchers asked them regularly about their diets, other habits and health. They kept track of people for up to 30 years. During the study, about 15,000 developed type 2 diabetes. Researchers took account of other things that affect diabetes risk, such as weight, age, smoking and high blood pressure. After these adjustments, they found no link between type 2 diabetes risk and the total amount of dairy products people ate. But for those who ate yogurt, the risk was lower. Researchers then combined their results with other studies that looked at diet and type 2 diabetes risk.

Growing numbers of U.S. children are being diagnosed with eczema, a new report says. The report comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It offers updated information and advice for pediatricians. These doctors treat most of the children with this condition. Eczema is an allergic skin condition. It is also called atopic dermatitis. Most people are diagnosed before age 5. A national health survey found that eczema rates rose for U.S. children between 2000 and 2010. Eczema increased from 9% to 17% among black children. Rates rose from 5% to 10% for Hispanics and 8% to 13% for non-Hispanic whites. Treatments include skin care with mild soap and regular use of moisturizers. Steroid creams or ointments also can be applied to the skin. They can help to control the condition and ease symptoms. Baths with diluted bleach can help to prevent infections.

No matter how well they control their blood sugar, people with type 1 diabetes have at least twice the normal risk of early death, a new study finds. The study included 34,000 people with type 1 diabetes. They were compared with nearly 170,000 non-diabetics. Their average age was 36 when the study began. Researchers kept track of them for an average of 8 years. During the study, 8% of those with diabetes and 2.9% of non-diabetics died. About 2.7% of diabetics and 0.9% of the other group died of heart disease or stroke. Risk of death was even higher for diabetics with poor control of their blood sugar. Those with the highest average blood sugar were 8.5 times as likely to die as those without diabetes. Their heart-related death rates were 10.5 times as high. Diabetics with the lowest average blood sugar were 2.4 times as likely to die during the study as those without diabetes.