Author: Staff Writers

That energy drink or the next can of soda you drink may not seem like it’s doing that much harm, but people are getting an enormous amount of calories from drinks today. While mankind lived for thousands of years on water alone, we now have a huge array of tasty (and sometimes seemingly healthy) beverages available every day, from fruit juices to soda to cappuccinos, and they all have the potential to flood our bodies with an enormous number of excess calories.

“It’s a huge problem,” says Katie Warwick, dietitian with the Toronto Western Hospital who works with patients who have received a recommendation for bariatric surgery. “A lot of our patients aren’t aware of how many calories they’re actually drinking. There’s the misperception that if it’s healthy, such as milk or juice, the calories don’t cause weight gain.” In other words, fruit juice may provide vitamin C and other important nutrients, but it also provides lots of energy in the form of calories, just as any other food does. And that extra energy can induce a caloric excess that causes your body to store fat.
Canadian beverage companies are beginning a two-year initiative that will emphasize the amount of calories contained in a drink right on the packaging. Similar companies in the U.S. have started a similar campaign.

Not only are we consuming more sugary and high-calorie drinks, but we’re consuming more of them in a single sitting. “For years the beverage industry considered 591-mL a multi-serve portion,” says Justin Sherwood, the president of the Canadian Beverage Association. “But our research shows that many consumers are now drinking it in one sitting.”

Data from Statistics Canada shows that middle-aged Canadian men in their 30s and 40s receive 16% of their daily caloric intake from liquids, while women receive 14.3% of their intake in liquids. In younger generations, it’s even higher: men in their 20s receive 20.4% of their calories from beverages and women 17.9%.

Those numbers are far out of line with what is considered healthy. According to Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and leading obesity researcher, people should gain more like “between five and ten percent” of their daily calories from beverages.

It’s so easy to consume an excessive number of calories from beverages because they don’t activate the satiety mechanisms in our bodies the way solid foods do. The hormonal process from the gut signaling that we’re full is not fully realized when we consume calories in liquid form. Since we don’t feel full, we can consume hundreds of calories from a liquid and still feel like we need to eat some solid food.

According to Barry Popkin, “Our thirst mechanism developed separately from hunger so we could constantly drink water but eat only when food was available.” For thousands of years, mankind relied only on water; this evolutionary advantage has turned into a disadvantage as we have been exposed to tasty beverages that flood our bodies with extra calories.

Most of the offending beverages consist of simple sugars. These sugars move quickly through the gastrointestinal tract; they do not promote satiety or provide the fiber and fats that slow down digestion the way solid food does.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the foods most responsible for contributing to the obesity problem include potatoes, potato chips, and high-sugar sweetened beverages.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) recently announced on September 14 that it is sponsoring a $100,000 Challenge, calling for the development of new methods for discovering and creating a glucose-responsive insulin medication for treating insulin-dependent diabetes. The JDRF is a global leader in promoting research and development in prevention and medication for Type 1 diabetes. The challenge is open to the public; it can be found at InnoCentive.com, a website that allows the global community to work together in solving problems across a wide variety of fields.

The JDRF is utilizing InnoCentive’s base of “problem solvers” to encourage the development of a transformative and sophisticated insulin medication for diabetics. The JDRF hopes that the drug will improve glucose control, reduce or eliminate the need for frequent blood sugar testing, and decrease the chances of long-term complications arising from diabetes.

The ultimate goal of the challenge is the development of a glucose-responsive insulin medication; such as a medication would only activate when the body requires it, releasing the proper amount of insulin into the bloodstream upon the detection of high blood glucose levels. It will also regulate blood glucose levels in diabetics while requiring only a single dose each day, or even less if possible.

According to Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., assistant Vice President of Treatment Therapies at the JDRF, modern insulin treatments and blood sugar monitoring technologies place an unnecessary burden on diabetics. “Today, insulin treatment requires diligent monitoring and burdensome administration, often several times a day, every day,” says Dr. Kowalski. This remains the only way to regulate blood sugar levels for the millions of individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes worldwide. Although research has propelled the development of better and faster-acting insulins, the disease is still hard to control because of the way insulin is administered to patients.

What we need is sophisticated insulin that will take the guesswork out of managing diabetes by developing a novel insulin that works in the same way insulin works in people without diabetes. By fostering novel approaches from diverse problem Solvers within and outside the diabetes field, we hope this Challenge with InnoCentive will help speed progress toward the development of glucose-responsive insulin- progress urgently needed by people with diabetes.”

Dwayne Spradlin, CEO and president of InnoCentive, commented on the new project.

“JDRF is an organization that recognizes the importance of innovation in the healthcare industry,” said Spradlin. “This approach of looking beyond traditional researchers to gain new insights, ideas, and solutions illustrates their commitment to finding a better way to treat diabetes. We are excited to be partnering with JDRF finding new ways to enhance the quality of life for patients while helping patients better manage their disease.”

InnoCentive.com is a platform for connecting businesses or organizations looking for solutions (“seekers”) with interdisciplinary scientists and research groups who have the resources and capabilities to offer solutions (“problem solvers”). The platform is an “open source” model that encourages scientists from all over the world to offer their own solutions to the problems. Cash rewards are offered for the best solutions, typically in the $10,000 to $100,000 range. Solutions have come from countries all over the world, including the United States, Europe, Russia, India, China, and Argentina.

InnoCentive is based in Waltham, Massachusetts. The idea for the company came to its founders in 1998 and it officially launched in 2001.

Josefina Hernandez didn’t think that eating a bag of chips to prevent her blood sugar from dropping would be cause for getting fired. But Hernandez, who worked at a Walgreens in San Francisco, found her employment terminated when she did just that.

Hernandez, who has worked at Walgreens for 18 years as a cashier, was fired for eating a bag of chips so that her blood sugar wouldn’t drop too low. According to her attorney, Cindy O’Hara, Hernandez is a diabetic. “She reached for a piece of candy in her pocket. She didn’t have one so she grabbed a $1.39 bag of chips and ate some to raise her blood sugar to avoid an emergency,” said O’Hara.

According to O’Hara, the assistant manager of the Walgreens store noticed Hernandez grabbing the bag of chips. Hernandez was suspended for three days following the incident, then went on vacation.

But after returning from vacation, Hernandez said she was pulled aside, brought into the office, and terminated as an employee. She said that the management fired her because she ate the chips before she paid for them. However, she says she did pay the $1.39 that before the end of her shift.

O’Hara is an attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Commission filed the lawsuit because it believes that incident is a clear case of discrimination against someone with a disability — in this case, diabetes.

“An employer has a duty to accommodate people who have disabilities and take that into account and in this case it was clear that the action that Ms. Hernandez took was because of a disability,” says O’Hara. Thus far, Walgreens has not offered any comment on the lawsuit.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA recognizes diabetes as a disability, citing figures that nearly 17 million Americans over the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes while over one million new cases of the disease are diagnosed each year. Individuals with diabetes can perform a variety of job functions, but according to the ADA, diabetics still receive discrimination from employers due to myths and stereotypes — such as the beliefs that diabetics are unable to drive, will require substantial sick leave, or will require frequent breaks. However, many diabetics work without restrictions or changes to normal schedules so employers typically aren’t even aware that employees have diabetes. Any accommodations that a diabetic may request, such as meal breaks, regular work schedules, and rest areas typically do not add any extra cost for the employer.

The Americans with Disabilities Act considers diabetes to be a “disability” when it “substantially limits one or more of a person’s major life activities” — activities that an average person can carry out with little or no difficulty, such as eating. Further, the ADA considers diabetes a disability when it causes adverse side effects that significantly limit a major life activity of the diabetic, even if the disease is currently being treated through diet, exercise, and insulin treatment and is no longer a limiting factor on those activities. Lastly, the ADA considers diabetes a disability if it does not affect the major life activities of an individual, but the individual’s employer treats him or her as if it does.

The ADA determines whether an individual’s diabetes is classified as a disability on a case-by-case basis.

Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and author of “The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart,” believes that many of our modern-day problems such as obesity and diabetes can be traced to the high concentration of animal products and dietary fat to which we are exposed. A known author on vegan nutrition and vocal opponent of the high-fat Atkins diet, Dr. Barnard has been encouraging individuals to reduce their dependence on animal products and fat. With over two million books sold, Dr. Barnard is an often-quoted figurehead in the vegan community.

Dr. Barnard’s newest book is called “The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart,” and it’s based on the principles that the doctor has been promoting for years: switching to a plant-based diet and cutting out cooking oil, which Dr. Barnard claims will boost metabolism, reduce cholesterol, fight diabetes, and offer a slew of overall health benefits. The book is a 21-day guide to switching to a plant-based diet, offering recipes and tips for making the transition.

“The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart” is focused on making long-term, healthy changes to one’s dietary lifestyle. The diet isn’t concerned so much with counting calories or cardio as it is with simply eating healthy foods all the time. “If you look at other diets, they’re very short-term and artificial. If you go on the Atkins diet, which says don’t eat any fruit, no pasta, no cookies, no bread, it’s not realistic and it’s not healthy,” says Dr. Barnard. “Or if you go on a starvation regimen of eating just 800 calories a day, you just can’t [sustain that], and the weight inevitably comes back. But if you’re eating truly healthful foods, you don’t need to limit calories, carbohydrates or portions, and it becomes a one-way street towards weight loss.”

The vegan diet isn’t just good for reducing obesity, according to Dr. Barnard. He believes that it’s also an effective tool in fighting obesity and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and that diabetes is caused by small amounts of dietary fat that build up in muscles and reduce the effect of insulin. “…the people who are the slimmest and live the longest and have the least occurrence of diabetes are people who are basing their diets on plant foods,” says Dr. Barnard. “In our research studies, it really does improve people’s diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol. When it comes to diabetes, it’s fairly simple. The cause of type 2 diabetes is microscopic amounts of fat that build up in the muscle cells and stops insulin from working.” Since the plant-based diet advocated by The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart contains very little fat, any fat remaining in the muscle cells will “drain out” and allow glucose to enter the muscle cells where it can be used for energy, causing blood sugar levels to fall.

Dr. Barnard’s carbohydrate-heavy recommendation for a healthy diet might seem strange to most diabetics. In his description of a typical day’s diet, he describes eating several pancakes with syrup for breakfast then salad and pasta for dinner.

The 21-day diet plan is effective because it’s a long enough period of time for dieters to begin seeing the benefits of the plan. Beyond weight loss, Dr. Barnard says dieters could expect to see lowered cholesterol and blood pressure, increased energy, and increasing interest in the vegan diet as the days pass.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, CA, recently announced the results of clinical trials of its new medication, Bydureon. The medication was shown to encourage significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors compared to patients who were prescribed other typical diabetes medications. Patients who had Type 2 diabetes and were treated with Bydureon showed improvements in body weight, blood pressure, and lipid levels. The results of the study will be presented at the annual meeting European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Lisbon, Portugal. It will be the 47th meeting of the EASD.

“Patients with diabetes are at least twice as likely as people without the disease to have heart disease or a stroke. Having other chronic conditions including obesity, high blood pressure or high cholesterol further increases this risk,” says James Malone, M.D., global exenatide medical director for Lilly Diabetes. Commenting on the necessity of treating patients for complications often related to diabetes, Malone continued: “These data underscore the need to consider not only glycemic control but also the important role played by other medical conditions that are common among patients with type 2 diabetes.”

In one phase of the trial, patients received either Bydureon or Lantus in addition to metformin, or metformin plus sulfonylurea. After 84 weeks of this medication, the patients taking Bydureon showed improvements in several key areas. They had a significant reduction in body weight (9.8 pounds more than did the patients taking Lantus). They also met a composite endpoint of A1C less than 7% plus target systolic blood pressure (at less than 130mmHg) and LDL cholesterol (at less than 100mg/dL).

In another phase of the trial, participants were divided into groups and treated with one of four drug therapies: Bydureon, metformin, Actos, or Januvia. After analyzing the data, researchers found that participants taking Bydureon or metformin had a better chance of achieving composite goals than the patients treated with Actos or Januvia.

Among the side effects reported in the participants taking Bydureon, gastrointestinal events were the most commonly reported. However, the number of reported cases declined as the trial continued. In another phase of the study, patients taking Bydureon reported nausea and diarrhea as the most common side effects, which falls in line with previously reported adverse side effects of the drug.

Bydureon is the tentative name for exenatide extended-release, an injectable medication for Type 2 diabetes that delivers continuous therapeutic doses of exenatide with one weekly dose. Exenatide is the active ingredient in Byetta, which has been in use since 2005 in the U.S. and in 70 countries around the world as a medication for Type 2 diabetes. Byetta is also an injectable medication typically used in concert with a diet and exercise program to improve glycemic control in adults with Type 2 diabetes. It is also used in combination with metformin or a thiazolidinedione. The drug has been associated with some significant adverse side effects, including fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. It has been used by over 1.8 million patients since it was introduced.

Bydureon was granted marketing authorization in the European Union in June 2011. It is currently under review in the United States and is due for a Prescription Drug user Fee Action update in January of next year. The drug is already available in the United Kingdom and will be launching shortly in other European countries.

New research shows that there may be a good reason why you should chew your food thoroughly. According Masaaki Eto, M.D., a professor of clinical pharmacology and medicine with Ohu University in Koriyama, Japan, thoroughly chewing food stimulates the release of two intestinal peptides that serve a function in lowering appetite and reducing food intake in obese individuals. Dr. Eto presented the findings of the research at the 47th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

The study, performed on non-diabetic, obese individuals, demonstrated that when participants chewed their food thoroughly, they experienced postprandial increases in plasma glucagon-like peptide, known as GLP-1, as well as in peptide YY, known as PYY. Both peptides are released by L cells in the intestines.

According to Dr. Eto, the study was the first to analyze this occurrence in obese individuals. Dr. Eto presented a similar study at last year’s meeting of the EASD; however, that study was performed on normal-weight individuals.

GLP-1 stimulates the glucose-dependent secretion of insulin and encourages reduced food intake. GLP-1 and PYY are thought to be associated with regulation of triglyceride levels and plasma glucose as well as body weight. Plasma insulin and plasma levels of both peptides rise after a meal in normal-weight individuals, while plasma glucose stays about the same.

The newer study analyzed data from nine subjects (five male, four female); the mean age was 41 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) across the participants was 27.2 ± 0.4 kg/m2, which is considered obese in Japan: a BMI of 25 or over falls into “obese” territory in that country, while 25 would be considered “overweight” in the United States. The mean fasting plasma glucose level of the participants was 99 ± 2 mg/dL while mean blood pressure was 124/77 mm Hg.

The study required the participants to fast for 12 hours, after which they ate an early-morning breakfast consisting of steamed vegetables, a boiled egg, bread, margarine, a banana, and milk. The participants were instructed to stretch the meal out to 20 minutes by chewing each mouthful of food five times. Another test on a different day required them to chew each mouthful 30 times. The researchers measured plasma levels of GLP-1 and PYY before the meal and then one hour after.

According to Dr. Eto, the results showed that postprandial plasma levels of the two peptides were significantly higher when the participants chewed 30 times instead of five. He suggested that the thorough chewing of food could be an effective obesity control measure in overweight individuals.

Dr. Eto based his study on old advice from the Japanese government about chewing food thoroughly.

“In [Japan], 30 times chewing is recommended by the government to prevent obesity,” said Dr. Eto. “Increased incidence of obesity is a very, very [big] problem, so since the old days in my country, 30 times chewing was recommended.” He believes that well-chewed food acts on the intestine to encourage the release of the hormones, rather than the peptides being released by the mechanical action of chewing, as some suggested.

Session moderator Leszek Czupryniak, M.D., Ph.D., of the Medical University of Lodz in Poland, said that “what is interesting here is that if you eat something slowly and chew it slowly, the rate of absorption is much slower, and actually, the meal becomes longer. That probably changes the way any hormones are secreted.” Dr. Czupryniak continued on to say that the study’s results were useful in that the technique could be used in everyday life to help control weight in obese individuals.

Timesulin, a new product for use in managing insulin-dependent diabetes was debuted at the 16th annual meeting of the Foundation of European Nurses in Diabetes, or FEND, in Lisbon, Spain. The product uses a timer to remind diabetics when it’s time for another insulin injection. It features a “smart cap,” the first major improvement in insulin pens since they became available about twenty years ago. The product eases the fears of both diabetics and their health care professionals by significantly reducing the possibility of double doses and missed doses of insulin.

Timesulin has already made waves in the medical field in Europe; well-known figures in the diabetes community such as Dr Åke Sjöholm, who heads the the Diabetes Research Unit at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, have commented on the product. “Due to the habitual nature of insulin administration patients often forget whether or not they had injected their insulin dose. We regard this as a major challenge in managing diabetes and welcome the timely arrival of an innovative solution like Timesulin,” said Dr. Sjöholm.

Timesulin was created by a group of three entrepreneurs who saw a need for a safe, simple product that could be used daily to help diabetics with insulin dosing. One of the co-founders, John Sjölund, is himself a Type 1 diabetic. Speaking about the birth of Timesulin, Sjölund said: “The idea was born out of my own frustration as a Type 1 diabetic of over 25 years. I manage my insulin injections with insulin pens and know all too well that a missed shot leads to raised blood sugar levels and causes drowsiness and body aches. At the same time, an accidental double dose has the opposite effect: blood sugar levels plummet, bringing on sweats and it can even cause a severe long & short term health complications. But mostly, it causes daily anxiety. I hate that. People with diabetes need a simpler way of knowing if they took their insulin, and when.”

“This is a very common problem: most insulin-dependent patients have at some point missed a dose or taken a double dose, specifically because they weren’t sure when they took their last shot,” said John Grumitt, Vice Chair of the Diabetes UK Board of Trustees. A simple solution, like the one Timesulin offers, should ease the daily anxiety for many people living with diabetes.”

Andreas Sjölund, another co-founder of Timesulin, is no stranger to finding markets with specific needs and developing products to meet them. He was the co-creator and product manager of Skype, a product which revolutionized Internet telephony by offering a simple and effective platform for voice communication over an Internet connection; Skype is now used by over 700 million people around the world. Marcel Botha is the other co-founder of Timesulin and is also the CTO for the start-up. Originally working with the MIT Media Lab in Boston, Botha has also worked on Sniftag, an online networking tool for dogs.

Timesulin is compatible with all major insulin pens and does not require any changes in the utility of the pen. It requires no configuration and is ready to use as soon as it’s out of the packaging. It will be priced at £25 for each pack of two replacement caps, and will see distribution throughout the EU starting in mid-November 2011.

Team Type 1, an international sports organization promoting diabetes awareness around the world, announced recently that ten runners from the organization’s world-class athletic program will be embarking on a 3,000 mile run across the United States. Supported by international pharmaceutical company SANOFI, which sponsors Team Type 1’s racing teams — which are composed of over 100 athletes — the run is designed to promote a message of improved health through proper diabetes management methods, through increasing awareness of the growing problem of diabetes in the U.S., and through the prevention of diabetes through exercise. The runners are all diabetics themselves, and this run will be the first time that such an effort is undertaken by an all-diabetic team.

The run will begin on Friday, October 28, 2011, in Oceanside, California. The run will be a relay that stretches from the west coast to the east, 24 hours a day. The team has set their goal as reaching New York City in time for World Diabetes Day on November 14, 2011.

Team Type 1 has previously participated in the Race Across America — known as the “World’s Toughest Bicycle Race” — starting in 2005. Since then, the team has won the event four times with athletes who have Type 1 diabetes. Team Type 1 also holds the record for the quickest trans-continental crossing at 5 days, 9 hours, and 3 minutes.

“Since the inception of Team Type 1, our athletes with diabetes have been shattering the limits of what is possible,” said Phil Southerland, CEO and founder of Team Type 1. “We’re so proud of our athletes for dreaming big and taking on the run of a lifetime in an effort to inspire others living with this disease. We are also promoting exercise as a measure to prevent Type 2 diabetes and better manage Type 1 diabetes. We can’t wait to watch them cross the finish in New York City. Our organization, fans and friends around the globe will be cheering them on.”

Team Type 1 is led by Tom Kingery, director of the Team Type 1-SANOFI Running and Triathlon teams and a four-time Ironman competitor. The team is composed of ten athletes; among those athletes, individual achievements include top finishes in the New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the Ironman World Championships, and several ultra-marathon events. One athlete competed and won in the NCAA Final Four in soccer.

“We are thrilled to have an unparalleled team of endurance athletes for our first ever run across the country,” said Tom Kingery. “These accomplished runners are not only amazing athletes but they are great people and role models in the diabetes community. They carry with them a powerful message of empowerment that instills hope and inspiration in those struggling to live a positive and healthy life with diabetes. We are very excited for this challenge and the opportunity to spread the message of hope from California to New York City.”

Sponsors of Team Type 1 include SANOFI, Newton Running Footwear, Share Care, RoadID, Hammer Nutrition, VSP Vision Care, and the American Diabetes Association of New York City. Backers will ensure that the athletes receive proper care for their diabetes over the period of the competition.

Team Type 1 is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and was originally formed as an organization that used bicycling as a platform for promoting better care and awareness of Type 1 diabetes, a chronic variation of diabetes that is commonly diagnosed in children, adolescents and young adults.

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (LXRX), a biopharmaceutical company based in Woodlands, Texas, has reported positive results in the clinical trial of a drug that has demonstrated reduced post-grandial and fasting blood glucose levels in humans. Lexicon also stated that the results could be used to hasten the development of a treatment for pre-diabetes.

The new drug is called LX4211 and, according to Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, it had positive effects on multiple facets of both cardiovascular health and blood glucose regulation in the treatment of diabetes and its associated metabolic conditions. The drug is delivered orally.

Lexicon stated that the results demonstrate that LX2411 could be useful for earlier treatment of diabetes. It could even be used to treat patients who had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes who experience complications with fasting glucose or glucose tolerance.

“Newly observed in this study were the effects of LX4211, in healthy volunteers, of decreasing postprandial glucose levels without hypoglycemia and substantially reducing triglycerides,” said Dr. Brian Zambrowicz, the company’s chief scientific officer, in a press release.

The reduced levels of triglycerides were similar to that seen in current standards of care prescription and clinical-stage medicines, according to Lexicon. Other results of the compounds have shown little to no reductions in triglyceride levels.

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1995 as Lexicon Genetics, Inc, and was renamed as Lexicon Pharmaceuticals in 2007 to reflect the company’s increased focus on developing drugs. The company was started as biotechnology venture of the Baylor College of Medicine and went public in April 2000; it was well-known for going public with one of the largest initial offerings for a biotechnology company at $220 million. In addition to LX2411 for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, Lexicon is pursuing therapeutics for treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); for treating symptoms associated with carcinoid syndrome; and for treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Lexicon’s corporate headquarters are located in Woodlands, Texas; this location also functions as the company’s primary research facility, with its clinical development and regulatory teams operating at the headquarters. The company operates another facility in Princeton, New Jersey, which performs small molecule medicinal chemistry and preclinical development functions. The Princeton location is the primary site where the company creates new chemical compounds to be used in therapeutics.

The company has used its patented “gene knockout” technology in its therapeutic development efforts. The technique involves the use of “knockout mice” with modified DNA which disrupts, or “knocks out,” a single target gene. Using these mice with specifically deactivated genes, the researchers are able to test the physiological effects when a single gene is inactive. Mice have long been used in medical studies because they share a close similarity with humans in genetic makeup and physiology.

Lexicon uses “knockout gene” techniques in its Genome5000 program, an initiative that uses genetically altered mice to determine the exact physiological and behavioral effects of nearly 5,000 human genes by studying the corresponding genes in mice. The program is focused on genes that are thought to have implications for the development of diseases, such as those responsible for enzymes, membrane proteins, secreted proteins, and transporters. Throughout the course of the Genome5000 project, Lexicon has identified key small molecule drug targets in the fields of cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, immunology, and metabolism. To date, the company has analyzed nearly 5,000 human genes through corresponding genes in mice.

The International Diabetes Federation recently released new estimates about the number of people affected by diabetes. According to the IDF, there are 366 million people around the world living with diabetes; the disease also kills one person every seven seconds. The IDF stated that the immense pressures that diabetes places on healthcare systems should encourage world leaders to take a more active role in treating and preventing the disease.

It was estimated that 285 million people had diabetes in 2009. Since that estimate, China has reported that 92.4 million of its citizens have diabetes, which is more than double what the IDF had previously estimated. The increase in China’s diabetic population has increased worldwide spending on diabetes to $465 billion. The Federation presented the figures at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held in Lisbon, Spain.

“This emphasizes how we’ve been underestimating the prevalence of diabetes,” said Andrew Boulton, president-elect of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes as well as a professor of medicine at the University of Manchester in England. Boulton went on to predict that the numbers were going to get worse: “All the figures, even those we’ve mentioned today, are going to be an underestimate.”

The Federation released these numbers just six days before a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations in New York. At the meeting, officials will discuss a cooperative, global strategy for combating a variety of chronic, non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. A political declaration by the governments participating in the meeting stated that as these diseases become more and more common, they undermine economic and social growth, placing a burden on economies with devastating healthcare costs and forcing the allocation of resources to develop new methods of fighting these illnesses.

“Diabetes is a massive challenge the world can no longer afford to ignore,” said Jean Claude Mbanya, president of the International Diabetes Federation. “The clock is ticking for the world’s leaders. We expect action from their meeting next week at the UN that will halt diabetes’ relentlessly upwards trajectory.”

The International Diabetes Federation is an umbrella group representing over 200 national diabetes associations across over 160 countries. Established in the 1950s, the Federation represents the interests of diabetics and those at risk for diabetes. According to the federation’s website, its aim is to “influence policy, increase public awareness and encourage health improvement, promote the exchange of high-quality information about diabetes, and provide education for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers.”

The IDF also operates the Consultative Section on Diabetes Education, an arm of the federation that identifies and addresses issues in diabetes education at the international level. The DECS aids health professionals in educating patients, fosters easier communication between professionals, recognizes high-quality centers for diabetes education, and delivers interdisciplinary training programs for healthcare professionals.

The federation estimates that 4.6 million people die every year from diabetes. Developing countries are the hardest hit by diabetes; four in five diabetics live in a developing country, and most diabetics are of a working age, which places a damper on economies.

The United Nations will meet on September 19 and 20 to focus on using the resources of the “whole of government and the whole of society” to develop responses to chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The meeting will focus not only on treatment of such diseases but on prevention through the elimination of risk factors, such as smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet.