Among the interesting studies announced at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions 2010 was a head-to-head comparison of two new incretin-based drugs for type 2 diabetics.  The full, one-year data presented at the meeting showed that Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 analog Victoza outperformed Merck & Co’s DPP-4 inhibitor Januvia.  These findings were consistent with the 26-week results of this trial which were featured earlier this year in The Lancet. Given these promising results, I was pleased to be able to...

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have found that simply reducing caloric intake is not enough to promote significant weight loss, according to a EurekAlert report. The researchers, headed by Judy Cameron Ph.D., studied 18 female rhesus macaque monkeys at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. The monkeys were placed on a high-fat diet for several years. They were then returned to a lower-fat diet (standard monkey food) with a 30 percent reduction in calories. For a one-month period, the monkeys’...

Kirstie Alley has battled her weight very publicly for the last few years. You may remember she went on Oprah a few years ago at nearly 230 pounds and was Jenny Craig’s celebrity spokesperson until Valerie Bertinelli took the baton. We saw Alley lose weight through a montage of timely commercials. After losing 75 pounds she modeled her new svelte figure on Oprah in a bikini. Then she gained back the 75 pounds, and 10 more. Now Kirstie’s back with the hope to lose it all again and document it through a reality show,...

Believe it or not, our bodies were made to move.  We all need exercise. Dr. Bryan Bergman, Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, explains just how much exercise we need for cardiovascular health, increasing insulin sensitivity, and weight loss. ASL: How much, or should I say, how little should one exercise to see a benefit? BB: First of all, you need to decide what you want to accomplish. If your goal is cardiovascular disease prevention we have a lot of...

Show Background Information I’ve had type 1 for 8 years, since I was 22. I pump and take Symlin. I’ve heard that it’s harder to lose weight when you’re on artificial insulin. I’m not talking about the fact that you sometimes have to eat extra food to make up for exercise-induced lows; I mean, is there truth behind the anecdotal evidence that there’s something about artificial insulin that makes it more difficult? If so, why?

The drug liraglutide, known as Victoza, and designed to help control blood glucose levels in diabetics, can also help non-diabetics lose weight.  The Lancet reports that a new study has shown liraglutide yields greater weight loss results than the leading anti-obesity pill, Xenical. Liraglutide also reduced blood pressure in study participants, as well as the prevalence of prediabetes (84—96% reduction).   Nausea and vomiting occurred more often in individuals on liraglutide than in those taking a placebo, but such side effects...

The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, nuts, olive oil, and fish yields more weight loss and better glucose control than a typical low-fat diet.