Diabetes

Does high fructose corn syrup cause type 2 diabetes?

The internet claims that high fructose corn syrup causes diabetes and a bunch of other maladies. Usually, based on some weak evidence, the usual suspects have tried to link high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to Type 2 diabetes.

Like many of these medical myths, there is, at its core, some tiny bit of evidence that is generally misinterpreted or misused that might support their claim. But let’s take a close look at Type 2 diabetes, HFCS, and the evidence that either supports or refutes the hypothesis that drinking HFCS is any more responsible for the disease than other sugars.

Enterovirus infection may be strongly linked to type 1 diabetes

Researchers have been searching for decades for the cause(s) of type 1 diabetes, and some recent evidence might point to an enterovirus. If this research holds up over time, we might be able to develop a vaccine for the enterovirus that could prevent type 1 diabetes.

This is very interesting data that might unlock one of the great puzzles of type 1 diabetes. The etiology of type 1 diabetes has eluded researchers for years, and this new data, which links it to an enterovirus, is game-changing.

This article will tell you all about diabetes and the new research.

Artificial sweeteners linked to obesity – poor evidence

This article about artificial sweeteners and obesity was written by Linda Tock, an American living in Denmark, who has an extensive research background in the biomedical sciences. She has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Chemistry and Health and will be pursuing a Ph.D. Ms. Tock has a fascination for Daphnia, an interesting planktonic crustacean, that is an important organism in studying pollution and environmental stresses.

So I received a message from a friend of mine, wanting my opinion on this news article, which loudly proclaims that artificial sweeteners are linked to obesity. Because it was a genuine question regarding the science behind the study, and not a ‘concern troll’ about my preference for diet cola, I went and looked at the study itself to see what the fuss was about.

High fructose corn syrup — debunking the myths with science

People demonize food “chemicals,” like high fructose corn syrup, all of the time — see monosodium glutamate, as just one example. And there’s high fructose corn syrup, a sugar that is blamed for everything from cancer to diabetes to climate change. OK, maybe not climate change.

High fructose corn syrup is just sugar, but because it has a complicated name, it must be bad. It’s part of the “chemophobia,” the fear of anything that sounds like a chemical.

The so-called Food Babe has made a lot of money endorsing a belief that all chemicals are evil. Of course, such claims ignore the simple fact that all life, the air, and water are made of chemicals.

They want us to believe that man-made chemicals are more dangerous than “natural” chemicals, but that betrays several things about science:

Many “natural” chemicals are dangerous.
Those “natural” chemicals didn’t evolve for the benefit of humans, so they are not inherently better for humans.
Nature isn’t always better.

And high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is considered one of the evil “chemicals” that are destroying humanity. But is it? Let’s answer that question.

Who is to blame for high insulin prices in the USA? Big Pharma?

by Michael Simpson
2022-04-24
Biotechnology, Diabetes, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Pharmaceutical, Sanofi

Insulin prices are a big issue in the USA because they seem to be skyrocketing upwards much faster than inflation or anything else. Of course, people are blaming Big Pharma, because they seem to be the major culprits behind the gouging of diabetics.

However, like everything else, the facts behind insulin prices are much more complicated than what you might be reading in the most recent Facebook meme or post about the subject. Because a 4-line meme is so much easier than writing a complicated article about the world of insulin prices.

And I’m going to try to guide you through the travesty of how pharmaceuticals are priced and how it’s a total mess. And remember, this is only about America’s pharmaceutical pricing mess — hopefully, the rest of the world does this better.

Mild COVID-19 cases are linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes

I have written previously about the increased risk of type 2 diabetes after severe cases of COVID-19. Unfortunately, a new study shows that even mild COVID-19 cases are linked to an increased risk of subsequent new-onset type 2 diabetes, although it is not linked to other types of diabetes.

Let’s take a look at this new peer-reviewed study.

BCG diabetes vaccine — beginning pediatric phase 2 clinical trials

A pediatric phase 2 clinical trial using bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine, or BCG vaccine, to reverse even advanced type 1 diabetes mellitus has begun. Type 1 diabetes is considered irreversible, so if phase 2 and 3 clinical trials show that the vaccine is safe and effective in reversing diabetes, it would be one of the most important advances in medicine.

Let’s take a look at what is type 1 diabetes (since a lot of people confuse it with type 2 diabetes), the clinical trial, and other information. Maybe one of you is close enough to the trial centers so that you may, if you have type 1 diabetes, can sign up to participate in the trial.

I am very hopeful about this clinical trial, but I also know that it will take many years before we know if it works.

Vaccine science — why I do research better than anti-vaxxers

by Michael Simpson
2022-02-08
Climate change, Diabetes, Science, Vaccines

How many times have you read a comment from an anti-vaxxer that states, “I’ve done my vaccine science research, and it says vaccines are bad.” That comment seems to imply two things – that the anti-vaxxer believes they have done real vaccine science research, and those on the science/medicine side have not done real vaccine research.

What I’ve found is that the anti-vaxxer research into vaccine science is based on their Google University education rather than actual scientific education. Vaccine science is hard, and it cannot be done in a few hours searching for unimpressive memes.

The typical anti-vaxxer understates how hard vaccine research is while overstating their actual skills and experience in comprehending real scientific research. I suppose this is a perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger effect – a cognitive bias wherein people without a strong scientific background fail to recognize their actual ineptitude in the field and mistakenly overrate their knowledge and abilities as greater than it is.

On the other hand, I’ve done real scientific research that gives me a relatively decent background in vaccine science. And I’m going to state, without any remorse, that I am no Dr. Paul Offit, Dr. Peter Hotez, or any of the hundreds of researchers at the CDC and WHO. My background in vaccines is a result of my education, which is a lot more than a few hours on Google.

New evidence — new pediatric diabetes cases spiked during COVID-19 pandemic

by Michael Simpson
2022-01-27
COVID-19, Diabetes, Pediatrics, Vaccines

I have written other articles about the link between COVID-19 and diabetes, and now a new study has been published that shows an increase in new diagnoses of type 1 diabetes among children at one institution. Although it only included data from one healthcare institution, it represents more troubling data that COVID-19 may be closely linked to new cases of type 1 diabetes.

Let’s take a look at this new paper and determine what it tells us.

Increased risk of diabetes in children who have recovered from COVID

A new study from the CDC shows that children who have recovered from COVID-19 are at a significantly higher risk of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. I have written previously that COVID-19 might be linked to diabetes, but those studies were in adults. But this study shows that the risk of diabetes might be greater for children who had COVID-19.

This should be more reason for parents to make certain that their children are fully vaccinated against the disease. Diabetes is a lifetime disease that must be closely managed with insulin and, in the case of type 2 diabetes, various medications.

This post will review the research on children who have had COVID-19 and the risk of type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

« Previous
1
2
3
4
…
6
Next »