The Glucose Club's Blog

There have been two studies in recent times that are showing links to breast feeding and type 2 diabetes.  The first from ANU released in March 2010 found that mothers who breastfeed up to 3 months reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes to that of a woman who never had children. This study included accounting for woman's age, family history of type-2 diabetes, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The second study, also by ANU showed that children who are breastfed for the first three months have a reduced risk of up to 50% in the development of type 2 diabetes.  This is fantastic news for mums who have been wondering if all the effort to establish and maintain breastfeeding has been worthwhile in the long run.  This is also great for those with a history of diabetes in the family, in trying to help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

While there are many benefits to breastfeeding both for mother and child, for some there are more cons than pros.  It’s worth remembering that there are many factors that influence a woman’s decision to breastfeed and when to wean.  Factors that may influence this decision include returning to work, finances, energy levels or personal health issues such as breast cancer, not to mention those babies needs that outstrip their mother’s milk production! These studies should not put undue stress on women who can’t breastfeed or have chosen to wean earlier than 3 or 6 months.  It should simply be one of the pros to help a woman continue if she is having trouble or be celebrated by those who enjoy breastfeeding.

World Diabetes Day: Understanding Diabetes and Taking Control
Diabetes increases our risk of cancer and depression by 50 – 80%
We have all heard of diabetes and the obesity epidemic sweeping the world. We know that diabetes puts our health at greater risk, but the fall out of this epidemic is more far reaching than we ever thought possible. For many years we have known that diabetes is linked to obesity and heart disease and now ground breaking new research from Europe has turned the medical world on its head.  
At the 2009 European Association for the study of Diabetes Conference in Vienna, research1 was presented which showed that if you develop type 2 diabetes your risk of developing cancer is far greater.  In men, having diabetes increases your risk of getting the following cancers: 80% for pancreatic cancer; 30% for colorectal cancer; and 24% for bladder cancer. For women too, breast and endometrial cancer risk increases by 20 to 100% respectively, if you have diabetes.
In addition there is a new relationship between cancer and obesity, which is often seen with diabetes. Research has shown us that if you have a high BMI (over 35 or 40), men are 52% and women 62% more likely to die from cancer2
The devastation of diabetes does not stop there.
The relationship between diabetes and depression is often overlooked. People with diabetes have double the risk of developing depression compared to people without diabetes.3 Approximately 15% of people with diabetes will experience major depression, and 25–30% will have milder forms of depression.4 Unfortunately, depression often goes undiagnosed and untreated in people with diabetes, as there are often other medical issues that need addressing. This often leaves people to suffer depression without assistance or sometimes awareness of it.  

Even here in Australia we have determined that there is consistent evidence that depression is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and diabetes mellitus.5 The relationship works in both directions, as older adults with depressive symptoms are at least twice more likely to develop diabetes than those without depressive symptoms.6

There is good news! Research has shown that simple lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity and diet change can dramatically reduce a person’s chance of developing diabetes, depression and cancer.   

Studies in both the US7 and Australia8 have highlighted the benefits of exercise in the treatment of depression. These studies showed that physical activity was up to two times as effective as anti-depressive medication in the treatment of depression. Similarly, studies have been completed on physical activity substantially reducing the risk of cancer9.

Diabetes, depression and cancer are three of the most devastating and life changing medical conditions we can ever experience. Knowing that they are linked places an even greater importance on leading a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent these diseases and any related complications.
Diabetes experts and authors of the book Sugar Daddy Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego are working to raise awareness of the impact, complications and risks of diabetes for World Diabetes Day.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations lead the World Diabetes Day campaign. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. Diabetes Education and Prevention is the World Diabetes Day theme for the period 2009-2013. The campaign slogan for 2009 is "Understand Diabetes and Take Control".  Type 2 diabetes can be prevented in the many cases by helping and encouraging those at risk to maintain a healthy weight and take regular exercise.

The Glucose Club
http://www.theglucoseclub.com.au
http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/
For more information or comments contact:
Aimée Cavanagh
E: aimee@dradamfraser.com
Ph: +61 2 9564 5763

1.    Jeffrey A Johnson, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton Canada.
2.    Calle EE, Rodriguez C, Walker-Thurmond K, Thun MJ.  Overweight, obesity, and mortality from cancer in a prospectively studied cohort of U.S. adults.  N Engl J Med. 2003 Apr 24;348(17):1625-38.
3.    Anderson RJ, Freedland KE, Clouse RE, Lustman PJ. The prevalence of comorbid depression in adults with diabetes: a meta-analysis. Diabetes Care 2001;24:1069–78.
4.    Polonsky W. Diabetes burnout: what to do when you can’t take it anymore. Alexandria (Virginia, USA): American Diabetes Association, 1999.
5.    Clarke DM, Currie KC. Depression, anxiety and their relationship with chronic diseases: a review of the epidemiology, risk and treatment evidence.  Med J Aust. 2009 Apr 6;190(7 Suppl):S54-60.
6.    Atlantis E, Browning C, Sims J, Kendig H. Diabetes incidence associated with depression and antidepressants in the Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Ageing (MELSHA). Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2009 Oct 5. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
7.    Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Moore KA, Craighead WE, Herman S, Khatri P, Waugh R, Napolitano MA, Forman LM, Appelbaum M, Doraiswamy PM, Krishnan KR. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression.Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2349-56.
8.    Singh NA, Stavrinos TM, Scarbek Y, Galambos G, Liber C, Fiatarone Singh MA. A randomized controlled trial of high versus low intensity weight training versus general practitioner care for clinical depression in older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Jun;60(6):768-76.
9.    Emilie Friberg, Christos Mantzoros and Alicja Wolk Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, The National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and 2Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts