Study Shows More Exercise, Less Sitting Goes a Long Way For Diabetics

“There is one message that really needs to be made stronger in public health,” said Steve McKenzie an administrator of the A. H. Ismail Center for Health, Exercise and Nutrition at Purdue University. “That is physical activity, regardless of your size, is going to make you a healthier person.”

A large U.S. government study from 2002 found that even moderate exercise and a healthy diet that resulted in a 5 to 7 percent weight loss could delay and even prevent type 2 diabetes.

The goal should be “not so much increasing the exercise but decreasing the sedentary behaviors,” said Norma Olvera, an associate professor of health and human performance at the University of Houston.

The current recommendation is that any activity only needs to be done for 10 minutes at a time, adding up to at least 30 minutes a day, to help regulate glucose levels and lower “bad” cholesterol.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

CKD is a major public health problem which affects 20 million people in the U.S. (early CKD) and another 20 million people are at risk of developing CKD.
It is estimated that that 8 million people in the U.S. have significant renal impairment and 10 million have kidney damage.

To put it in perspective, when compared to cancer deaths per 1,000, kidney failure is second only to lung cancer.

A simple and inexpensive blood test [Creatinine w/ (eGFR)] can help identify the risk.

Who should be screened for CKD using the eGFR?

• Patients with diabetes
• Patients with hypertension
• Relatives of patients with CKD
• Patients with other risk factors such as obesity, CVD, chronic NSAID use
  

Cholesterol Medication Updates

As the discussion continues on the benefits and risks of taking statins and other cholesterol lowering drugs, two interesting articles have appeared:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/18/news/companies/vytorin.ap/index.htm

and the cover story in this weeks (01/21/08) BUSINESS WEEK.

Note: Analysis of employees participating in corporate health screenings (65 different employers) conducted by OHD in the last six months shows the following results:

34.6% of the individuals were outside of normal ranges in one or more components of their cholesterol test (Lipid Panel).