NIH statement: Family support key to diabetes prevention, management

Diabetes does not strike a person alone. It strikes families and communities. It strikes our nation and the world. During today’s World Diabetes Day and National Diabetes Month this November, we at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, renew our efforts to prevent, manage and one day cure diabetes. As well, we encourage families to take steps to improve their health and work together to fight diabetes and its serious and sometimes fatal consequences.

Diabetes affects nearly 26 million Americans, and an estimated 79 million people are at risk for developing the disease. Worldwide, diabetes is on the rise, especially in Asia and the Middle East. For people living with diabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes, family support is critical to staying healthy. NIDDK has taken important steps to curtail this epidemic, from funding research on diabetes and its complications to providing help through education.

Diabetes is a complex group of diseases with a variety of causes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin. People with type 1 need to take daily insulin to live. Thanks to NIH-funded research, we now know that good early management of the disease through insulin, diet and exercise can prevent serious complications even decades later.

Type 2 diabetes is more pervasive and often preventable, yet more and more people are at risk for type 2 diabetes due to the obesity epidemic and the aging of the U.S. population. Although still rare, young people are increasingly developing type 2 diabetes, and we have learned that the disease is even more difficult to treat in youth than adults. A third type, gestational diabetes, occurs in some women during pregnancy. It usually goes away after birth, but these women and their children have a greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes later in life.

The National Diabetes Education Program, a joint effort of the NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the NIDDK’s National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse provide research-based health information, resources and support for people and their families and communities to make positive changes together to improve diabetes outcomes.

But we are also each other’s best resource. Preventing type 2 diabetes and managing diabetes involves the entire family. Cook a balanced meal. Share a brisk walk. Talk with your family about your health and your family’s diabetes risk. Schools, work sites and places of worship can also be part of the diabetes prevention and management solution. What we can do alone to fight diabetes and its consequences, we can do so much more effectively together.

At NIDDK, we are committed to improving diabetes treatment and advancing public health through diabetes research and education. We aim for a diabetes-free future: for ourselves, our family, our community, our nation and our world.

The NIDDK, a component of the NIH, conducts and supports research on diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition and obesity; and kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe and disabling conditions affecting Americans. For more information about the NIDDK and its programs, see http://www.niddk.nih.gov

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.


This story can be found at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2013/niddk-14.htm

Diabetes is Primary 2013

Additional Information:
http://nethealthllc.com/ADAWEBCAST2013/Login.aspx

These free-of-charge webcasts from the Diabetes is Primary 2013 offer the latest information on the management of diabetes and its complications, practical tips and proven strategies for improving patient care and translation of the latest diabetes research into clinical practice.

This site is to view webcasts and obtain continuing education credit for the Diabetes is Primary 2013. For access to the Diabetes is Primary webcasts without credit, please visit professional.diabetes.org/primary.

Preventing Childhood Obesity: A Conversation With Wash U's Debra Haire-Joshu

NPR St. Louis:

Obesity has increased dramatically in the United States over the past several decades.

In Missouri, almost two-thirds of adults ― and more than a quarter of children and teens ― are either overweight or obese.

Washington University researcher Debra Haire-Joshu works to prevent obesity, particularly in young children. She spoke with St. Louis Public Radio's Véronique LaCapra.

To listen to the conversation go to:
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/preventing-childhood-obesity-conversation-wash-us-debra-haire-joshu

Diabetes Day Symposium 2013

The Washington University Diabetes Research Center (DRC) invites you and your trainees to join us for a Diabetes Day Symposium on November 14, 2013. This event aims to showcase outstanding recent developments in diabetes research and to foster new scientific collaborations among our members.

12:30-2:45 pm  POSTER PRESENTATIONS
                             Farrell Learning and Teaching Center Atrium

3:00-4:00 pm    LECTURE BY ROBERT SHERWIN, MD, YALE UNIVERSITY
                             Moore Auditorium

Trainees in your group are encouraged to make poster presentations. Lunch will be provided for DRC members and poster presenters.

RSVP by November 1^st to Karen Muehlhauser (kmuehlha@dom.wustl.edu) indicating whether you will attend and including the name(s) of poster presenter(s) with poster title(s)

Diabetes, Obesity, and the Brain

The American Psychosomatic Society is hosting a one-day meeting on Diabetes, Obesity, and the Brain. The goals of this  meeting are to: provide an overview of current high-impact topics and active debates in the field of neural consequences of obesity, diabetes and their related complications; facilitate discussion among the participants; inspire new investigators; foster collaborations; and chart future

When and Where: Friday, October 11, 2013 in Arlington, VA

Registration: Registration fees begin at $250 ($150 for trainees) and include breakfast, lunch, refreshment breaks, and a reception. Register here https://www.degnon.org/secure/psychosomatic/fallmtg/ or visit www.psychosomatic.org for more information. 

Agenda: http://www.psychosomatic.org/AnMeeting/FallMeeting.cfm

NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Interactive Textbook

NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Interactive Textbook
Under an Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research-contract The New England Research Institutes (NERI) has developed an interactive, online course on research methods and tools for researchers engaging in behavioral and social sciences (BSS) research on health-related topics. The project aims to (1) demonstrate the potential of BSS research to enhance biomedical research, (2) serve as a resource center for the most current and high quality BSS research methods; (3) reveal how to easily and efficiently obtain authoritative answers to methodological questions, and (4) identify consistent and rigorous quality standards for the research community. Click here for more information.

2013 Annual Conference Weighing In: The Public Health Impact & Promise of Science in Addressing Obesity

October 15 & 16, 2013
Eric P. Newman Education Center, Washington University Medical Campus
Free & open to the public

The Institute for Public Health is excited to be working with colleagues at the Center for Health Policy and across campus to plan an expanded conference program focusing on obesity.

This year the Institute is expanding its annual conference to bring together academics and professionals across all fields to address the issue of obesity. Attendees can hear from experts and discuss the public health impact of obesity, and look ahead at scientific discoveries poised to make a difference. This event is free and open to the public. CEUs will be available. Preregistration is requested.

Conference Structure

Tuesday, October 15 | noon to 5:30 pm
The Public Health Impact of Obesity in the Local Community
Presented by the Institute for Public Health
During this afternoon participants will dig into obesity as a local and global issue. State health leaders and academic researchers will highlight and lead discussion on local programs, centers, and efforts aimed at reducing obesity.

Wednesday, October 16 |  8 am to 5 pm
The Promise of Science in Addressing Obesity in the Community
Presented by the Center for Health Policy
This daylong symposium will focus on topics such as childhood obesity and pathophysiology and metabolic issues.

Please see the prelimimary agenda for more details.

Conference Partners

The conference is organized by Washington University's Institute for Public Health and the Center for Health Policy, with support from the Center for Human Nutrition, Center for Obesity Prevention and Policy Research (COPPR), Center for Diabetes Translation Research (CDTR), and Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC).


Additional Information:
http://publichealth.wustl.edu/news/conference/2013/Pages/default.aspx