Endocrinology News and Research Articles

FDA Orders Stronger Warning About Canagliflozin (Invokana) & Amputation Risk

05/18/2017 - The FDA is calling attention to the risk of amputation if you're on the drug canagliflozin (Invokana, Invokamet) and is requiring the drug to carry stronger warnings about the risk. The drug's label will have the so-called ''black box'' warning, designed to call attention to serious or life-threatening risks.

Estrogen Therapy Is Underused in Women in Their 40s and 50s, Due to Outdated Thinking

05/14/2017 - Many women, and even some doctors, are basing fears of estrogen therapy (ET) on outdated research and are underutilizing estrogen when it’s safely indicated to ease menopausal symptoms in women in their 40s, 50s, according to research presented at the 26th Annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

New Extreme Risk Category for Cardiovascular Disease & New, Lower LDL Target

05/10/2017 - A new “extreme risk” category for cardiovascular disease—and a new target threshold of less than 55 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) for those in this category — is part of the new 2017 American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and American College of Endocrinology practice guidelines for management of dyslipidemia.

Hypothyroid and Older? You May Not Need Treatment

05/08/2017 - If you've been diagnosed with mildly low thyroid function and you're an older adult, you may not get symptom relief from the commonly prescribed medication, according to new study published in New England Journal of Medicine.

Prompt PCOS Diagnosis and Early Weight Control Critical to Reducing Risk for Diabetes, Infertility, and More

05/04/2017 - Doctors in a range of specialties—dermatologists, primary care doctors, ob-gyns—should be more aware of symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women and help those patients maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI).

Vitamin D and DHEA Help Men Avoid Frailty: Study

04/11/2017 - New research suggests that men with sufficient Vitamin D levels are more apt to avoid frailty. In older men, over 70, having enough male hormones may also help. Findings were reported at ENDO2017.

Paleo Diet for Disease Prevention, Weight Loss?

04/05/2017 - Can the Paleo Diet offer protection to people with type 2 diabetes? A review of research looks at the diet's impact on weight, blood sugar and more.

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for Weight Loss?

04/03/2017 - Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) can help to manage cravings and overeating, studies have found. Now, Italian researchers have found that it improves the composition of the gut bacteria, thought to be involved in obesity, and also produces weight loss.

Medicare to Cover Therapeutic CGM, Sets Criteria

03/28/2017 - For Medicare patients on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), the news is good. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will now cover therapeutic continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and have set the criteria that must be met.

Caloric Restriction: Key to Better Health, Longer Life?

03/20/2017 - A long-awaited study has found that limiting caloric intake not only preserves health but also increases longevity. The paper, which was published in Nature Communications, involved decades of study of rhesus monkeys, is said to resolve the debate over whether caloric restriction (CR) extends lifespan.

Fringe Benefit of Weight Loss Surgery: Bye, Bye Incontinence?

02/22/2017 - Obese women with urinary incontinence often find improvement or relief after bariatric surgery, new research finds.

Intra-Gastric Balloons: FDA Cites Trouble with Pain, Pancreatitis

02/15/2017 - The FDA issued a warning about intra-gastric balloon implants citing the risk of balloon overinflation, potentially causing abdominal pain, swelling, breathing difficulties and vomiting.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Worth Considering If You Inject Insulin

02/13/2017 - Continuous Glucose Monitoring helps those with type 1 diabetes who inject insulin with blood sugar control, better A1C, research shows.

Black Tea Improves Glucose Levels, May Help Prevent Diabetes

02/10/2017 - A new study has found that black tea significantly reduces rises in blood glucose levels among both healthy and pre-diabetic adults, in this case after consuming a sugary drink.

Some Pregnant Women Should Be Treated for Subclinical Hypothyroidism

02/03/2017 - Women treated for subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) during pregnancy are less likely to experience pregnancy loss, a new study shows, but they face a greater risk of complications such as preterm delivery, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.

FDA Approves Jardiance to Treat Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes Patients

01/30/2017 - The diabetes drug empagliflozin (Jardiance) is now a ''double duty'' drug. It can be prescribed not only to help treat diabetes, but also to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adults diagnosed with both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Gestational Diabetes & Postpartum Depression Link

01/23/2017 - If you're diagnosed with gestational diabetes, the type that occurs during pregnancy, you may also be at an increased risk for developing postpartum depression, according to a new study that tracked more than 700,000 women.

FDA Approves Dexcom G5 for Insulin Dosing

12/22/2016 - Users of the Dexcom G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (Dexcom G5) can now use the device to make diabetes treatment decisions with two finger pricks daily, not multiple ones, following .

Sugar Guidelines Have Flimsy Evidence, Reports New Study

12/19/2016 - A review of various dietary sugar guidelines has found that recommendations on how much sugar one should consume in a day vary widely and are based on low to very low quality evidence, according to new research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Low Iron and Low Thyroid: A Link in Pregnant Women?

12/14/2016 - Iron deficiency and hypothyroidism may share a connection, a recent study from Belgium suggests.

Pancreatic Fat: Lifestyle Habits Count More Than Genetics

12/05/2016 - A new study finds that lifestyle habits, not genetics, is the bigger driver affecting how much fat you can accumulate in the pancreas.

Being Overweight Increases Risk of Liver Cancer

10/27/2016 - A new study published in the journal Cancer Research found that high body mass index (BMI) and a large waist circumference were associated with an increased risk for liver cancer.

Does Hyperthyroid Diagnosis Equal Higher Breast Cancer Risk?

10/16/2016 - A new study has found a link between hyperthyroidism and a slightly higher of breast cancer risk, according to research from NH Dartmouth Family Medicine Residence at Concord Hospital, which was presented at the American Thyroid Association's 86th annual meeting.

Low Thyroid Hormone Raises Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

10/10/2016 - People with prediabetes and low thyroid function were more than twice as likely to progress to full-blown type 2 diabetes compared to those with normal thyroid-hormone levels in a new study published September 30 in the journal BMC Medicine.

How Hackable is the One Touch Ping Pump?

10/06/2016 - More than 100,000 U.S. and Canadian users of the OneTouch Ping Insulin pump learned this week that the pump's technology was hackable and could lead to an insulin overdose. A perspective on the real risk.