foodconsumer.org: Avandia will stay on the market, but you don't have to take it

Avandia will stay on the market, but you don't have to take it
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admin on 07/15/2010 01:37:00
 
Food and Drug Administration's advisory panelists voted 20 to 12 today to
recommend that rosiglitazone or Avandia made by GlaxoSmithKline should stay on
the market, media outlets report.
This means that it is highly likely that the FDA will allow this drug to
continue to stay on the market even though tougher warnings on its label may be
required.
But what is the point?
Adding toucher warnings means that the FDA admits that Avandia is riskier than
its close competitor Actos, which offers similar benefits but is much safer than
Avandia.
Dr. Steven Nissen, a distinguished cardiologist at world-famous Cleveland Clinic
and FDA's veteran drug safety examiner Dr. David  Graham both have said that
there is no reason for Avandia to remain on the market now that Actos is 
available.
Are any diabetes patients watching for the vote?  Unfortunately, the news can be
bad for those who do not get online often to equip themselves with the basic
medical knowledge that is critical to their health.  For those who have heard of
Actos, the FDA ruling may not affect much because they may always ask their
doctors for Actos and if their doctors don't give it, they may always go to
another doctor to get it. They don't have to risk their lives to take Avandia.
For diabetics who do not believe in Western medicine, Avandia or Actos likewise,
a healthy lifestyle including healthy diet may improve their insulin status.
Below are some studies reported on foodconsumer.org. A short summary is given
for each study. In a word, diabetes is a lifestyle health condition. Patients
have enough time to improve their conditions.
Green leafy vegetables
Eating lots of green leafy vegetables daily may help reduce risk of developing
diabetes, according to a study published on April 4, 2008 in the Diabetes Care
Publish Ahead of print. It's assumed eating green vegetables can also help
diabetes.
Lydia A. Bazzano and colleagues from Tulane University and other organizations
found the every additional serving of green leafy vegetables a day was
associated with a 9 percent reduction in diabetes risk and three servings a day
of whole fruit consumption was also associated with an 18 percent reduction.
On the other hand, fruit juice consumption was found associated with an 18
percent increase in the risk of diabetes.
Soy products
One study published in the March, 2010 issue of Journal of Nutrition suggests
eating soy products and isoflavones may reduce the risk of  type 2 diabetes in
overweight women.
Nanro A and colleagues from International Medical Center of Japan in Tokyo Japan
looked at data on dietary intake of soy products and isoflavones from 25,872 men
and 33,919 women aged 45 to 75 without type 2 diabetes diagnosed at baseline.
They found among overweight women, higher intake of soy products was linked with
a lower risk of diabetes.  The reduction in the type 2 diabetes can be as much
as 38 percent.
Vitamin K
High intake of vitamin K is linked with a 20 percent reduced risk of developing
type 2 diabetes, according to a study of 38,000 adults.  The association is
stronger with vitamin K2 which people get mainly from meat, cheese and eggs.
Coffee and tea
A study in the Dec 14-28 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found
drinking coffee and tea was associated with a lower risk of diabetes.
Omega-3 fatty acids
One recent study published Dec 8, 2009 in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research
found increased plasma omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were associated with
improved insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes.
Huang T and colleagues at Zhejiang University in China compared 186 type 2
diabetes patients with 180 healthy subjects for their lipid profiles and insulin
sensitivity and found increased plasma n-3 fatty acids improve insulin
sensitivity.
Mediterranean diet
Mediterranean diet are more effective in helping control serum blood sugar in
overweight patients with type 2 diabetes than a low-fat diet, according to a
study in the Sept. 1, 2009 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
L-carnitine supplements
A small study published in the May-June 2010 issue of JPEN - Journal of
Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition has proved that taking l-carnitine supplements
while using a calorie-restricted diet improves insulin resistance in patients
with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or type 2 diabetes.
Molfino A and colleagues from Sapienza University in Rome, Italy examined 16
patients with newly diagnosed IFG or type 2 diabetes, who were not receiving
anti-diabetic therapy and modification of lifestyle during the previous four
weeks.
For the study, eight patients were assigned a hypocaloric diet for 10 days and
another eight patients oral L-carnitine in a dose of 2 grams twice a day in
addition to the hypocaloric diet.
Oral glucose tolerance test results showed both groups improved their glucose
tolerance.  But only the group receiving L-carnitine had their plasma insulin
levels decreased significantly.
By Jimmy Downs