Here are the top medical news for the day:
Continuous Glucose Monitors Revolutionize Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a common severe complication of diabetes, which develops when the body can’t produce enough insulin.
During DKA the body starts breaking down fat, causing a buildup of acids in the bloodstream. The symptoms often include thirst, weakness, nausea and confusion.
In a study, published in CHEST Critical Care, University of Michigan researchers show that using continuous glucose monitors can help measure glucose accurately during DKA and potentially prevent ICUs from being overwhelmed. Management of DKA requires frequent blood glucose measurements via fingerstick to guide treatment, typically performed once per hour, which can be burdensome for nurses and cause patient discomfort.
In contrast, a continuous glucose monitor is a safe and cost-effective sensor that is temporarily placed on the skin of the patient’s abdomen or arm. However, the benefit of using it during DKA was unknown. The study, which on 20 patients. The team compared glucose readings taken simultaneously from continuous glucose monitors and standard, hourly fingerstick glucose checks.
Using 334 paired measurements, the study found that continuous glucose monitors remained accurate during DKA. Promisingly, they were able to more quickly identify drops in blood glucose levels and were clinically comparable to the glucose values obtained from hourly finger sticks.
Ref: Haas, Nathan L. et al. Analytical Accuracy of a Continuous Glucose Monitor in Adult Diabetic Ketoacidosis. CHEST Critical Care, Volume 3, Issue 1, 100109. DOI: 10.1016/j.chstcc.2024.100109
Is BMI Still a Reliable Health Metric in Aging Populations?
Body mass index (BMI) is key method for measuring a person’s weight status, and defining if they have normal weight, overweight, or obesity. However, new research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity shows that people with obesity at similar BMIs display significant differences in body composition in different body compartments according to their age group, such as higher body fat especially in central regions and lower muscle mass in arms and legs.
Obesity is a major health problem characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat (BF) that can also co-exist with a reduction in lean mass (LM). In people with obesity, little is still known about the changes in fat and lean masses across the lifespan. Thus the authors, in this new study, aimed to analyse the differences in the total and segmental body composition between age groups.
A total of 2,844 adults of both sex and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 kg/m² and above underwent body composition assessments by means of Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). The sample was categorised into three different age groups: ‘Young-age’ (20–39 years), ‘Middle-age’ (40–59 years), and ‘Older-age’ (60–79 years) adults that were compared with each other after being matched by body weight and BMI.
The males showed an increasing trend in total BF percentage and a decreasing total LM, from the younger to older groups, while females maintained similar values for these total compartments across the three age groups.
However more interestingly, participants in the middle- and older-age groups of both sexes, showed higher trunk fat percentage and lower appendicular lean mass with respect to the young-age group, revealing higher abdominal fat and lower muscle mass in arms and legs, despite the fact that all age groups in this study were of similar BMIs
The authors hence, explain that this redistribution may have major negative health consequences – such as low-grade chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and increase in the risk of several cardiometabolic diseases – without significant changes in BMI.
Ref: European Congress on Obesity (ECO2025).18-Mar-2025
Fruit, Fiber, Dairy, and Caffeine Tied to Lower Tinnitus Risk, Study Finds
Increased consumption of fruit, dietary fibre, dairy products and caffeine may be associated with a reduced risk of tinnitus (ringing in the ears), suggests an analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound (ringing, buzzing or clicking) when there’s no external source. Data suggests it affects around 14% of adults worldwide and is associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and in severe cases, suicide.
Diet can also have a significant impact on tinnitus. It’s thought that eating high-quality nutrients can have a positive effect on hearing by improving blood flow to the inner ear and reducing oxidative damage and inflammation. But previous studies show conflicting results and it’s still uncertain which specific foods worsen or relieve symptoms.
They found eight observational studies involving 301,533 people that assessed 15 dietary factors using validated questionnaires that were of suitable quality to include in their analysis.The dietary factors included carbohydrates, caffeine, eggs, fruits, fibres, fat, meat, protein, sugar, fish, vegetables and dairy.
The combined findings revealed that increased consumption of fruit, dietary fibre, dairy products and caffeine was associated with a reduced occurrence of tinnitus. These reductions were 35% for fruit intake, 9% for dietary fibre, 17% for dairy products, and 10% for caffeine intake.
No associations were found between other dietary factors and tinnitus and results were consistent after further analyses, although the authors note that the association between caffeine intake and tinnitus remains contentious.
However, the authors suggest that “the primary underlying mechanisms may involve the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, as well as their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties” and say further large-scale studies are needed “to complement and verify the relationship between dietary intake and tinnitus.
Ref: Zhang M, Wang X, Zhang S, et al. Association of 15 common dietary factors with tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ Open 2025;15:e091507. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091507
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