Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty-Acid Supplementation Upregulates Protective Cellular Pathways in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Exhibiting Improvement in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy.

Background: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been proposed to improve chronic neuroinflammatory diseases in peripheral and central nervous systems. For instance, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) protects nerve cells from noxious stimuli in vitro and in vivo. Recent reports link PUFA supplementation to improving painful diabetic neuropathy (pDN) symptoms, but cellular mechanisms responsible for this therapeutic effect are not well understood.

En Balance: The Contribution of Physical Activity to the Efficacy of Spanish Diabetes Education of Hispanic Americans with Type 2 Diabetes.

Purpose: , a culturally sensitive diabetes education program, improves glycemic control in Hispanics with type 2 diabetes. The program emphasized diet, physical activity, and other factors important for glycemic control. However, the individual contributions of these education factors are unclear.

Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty-acid supplementation on neuropathic pain symptoms and sphingosine levels in Mexican-Americans with type 2 diabetes.

Purpose: To determine whether dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduces neuropathic pain symptoms in Mexican-Americans with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Forty volunteers with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the "En Balance-PLUS" program, which provided weekly nutrition-diabetes education and daily supplementation with 1,000 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-200 mg eicosapentaenoic acid over 3 months. The study assessed self-reported neuropathic pain symptoms pre/postintervention using the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), monitored clinical laboratory values at baseline and 3 months, and performed baseline and 3-month metabolomic analysis of plasma samples.

The Ala54Thr Polymorphism of the Fatty Acid Binding Protein 2 Gene Modulates HDL Cholesterol in Mexican-Americans with Type 2 Diabetes.

The alanine to threonine amino acid substitution at codon 54 (Ala54Thr) of the intestinal fatty acid binding protein (FABP2) has been associated with elevated levels of insulin and blood glucose as well as with dyslipidemia. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of this FABP2 polymorphism in Mexican-Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the context of a three-month intervention to determine if the polymorphism differentially modulates selected clinical outcomes. For this study, we genotyped 43 participant samples and performed post-hoc outcome analysis of the profile changes in fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin, lipid panel and body composition, stratified by the Ala54Thr polymorphism.

Identification of Anti-Long Chain Saturated Fatty Acid IgG Antibodies in Serum of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

High levels of serum long chain saturated fatty acids (LCSFAs) have been associated with inflammation in type 2 diabetes. Dietary SFAs can promote inflammation, the secretion of IgG antibodies, and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β. This study characterizes anti-LCSFA IgG antibodies from patients with type 2 diabetes.

En Balance: the effects of Spanish diabetes education on physical activity changes and diabetes control.

Purpose: This study was designed to assess the feasibility of culturally and language-sensitive diabetes education as a way to increase physical activity and to improve health/diabetes management in a group of Spanish-speaking Hispanics in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.

Methods: En Balance is a culturally sensitive diabetes education program designed for Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults. The 3-month educational intervention assessed 16 males and 23 females living in Riverside and San Bernardino counties of Southern California.

The En Balance Spanish diabetes education program improves apolipoproteins, serum glucose and body composition in Hispanic diabetics.

Objective: We evaluated the changes in apolipoproteins, glycemic status, and body composition after 3 months using a culturally sensitive diabetes education program, En Balance, in diabetic Hispanics.

Methods: Thirty-four (9 males, 25 females) Hispanic diabetics participated in the En Balance program over three months. Body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), A1c, and apolipoproteins (Apo) measured after 3 months participation.

Nutritional status of highland and lowland children in Ecuador.

Unlabelled: We assessed the nutritional status of children in Ecuador using anthropometric measurements and body composition.

Objectives: To determine whether living in the highlands in Quito was a predisposing factor to poor nutrition in children.

Method: We compared the children in highlands at 2772 m above sea level with their costal (605 m above sea level) counterparts at Santo Domingo de Los Colorados.

En Balance participants decrease dietary fat and cholesterol intake as part of a culturally sensitive Hispanic diabetes education program.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess dietary intake habits of Mexican American Hispanic adults participating in the En Balance diabetes education program.

Methods: En Balance is a 3-month culturally sensitive diabetes education intervention for Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Of the 46 participants enrolled, 39 mainly Mexican American Hispanic adults with type 2 diabetes completed the En Balance program.

Impacting obesity and glycemic control using a culturally-sensitive diabetes education program in Hispanic patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus and obesity are prevalent in the Hispanic community. This group has not benefited greatly from diabetes interventions due to cultural, language and financial constraints. We designed a prospective cohort study to determine the clinical impact on adiposity and glycemic control in Hispanics with type 2 diabetes.

Comparison of body composition by bioelectrical impedance and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in overweight/obese postmenopausal women.

The purpose of this study was to compare the Rudolph J. Liedtke (RJL) Sciences Quantum II system bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA) with the fan beam Hologic dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, software V8.26a) for assessing body composition in postmenopausal obese women.

Is osteopenia a health risk in professional cyclists?

Bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry Lunar DPX-NT, SV 4.0 in 23 professional male cyclists (age: 28.5+/-3.

Improved clinical outcomes using a culturally sensitive diabetes education program in a Hispanic population.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a culturally sensitive diabetes education program for Hispanics with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This study is a prospective cohort study to test the impact of a comprehensive diabetes education program on blood glucose control on Hispanics with type 2 diabetes. The educational program focused on maintaining glycemic control and general aspects of managing diabetes and complications.

Does regular walnut consumption lead to weight gain?

Studies consistently show the beneficial effects of eating nuts, but as high-energy foods, their regular consumption may lead to weight gain. We tested if daily consumption of walnuts (approximately 12 % energy intake) for 6 months would modify body weight and body composition in free-living subjects. Ninety participants in a 12-month randomized cross-over trial were instructed to eat an allotted amount of walnuts (28-56 g) during the walnut-supplemented diet and not to eat them during the control diet, with no further instruction.

Beneficial effects of weight loss on plasma apolipoproteins in postmenopausal women.

A total of 39 postmenopausal women 40-70 years of age and undergoing hormone replacement therapy participated in a 6-month weight reduction program, which consisted of a low calorie diet (5040 KJ/day) and phentermine hydrochloride therapy. Subjects had an average body mass index of 35.95+/-5.

Reproducibility of DXA in obese women.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements were analyzed using two versions of software (Hologic V8.1a and V8.21) to compare the short- and long-term precisions of the measurements.