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Other sections: Abbreviations — Commentaries — Diabetes Info — Dictionary — Magazines & Journals — Press Releases — Websites
Reviewing the diabetes news recently, I stumbled across three stories that the reader might be interested in knowing about. Or maybe not? 1) Although there’s a quarterback in the National Football League with type 1 diabetes (Jay Cutler), the New England Patriots released a defensive tackle (Kyle Love) who was apparently recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. His agent indicated that the Patriots cited medical reasons for waiving him. Love has subsequently been claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s almost enough for me to stop rooting for New England and switch my allegiance to Florida. 2) Although Lipitor (atorvastatin) has been around since 1996, money-grubbing attorneys have finally found an excuse to sue its manufacturer: it’s associated with the development of diabetes. Never mind that Lipitor is prescribed for hyperlipidemia, which is one of the components of the metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes happens to be another component of the same syndrome (hence, if someone has part of the syndrome, they are at risk of getting other parts of the same syndrome). BTW, the official wording in the Lipitor label is as follows: “Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including LIPITOR.” Ho-hum – gotta keep those lawyers busy. Although marijuana causes the munchies, it also prevents diabetes, if you were to believe a recent study, in which people self-reported use (or non-use) of marijuana and the researchers measured insulin levels. Of course, as the lead author mentioned, “the study relied on self-reported use of marijuana, which can be unreliable. However, he points out that since people are more likely to hide drug use than they are to falsely claim it, the findings could even underestimate marijuana’s effects.” Hmm. Is this another reason to think of moving to Colorado or the state of Washington? 
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