University of Eastern Finland

FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 -- Season of birth (SOB) is associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis, according to a letter to the editor published online July 19 in Clinical and Translational Allergy . Riikka Hänninen, from the University of Eastern Finland Joensuu in Kuopio, and colleagues examined the potential association of SOB with airway allergy and related diseases in Finland using a randomly sampled retrospective registry-based follow-up study of 74,868 patients (mean age, 34.53 years). The population was divided into four groups based on SOB. The researchers found that the proportion with asthma was 43.1, 42.1, 41.1, and 42.7 percent for the winter, spring, summer, and autumn SOB groups, respectively. The corresponding proportions with allergic rhinitis were 12.6, 12.0, 10.7, and 12.1 percent. Compared with summer SOB, being born in any other season was significantly associated with allergic rhinitis, and being born in autumn or winter was associated with asthma. In adjusted models, no significant association was seen for chronic rhinosinusitis, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-exacerbated respiratory disease, or nonallergic rhinitis. "Our results strengthen the previous findings that early life events have a role in allergy-related chronic airway diseases, and even with adult onset of them, and highlight the need to focus also on early life factors in prevention of chronic inflammatory airway disease burden," the authors write. One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2024 -- Even individuals with a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) benefit from a low-cost, group-based intervention focused on healthy diet and physical activity, according to a study recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism . Maria Anneli Lankinen, Ph.D., from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, and colleagues investigated whether a low or high genetic risk has effects on incident T2D in a group-based lifestyle intervention study. The analysis included men (aged 50 to 75 years) participating in the Metabolic Syndrome in Men cohort, with 315 characterized as having low genetic risk and 313 as having high genetic risk for T2D, as well as controls (196 low and 149 high genetic risk). The researchers found that the three-year intervention significantly lowered the risk for T2D among the participants with a high genetic risk for T2D (hazard ratio, 0.30; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.16 to 0.56; P < 0.001). However, in the low genetic risk group, the effect was not significant (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.36 to 1.32; P = 0.262). Between the high and low genetic risk groups, the intervention effect was not significantly different. In both the low and high genetic risk groups, the intervention significantly ameliorated the worsening of glycemia and decreased weight. "All individuals at risk of T2D should be encouraged to make lifestyle changes regardless of genetic risk," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

FRIDAY, Aug. 9, 2024 -- Folks can overcome their genetic risk for type 2 diabetes through healthy diet and regular exercise, a new study says. A healthy lifestyle reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 70% among a group of people with a high genetic likelihood of developing the metabolic disorder, researchers found. In fact, healthy behaviors had a greater impact on their risk than it did for people with a low genetic propensity for type 2 diabetes, results showed. A healthy diet and exercise had a statistically insignificant impact on the diabetes risk of those with low-risk genetics, researchers found. Nevertheless, “these findings encourage everyone to make lifestyle changes that promote health,” said lead researcher Maria Lankinen , a lecturer in nutrition with the University of Eastern Finland. That’s because all participants tended to achieve better blood sugar control and lost weight if they engaged in a healthy lifestyle, researchers said. The three-year study involved nearly 1,000 men ages 50 to 75 in eastern Finland. More than 600 of the men received guidance on healthy lifestyle, while the rest served as a control group. Genetic risk was determined based on 76 gene variants known to increase risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers said. However, during the study neither the participants nor the researchers knew to which risk group each individual belonged. Men receiving the lifestyle guidance significantly improved the quality of their diet, results show. They ate more fiber, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. The men also maintained good exercise habits and tended to lose weight, results show. Among those who received lifestyle counseling, about 7.7% of genetic low-risk men and 7.9% of high-risk men wound up developing diabetes – nearly the same proportion. By comparison, 8.2% of low-risk men developed diabetes in the control group versus 14.1% of the high-risk group. The new study was published recently in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism . The clinical trial “shows that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by a low-cost, group-based approach focusing on healthy diet and physical activity in middle-aged and elderly men, especially in the participants with a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes,” researchers concluded in a university news release. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.