Birth Weight and Diabetes linked
Black Americans born at low birth weight are at an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes later in life, a study found.
Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health followed more than 21,000 women ages 21 to 69 who were enrolled in a large study of black women's health for 16 years. More than 2,300 of them developed Type 2 diabetes.
After controlling for age, family history of diabetes, weight, socioeconomic status and other factors, they found that girls born at 5.5 pounds or less were 13 percent more likely to be found to have Type 2 diabetes later in life, compared with babies born at normal weight.
Girls born at less than 3.3 pounds were 40 percent more likely to develop the disease, the researchers found. Their study appears in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
The link has been found in other populations, but black women have a higher frequency of low birth weight and a higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes than women in other ethnic groups. The authors suggest that low birth weight may lead to problems in lipid regulation and pancreatic function. There is also some evidence that low birth weight and diabetes share a genetic basis.
Surgery Of Little Help to Old Knees
Middle-aged and older patients are unlikely to benefit in the long term from surgery to repair tears in the meniscus, pads of cartilage in the knee, a review of studies has found.
Researchers at McMaster University combined data from seven randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving more than 800 subjects treated for meniscal tears with surgery, sham surgery or nonoperative care. The subjects' average age was 56.
In six of the trials, the surgery provided a significant improvement in short-term functioning. But the pooled data showed no significant difference in long-term functioning among patients. Nor did surgery provide short- or long-term pain relief.
