Painfully Obvious?

Yesterday and today I received notice of articles reporting on diabetes research that appears to be painfully obvious. There’s one about kids who watch television having higher A1Cs. Ya think? That would be the lack of activity, folks. And another about decreases in A1C and blood pressure leading to lower risk of cardiovascular complications in people with type 2 diabetes. Ok, I admit that I left out the word “small” as in “small changes” leading to big rewards. And that really is a big deal.

These types of studies remind me of the DCCT. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial began in 1984 with results published in 1993. They studied whether intensive management of type 1 diabetes lowered the risk of complications. Back then many people thought the study was a waste of time, energy and resources because we already knew all that. But the point was that enough providers did not believe it and teach their patients to manage their diabetes intensively, that scientists felt the study was necessary.

Almost twenty years after that landmark study (the DCCT), it is still talked about, and I don’t imagine there are many providers out there who are telling people with diabetes that it doesn’t matter if they keep their blood glucose level high all the time. I have to qualify that elderly people and those dealing with things like cancer are often encouraged to ease up on their diabetes management for a variety of reasons.

But back to the first two articles. The TV article actually starts with these words: “It’s not clear why this relationship exists” (TV watching leading to higher A1C, that is)! I was shocked. Kids who watch TV for four-plus hours a day are not getting enough exercise! There isn’t enough time between getting home from school and going to bed, if you include homework and reading time, to watch four hours of TV and get enough exercise. This is a set up for higher blood glucose levels, and therefore higher A1C. Am I missing something?

As far as the A1C and blood pressure research goes, it’s like the DCCT. Seems kind of obvious, but maybe providers in general needed proof to encourage patients that even small changes can make a big difference.

I’m excited for tomorrow’s headlines!

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