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April 25, 2013 When researchers turned on a gene for the hormone in the livers of diabetic lab mice, the number of insulin-making cells in their pancreas glands tripled within 10 days. Although the research was conducted in animals, the scientists say the findings could be relevant for humans.

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March 5, 2013 People don't mind new laws telling them how to eat, as long as they feel like they're not being coerced. That's the finding of a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, which took the unusual step of asking people what they thought about government efforts to encourage healthy eating.

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March 1, 2013 Robert Lustig, a physician and anti-sugar crusader, found in a new study that countries where people have easy access to sugar are more likely to see a rise in diabetes. But skeptics say that sugar's not the only culprit.

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February 13, 2013 Firstborn children are more likely to have higher blood pressure and be more resistant to insulin, researchers in New Zealand say. But despite those worrisome signs, there's no hard evidence linking birth order to diabetes or heart disease risk in adulthood.

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February 4, 2013 Many of them have cut out smoking, and rates of heart attack and emphysema have declined. But baby boomers are burdened with diabetes, hypertension and many other chronic conditions. Researchers say too little exercise and a rise in obesity threaten baby boomers' golden years.

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December 3, 2012 The number of Americans with diabetes is set to skyrocket in the next 40 years. Social media has given patients an online support network and information repository for dealing with their disease. Big drug companies are hopping on the bandwagon as well.

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November 20, 2012 No one really wants to think about what goes down the drain when you flush. But sometimes, you've got to look to see what your bowels are telling you about your health. Doctors have been decoding our pee and poo since medieval times. They've even developed handy visual guides.

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November 16, 2012 Back in 1995, about 4.5 percent of adults in the U.S. had been diagnosed with diabetes. By 2010, the prevalence had zoomed to 8.2 percent. An interactive map shows how much worse diabetes has become in less than a generation.

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July 10, 2012 There's been an explosion in apps designed to help people stay healthy and manage chronic diseases. The Food and Drug Administration has announced plans to regulate some of these apps to make sure they're not putting patients at risk. But that's triggered a debate over whether government regulation may end up doing more harm than good.

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May 21, 2012 The proportion of 12- to 19-year-olds who report having diabetes or "prediabetes" increased from 9 percent in 1999 to 23 percent in 2008, according to a paper published in the journal Pediatrics. "This report really sounds the alarm," says one researcher.

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April 30, 2012 A common pill to treat Type 2 diabetes showed disappointing results when used by adolescents. Adding another drug helped a little, but lifestyle changes didn't improve the kids' ability to control their blood sugar.

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April 19, 2012 Patients can often skip expensive treatments for simpler, cheaper alternatives. That's the gist of a new campaign from the American College of Physicians. But they've got to convince not just patients, but doctors, too.

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April 19, 2012 People with diabetes may have more options for managing the disease, with new guidelines that don't include a one-size-fits-all approach to blood glucose levels.

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March 26, 2012 Two studies that compared outcomes for patients on diabetes drugs versus those who underwent bariatric surgery found the latter group was much more likely to see blood sugar go down. Many of these post-operative patients were able to stop taking any diabetes drugs altogether.

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February 8, 2012 Asking for less food isn't something most people think about when ordering from a menu. A new study suggests that asking people if they want less food and, in turn, fewer calories, before they order is key.

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