— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
A study presented at the 74th American Diabetes Association
Scientific Sessions in early June suggests that immunization against
hepatitis B can decrease people's risk of diabetes by 50%.
The interplay between liver infections and
diabetes has been getting more attention lately. The liver plays a key
role in glucose and insulin metabolism, and patients with hepatitis B
or C often are often at increased risk of diabetes.
Taiwanese and U.S. researchers mined data on
adults, extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) 2005-2010, which captures extensive information about
the health of U.S. adults and children.
The researchers looked at 7,000 people with no
diabetes; of whom 1,400 had been vaccinated against hepatitis B. They
found that over time the immunized people had a 52% lower rate of
diabetes compared to unvaccinated individuals.
Diabetes occurred in 16 (1.13%) of the immunized group, compared to 325 (5.67%) in the un-immunized people.
This represents an astonishing 81% reduction in
diabetes risk, but researchers pointed that that those who had been
immunized tended to be female, younger and with lower rates of obesity.
The immunized group also drank less alcohol. But even when age,
gender, obesity, smoking and other attributes were factored in, the
immunized group continued to have a strikingly lower rate of diabetes.
This is the first report that hepatitis B
vaccination could reduce the risk of diabetes in a wide range of
people. Researchers called for additional studies to confirm their
findings and to find out what aspect of the immunization caused the
lower incidence of diabetes.
Source: http://app.core-apps.com/tristar-ada14/abstract/e3048dedfd3d5fbcc516bc86384167f7
Labels: diabetes risk, HBV immunization