Type 2 Diabetes

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Engraving of a spine.

Backbone of success

In a first, researchers unveil stem cell models of human spine development

Science|

DateJanuary 8, 2020January 8, 2020

Islet on a chip

Pancreas on a chip

Harvard scientists have combined organ-on-a-chip and stem-cell technologies to make a powerful tool for diabetes research and beta-cell transplantation

Science|

DateAugust 29, 2019August 29, 2019

Plant-based food on table

Growing support for plant-based diet

Study finds greater adherence lowers risk of Type 2 diabetes by 23%

Health|

DateJuly 22, 2019July 19, 2019

A tower of junk food including fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and cupcakes.

Hold the soda, hold the fat shaming

Telling people what to eat and what not to eat often backfires, but ‘Don’t drink soda’ is a clearer message, Harvard expert says

Health|

DateApril 9, 2019April 11, 2019

Amyloid plaques on axons of neurons affected by Alzheimer's

Untangling the connection

Insulin signaling failures in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease

Health|

DateMarch 15, 2019July 16, 2019

illustration of man with genetic lists

New test helps ID those at risk for five deadly diseases

Could flag likelihood of developing fatal condition before symptoms appear

Science|

DateAugust 14, 2018August 14, 2018

Three Harvard studies have found warning labels with graphic images are more effective than text warnings or calorie listings in reducing sugary drink purchases.

Graphic images speak to consumers of sugary drinks

Warning labels linked to reduced purchases; online study supports findings

DateJune 20, 2018August 30, 2018

Yogurt may reduce type 2 diabetes risk

News +|

DateDecember 1, 2014

Doug Melton, Harvard’s Xander University Professor, and his team announced that they have made a tremendous gain on the type 1 diabetes front. “We are now just one preclinical step away from the finish line,” he said.

Giant leap against diabetes

Ability to produce pancreatic beta cells from embryonic stem cells will allow researchers to push faster toward cure

Health|

DateOctober 9, 2014June 13, 2019

Searching for “broken genes” — those whose protective effects come from shutting off and ceasing to function — gives drug companies an important leg up, explained David Altshuler, professor of genetics and medicine at Harvard Medical School. Creating a drug to stop a gene from working is less complicated than creating one to turn a gene on, make it go faster, or change how it functions. During the Broad Institute's summer lecture series, Altshuler was explaining the recent discovery of a genetic mutation that protects against type 2 diabetes.

‘Broken genes’ for a broken system

Diabetes discovery illuminates path to new drugs, says HMS professor

Health|

DateJuly 24, 2014April 18, 2019

A new study from the Broad Institute and MGH, among others, breaks new ground in type 2 diabetes research and guides future therapeutic development in this disease.

Major step in preventing type 2 diabetes

Researchers uncover protective gene mutations that if mimicked in drug could be the key

Health|

DateMarch 2, 2014

A view of the cave in Siberia where a scientist found the Neanderthal whose DNA was analyzed in the current study (photo 1). With that evidence, Harvard Medical School Professor David Reich (photo 2) and his research team have begun to unravel the impact of the inherited DNA. The team also measured how Neanderthal DNA present in human genomes today affects keratin production and disease risk.

Neanderthals’ DNA legacy linked to modern ailments

Humans inherited variants affecting disease risk, infertility, skin and hair characteristics

Health|

DateJanuary 29, 2014March 21, 2019

HSPH study dispels type 2 diabetes myth

News +|

DateJanuary 17, 2014

Muscle training linked with lowered risk of type 2 diabetes

News +|

DateJanuary 16, 2014

Those who ate nuts less than once a week had a 7 percent reduction in mortality; once a week, 11 percent reduction; two to four times per week, 13 percent reduction; five to six times per week, 15 percent reduction; and seven or more times a week, a 20 percent reduction in death rate, according to the study.

Nut consumption reduces risk of death

Research also shows people who eat nuts weigh less

Health|

DateNovember 21, 2013March 20, 2019

People who ate at least two servings each week of certain whole fruits — particularly blueberries, grapes, and apples — reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by as much as 23 percent in comparison to those who ate less than one serving per month.

Skip the juice, go for whole fruit

Eating whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes, apples, linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes

Health|

DateAugust 29, 2013May 31, 2019

Genetic variant may increase heart disease risk among people with type 2 diabetes

News +|

DateAugust 28, 2013

“It could eventually mean that instead of taking insulin injections three times a day, you might take an injection of this hormone once a week or once a month, or in the best case maybe even once a year,” said Doug Melton (right). Melton and postdoctoral fellow Peng Yi discovered the hormone betatrophin, which has the potential to improve diabetes treatment.

Potential diabetes breakthrough

Harvard researchers discover hormone that spurs beta cell production; research boosted by federal funding

Health|

DateApril 25, 2013September 11, 2019

Researchers throughout the Harvard community are uniting with one goal in mind: to stop the childhood obesity crisis in its tracks. “Childhood obesity is one of the biggest problems in this country,” says Lee Nadler, dean for clinical and translational research at Harvard Medical School and director of Harvard Catalyst.

Health in the balance

Harvard researchers take on obesity epidemic

Health|

DateSeptember 11, 2012June 4, 2019

Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of the personal genomics company 23andMe, talked on Tuesday night about her company’s personal genomics business, which offers screening of a million possible genetic variations linked to a wide variety of personal traits, disease conditions, and ancestral locations.

The future of self-knowledge

Panelists wonder about privacy as genomics firm outlines vision of growth

Health|

DateApril 18, 2012July 9, 2019

“This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death,” said senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Red meat raises red flags

School of Public Health study links regular consumption to higher mortality

Health|

DateMarch 12, 2012June 21, 2019

The twin epidemics of obesity and its cousin, diabetes, have been the target of numerous studies at Harvard and its affiliated hospitals and institutions. Among seminal findings was the first study to document the extraordinarily tight connection between the two diseases. Research done by Harvard School of Public Health Professor Walter Willett and his colleagues showed that being even slightly overweight increased diabetes risk five times, and being seriously obese increased it 60 times.

Obesity? Diabetes? We’ve been set up

Harvard researchers are targeting obesity and its cousin, diabetes

Health|

DateMarch 7, 2012March 6, 2019

The scientists found that a 24-hour period of fasting — which causes intense hunger in the control mice — was associated with a 67 percent increase in the number of dendritic spines (pictured) on the AgRP neurons.

Exploring roots of hunger, eating behaviors

Study demonstrates that plasticity in the brain’s wiring controls feeding behavior

Health|

DateFebruary 8, 2012May 3, 2019

Researchers say that when you compare the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate with the USDA’s MyPlate, the shortcomings in the government’s guide are evident.

Harvard serves up its own ‘Plate’

Healthy Eating Plate shows shortcomings in government's MyPlate

Health|

DateSeptember 14, 2011March 21, 2019

One of the drug prototypes proved capable of reducing disease symptoms in diabetes-prone mice without triggering weight gain or fluid retention, potential side effects of current drugs, according to research conducted in part by Dana-Farber's Bruce Spiegelman, the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Advances in type 2 diabetes drugs

New twist could reduce life-threatening side effects

Health|

DateSeptember 4, 2011June 19, 2019

“By imposing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and limiting marketing of unhealthy foods to children, governments can lead in making it easier for children to make healthy choices,” said lead author Steven Gortmaker, professor of the practice of health sociology at Harvard School of Public Health.

Tax on sugary drinks?

Government-led efforts targeting eating habits of kids to curb obesity

Health|

DateAugust 25, 2011

Researchers found a particularly strong link between processed meat and diabetes.

Risky eating

Research ties red meat to type 2 diabetes

Health|

DateAugust 10, 2011July 9, 2019

While health experts generally advise reducing full-fat dairy products, a compound found in dairy fat may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The compound, trans-palmitoleic acid, is a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It is not produced by the body and thus only comes from the diet.

Dairy fat may help not harm

Compound in dairy may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

Health|

DateDecember 20, 2010March 6, 2019

Researchers have found 18 gene sites associated with obesity, and 13 associated with body fat distribution, helping to unravel the riddle of obesity.

Progress on obesity

Gene findings may lead to better treatment

Health|

DateOctober 13, 2010March 13, 2019