EPIDEMIC OF DIABETES

IT'S MOSTLY OBESITY, BUT I WONDER IF IT'S SOMETHING ELSE AS WELL. THE ECONOMIC COST IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ASTOUNDING. Study: Global diabetes rate has risen by 45% over past two decades. The New York Times (6/8, A3, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published online today in The Lancet finds that “the global diabetes rate has risen by nearly half over the past two decades...as obesity and the health problems it spawns have taken hold across the developing world.” Specifically, the study “reported a 45 percent rise in the prevalence of diabetes worldwide from 1990 to 2013,” with “nearly all the rise...in type 2 [diabetes], which is usually related to obesity.” According to the Times, the study, which received its funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, “is the largest analysis of global disability data to date, drawing on more than 35,000 data sources in 188 countries.”

MALIGNANT MELANOMA RATES CONTINUE TO RISE

This is from the CDC via the AMA. Readers of my work will recognize my interest in malignant melanoma. My novel, A Simple Cure is about attempts to treat this deadly disease. The link for this novel is: http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Cure-Lawrence-Gold-ebook/dp/B00ELWQ4IA/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid= The audiobook version of this novel is finished and will be available within days. Larry CDC: Incidence of melanoma has doubled in the US in the last 30 years. The Los Angeles Times (6/3, Kaplan) “Science Now” blog reports that “the incidence of melanoma...has doubled in the U.S. in the last 30 years and is on track to remain high unless Americans take more precautions to protect themselves from ultraviolet radiation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said” yesterday. The “Vital Signs study” was “published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” The blog adds that while “Melanomas account for only 2% of skin cancers...they are the deadliest kind, according to the National Cancer Institute.” On its website, CBS News (6/3, Cohen) reports that in a statement, Dr. Lisa Richardson, the director of the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, said, “If we take action now, we can prevent hundreds of thousands of new cases of skin cancers, including melanoma, and save billions of dollars in medical costs.” Melanoma rates up among US children, young adults. Health Day (6/3, Dallas) reports that research indicates that “melanoma...has increased by 250 percent among U.S. children and young adults since the 1970s.” The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.