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ObjectiveWe examined the associations of symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which was defined as loud snoring, stopping breathing for a while during sleep, and daytime sleepiness, and insomnia with glucose metabolism and incident type 2 diabetes in older adults.Research design and methodsBetween 1989 and 1993, the Cardiovascular Health Study recruited 5,888 participants ≥65 years of age from four U.S. communities. Participants reported SDB and insomnia symptoms yearly through 1989-1994. In 1989-1990, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, from which insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity were estimated. Fasting glucose levels were measured in 1989-1990 and again in 1992-1993, 1994-1995, 1996-1997, and 1998-1999, and medication use was ascertained yearly. We determined the cross-sectional associations of sleep symptoms with fasting glucose levels, 2-h glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion using generalized estimated equations and linear regression models. We determined the associations of updated and averaged sleep symptoms with incident diabetes in Cox proportional hazards models. We adjusted for sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, and medical history.ResultsObserved apnea, snoring, and daytime sleepiness were associated with higher fasting glucose levels, higher 2-h glucose levels, lower insulin sensitivity, and higher insulin secretion. The risk of the development of type 2 diabetes was positively associated with observed apnea (hazard ratio [HR] 1.84 [95% CI 1.19-2.86]), snoring (HR 1.27 [95% CI 0.95-1.71]), and daytime sleepiness (HR 1.54 [95% CI 1.13-2.12]). In contrast, we did not find consistent associations between insomnia symptoms and glucose metabolism or incident type 2 diabetes.ConclusionsEasily collected symptoms of SDB are strongly associated with insulin resistance and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in older adults. Monitoring glucose metabolism in such patients may prove useful in identifying candidates for lifestyle or pharmacological therapy. Further studies are needed to determine whether insomnia symptoms affect the risk of diabetes in younger adults.

Objective: We examined the associations of symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which was defined as loud snoring, stopping breathing for a while during sleep, and daytime sleepiness, and insomnia with glucose metabolism and incident type 2 diabetes in older adults.Research Design and Methods: Between 1989 and 1993, the Cardiovascular Health Study recruited 5,888 participants ≥65 years of age from four U.S. communities. Participants reported SDB and insomnia symptoms yearly through 1989-1994. In 1989-1990, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, from which insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity were estimated. Fasting glucose levels were measured in 1989-1990 and again in 1992-1993, 1994-1995, 1996-1997, and 1998-1999, and medication use was ascertained yearly. We determined the cross-sectional associations of sleep symptoms with fasting glucose levels, 2-h glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion using generalized estimated equations and linear regression models. We determined the associations of updated and averaged sleep symptoms with incident diabetes in Cox proportional hazards models. We adjusted for sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, and medical history.Results: Observed apnea, snoring, and daytime sleepiness were associated with higher fasting glucose levels, higher 2-h glucose levels, lower insulin sensitivity, and higher insulin secretion. The risk of the development of type 2 diabetes was positively associated with observed apnea (hazard ratio [HR] 1.84 [95% CI 1.19-2.86]), snoring (HR 1.27 [95% CI 0.95-1.71]), and daytime sleepiness (HR 1.54 [95% CI 1.13-2.12]). In contrast, we did not find consistent associations between insomnia symptoms and glucose metabolism or incident type 2 diabetes.Conclusions: Easily collected symptoms of SDB are strongly associated with insulin resistance and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in older adults. Monitoring glucose metabolism in such patients may prove useful in identifying candidates for lifestyle or pharmacological therapy. Further studies are needed to determine whether insomnia symptoms affect the risk of diabetes in younger adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies in Taiwan and Argentina suggest that ingestion of inorganic arsenic from drinking water results in increased risks of internal cancers, particularly bladder and lung cancer. The authors investigated cancer mortality in a population of around 400,000 people in a region of Northern Chile (Region II) exposed to high arsenic levels in drinking water in past years. Arsenic concentrations from 1950 to the present were obtained. Population-weighted average arsenic levels reached 570 μg/liter between 1955 to 1969, and decreased to less than 100 μg/liter by 1980. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for the years 1989 to 1993. Increased mortality was found for bladder, lung, kidney, and skin cancer. Bladder cancer mortality was markedly elevated (men, SMR = 6.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.8–7.4); women, SMR = 8.2 (95% CI 6.3–10.5)) as was lung cancer mortality (men, SMR = 3.8 (95% CI 3.5–4.1); women, SMR = 3.1 (95% CI 2.7–3.7)). Smoking survey data and mortality rates from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease provided evidence that smoking did not contribute to the increased mortality from these cancers. The findings provide additional evidence that ingestion of inorganic arsenic in drinking water is indeed a cause of bladder and lung cancer. It was estimated that arsenic might account for 7% of all deaths among those aged 30 years and over. If so, the impact of arsenic on the population mortality in Region II of Chile is greater than that reported anywhere to date from environmental exposure to a carcinogen in a major population. Am J Epidemiol 1998; 147: 660–9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are compounds formed by the nonenzymatic glycation of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, and are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of diseases across multiple organ systems. Carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) is a dominant AGE found in tissue proteins and in the circulation, and a commonly used AGE biomarker. Only a few epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between circulating CML and mortality risk, and none have evaluated the association between CML and cause-specific non-CVD mortality. We measured CML by ELISA on serum specimens collected from 3,373 Cardiovascular Health Study participants in 1996. Participants were followed for death through 2010, and cause of death was classified using death certificates, medical records, and proxy interview. We used Cox regression to estimate the relative risk of total and cause-specific mortality associated with circulating CML, adjusting for confounders (Models 1 & 2) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as a potential mediator (Model 3). We tested whether sex or diabetes modified the association between CML and mortality. The mean age among participants was 78 years and 60% were women. The mean CML level among participants was 629 ng/mL. Over median follow-up of 10 years, 2,322 deaths occurred (73.4 per 1,000 person-years). After adjustment for confounders (Models 1 & 2), CML was associated with an increased risk of death from CVD, dementia, infection, fracture/trauma, and renal failure (Table). Aside from renal failure, adjustment for eGFR attenuated the HR estimates modestly. There was no evidence for effect modification of the association of CML and allcause mortality risk by sex or diabetes. In a cohort of community-dwelling older individuals, elevated circulating CML was associated with increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular causes, dementia, infection, fracture/trauma, and renal failure. A portion of the increased risk may be mediated through decreased renal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]