Lifestyle Patterns in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Modern lifestyles have led to sedentary behavior, lower participation in active movement and physical activities during leisure time, unhealthy diets, and increased exposure to stress. It is important to examine the interaction of several lifestyle risk factors instead of focusing on one alone. The purpose of this study was to identify lifestyle patterns in a group of patients with type 2 diabetes and the associations of its components with certain metabolic parameters. Using principal component analysis, we identified three dietary patterns: the prudent pattern (fat, oil, cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds and fruits), the Western pattern (meat and meat products, eggs and soft drinks) and the traditional pattern (milk and its derivatives, soups and sauces, with a low intake of sugar/snacks). In addition, using the same method of analysis, we identified two lifestyle patterns: the inadequate lifestyle pattern (Western dietary pattern, increased hours of sleep and lower levels of stress) and the traditional lifestyle pattern (traditional dietary pattern, increased physical activity (PA) and non-smoking status). The inadequate lifestyle pattern was associated with younger age, hypertension and diabetic neuropathy. The traditional lifestyle pattern was related to lower postprandial blood glucose levels. Sedentary individuals were more likely to be over 65 years old and to have higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Smokers were also more likely to have inadequate glycemic and lipid profile control.

Is Liver Biopsy Necessary in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver disease in the Western world. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard in the diagnosis and progression of the disease and its usefulness cannot be neglected in terms of research. But in current clinical practice, liver biopsy tends to be replaced by less expensive and noninvasive methods allowing the identification of cardiovascular and metabolic risks. Given the fact that a small percentage of individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease will progress to cirrhosis, attention will be focused more on cardiovascular risk as nonalcoholic fatty liver is now regarded as a distinct component of the metabolic syndrome. The aim of the clinician is to identify the early stages of fatty liver, using in this purpose simple and easily accessible methods. Many techniques have been proposed for the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver, from simple clinical factors (anthropometric indices measuring,blood pressure) laboratory biomarkers, imaging methods and scores, which should allow early treatment. This review describes different methods for identifying nonalcoholic fatty liver and various stages of this disease.