Research

Good fat: Adding a certain fatty acid to the diet might help diabetics manage their weight and their disease better, say researchers at Ohio State University.

Diabetics who added conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to their diets had lower body mass and lower blood sugar levels by the end of the eight-week study. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is the hallmark of diabetes.

Researchers also found that higher levels of CLA meant lower levels of leptin, a hormone thought to regulate fat levels. Scientists think that high leptin levels might play a role in obesity, a primary risk factor for adult-onset diabetes.

Previous studies at Ohio State showed that CLA delayed diabetes in rats, said Martha Belury, senior author of the study and an associate professor of human nutrition at the university. The latest study showed the supplement also helped improve diabetes management in adult humans.

CLA is made up of various compounds that share the same chemical formula but that differ in chemical structure.

The study found that one particular CLA compound, called the 10-12 isomer, helped control both body weight and leptin levels in adult diabetics. The study, published in the January issue of the Journal of Nutrition, followed 21 people with adult-onset diabetes as they took supplements for eight weeks.

Tips

Keep moving: Now that the January rush is over, the lines are shorter at many health clubs. Barry Brown, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, offers these tips for sticking with your fitness regimen all 12 months of the year:

• Set small goals. Start with 10 minutes of exercise a day, and don't be disappointed if you don't see immediate results.

• Set short- and long-term goals. Lowering your blood pressure is just as important as finishing a marathon.

• Make exercise a priority. Decide what benefits matter most - improved health, weight loss, abs of steel - and base your workout on your decision.

• Pick an activity you enjoy. Recreation like golf and ballroom dancing can count.

• Look at your lifestyle. Activities, like walking from the bus stop home, can be incorporated.

• Involve others. Exercise partners go a long way to keep your motivation rock-solid.

Hot news

Splash: Age shouldn't keep recreational divers from enjoying their hobby, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.A study in the February issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology reports that as long as older divers remain in good health, the decrease in pulmonary function that is a normal part of aging isn't enough to keep them out of the water.

Researchers simulate dives at 60 feet and measured blood gases in divers ages 19 to 29 and 58 to 74. Both groups showed similar amounts of carbon dioxide retention - commonly called "the bends."

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail, pofarrell@enquirer.com