Diabetes patch ends the pain of finger-prick tests

The £96-a-month Freestyle Libre system has been available privately in the UK for a year, with around 20,000 people already using it and negotiations to make it free on the NHS are ongoing.

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Apple shapes have higher risk of diabetes than pears

Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital found 'apples' - people who are rounder around the middle - have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes

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Prebiotics may help to cope with stress

Probiotics are well known to benefit digestive health, but prebiotics are less well understood. Recent study in rats shows that prebiotic fibers may help to protect beneficial gut bacteria and restore healthy sleep patterns after a stressful event.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170210130951.htm

Bacteria 'sleep', then rapidly evolve, to survive antibiotic treatments

Using quantitative approaches from physics, biophysicists discovered a surprising way that bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics. After evolving a sleeping mechanism, the bacteria can then wake up and evolve resistance 20 times faster than normal -- at which point continuing to administer antibiotics won't kill the bacteria. The results indicate that tolerance may play a crucial role in the evolution of resistance in bacterial populations under cyclic exposures to high antibiotic concentrations.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170209142558.htm

Exercise, sleep are key to keeping employees from bringing home work frustrations, study shows

A brisk walk or a long swim may be the key to preventing a bad day at the office from spilling over into the home. A study tracked participants' sleep patterns and daytime physical movements found employees who recorded more than 10,900 steps each day were less likely to perpetuate abuse at home.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170207191902.htm

Putting on just half a stone can raise diabetes risk

Scientists at Cambridge University say that if everyone aged 30 to 60 maintained their weight, one in five cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented.

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Sleep deprivation handicaps the brain's ability to form new memories, mouse study shows

Studying mice, scientists have fortified evidence that a key purpose of sleep is to recalibrate the brain cells responsible for learning and memory so the animals can 'solidify' lessons learned and use them when they awaken -- in the case of nocturnal mice, the next evening.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170202141916.htm