New Year New Decade Same Stupidity
Well the calendar has turned a page; the confetti has been swept from Times Square and we prepare for CES and JPM. Yes, it’s a new year, heck it’s a new decade but some things sadly never change. As everyone knows we aren’t overly fond of studies that lead to useless conclusions or studies which reach obvious conclusions. Yet for reasons we have never understood these useless studies keep getting done.
All we can guess is that there are a bunch of bored or stoned (hey it’s legal in Illinois now) researchers who have time on their hands and money to spend. So let’s take at the most recent groundbreaking earth-shattering diabetes research.
Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke tracked 28,000 people and found that height was a “useful predictive marker” for diabetes risk. This study which was published in the December issue of Diabetologia concluded;
“We observed inverse associations between height and risk of type 2 diabetes, which was largely related to leg length among men. The inverse associations may be partly driven by lower liver fat content and a more favourable cardiometabolic profile.”
Ok if this “research” is correct “tall” people have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Now we know this must come as a relief to the NBA but beyond basketball players we’re not sure exactly what the average Joe on the street can do knowing this. Yes, we have come a very long way with plastic surgery but so far, we are not aware of any surgery, pill or exercise which can make a person taller.
In the January issue of Diabetologia we found this study, “Incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes by occupation: results from all Swedish employees”. The study concluded;
“Professional drivers, manufacturing workers and cleaners have a threefold increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared with university teachers and physiotherapists. These differences most likely reflect dramatic differences in the prevalence of lifestyle risk factors. If workplace interventions could reduce weight and increase physical activity among employees in these occupations, major health gains may be made.”
Listen we have nothing against the Swedish people but seriously this has to be one of the dumber studies we have ever come across and that is no small statement. Yet we can’t help but think that some bored or stoned research team here in America will examine which jobs here in the USA are associated with Type 2 diabetes. One thing we know from our German friends being an NBA basketball player will not be among them.
But let’s not stop there as according to researchers in South Korea, yes, we span the span the globe in our quest for stupidity;
Korean adults who were exposed to a stable, consistent level of secondhand smoke throughout the life course were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes when compared with adults previously exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke followed by reduced levels.
Yes, this groundbreaking research was actually published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care with the authors concluding;
“Changes in SHS exposure levels have been shown to associate with subsequent type 2 diabetes risk. Reversing high exposure level of SHS in middle-aged adulthood may still lead to worse progressions of type 2 diabetes than remaining stable exposure level.”
Now it was unclear whether this was secondhand cigarette, cigar or pot smoke. Although we do suspect that pot was involved somewhere in the design and/or implementation of this earth-shattering research.
Listen we know that studying things that actually may help patients more effectively manage their diabetes is rather mundane but it sure as shit beats studying useless items that patients have little or no control over. Or as Momma Kliff used to say there is one consistency year over year as there is no effective cure for stupidity.
Happy New Year everyone we had hoped this new year and new decade would bring an end to this nonsense, but we were wrong.
