Trending News Today: Almost Half of US Adults Have Heart Disease

A new smart phone app that works with a glucose sensor and an insulin pump may help individuals with type 1 diabetes control their disease, Reuters reported. According to the article, the app was tested under FDA protocols on 6 adults with type 1 diabetes in a 48-hour study and demonstrated an improved time in the target glucose range of 70 to 180 mg/dL and a significant reduction of time in which blood sugar was dangerously low. None of the 6 patients experienced high blood sugar, even with high-carbohydrate meals included, and the incidence of low blood sugar was reduced.

Almost half of US adults have some type of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association’s annual report Heart and Stroke Statistics, CNN reported. According to the article, the report found that deaths from cardiovascular disease are on the rise again, with 840,678 deaths recorded in 2016 compared with 836,546 in 2015. Overall, the report indicated a 48% prevalence of cardiovascular disease, which translates to nearly 121.5 million adults in the United States, the article reported.

A recent study found that e-cigarettes may be more effective than nicotine replacement products, including patches and gums, in smoking cessation, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, the researchers tracked nearly 900 middle-age smokers who were randomly assigned to e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement products. After 1 year, 18% of e-cigarette users were smoke-free versus 9.9% of those using other products, the article reported. However, the researchers wrote in an editorial that smokers should only consider trying e-cigarettes if they have already tried and failed to quit with FDA-approved products.