Adult-onset diabetes, next decade's killer
Marja-Riitta Taskinen, emerita Professor of internal medicine, has made a long and successful career in arterial health. The Finnish Medical Foundation has chosen her as the winner of the Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award for 2012. The award was first presented in 1981.
As the world and people's living habits change, we not only have heart diseases to deal with but are also faced with threats to arterial health.
"Obesity is a major problem today. People use electronic media more and more and in doing so sit more and more, both at work and during their free time. They exercise less and get more energy than is necessary from their food. Two decades ago a portion of French fries contained 210 calories, but today the figure is 610," says Professor Taskinen.
Conscripts, for example, are getting steadily heavier and their physical condition is getting worse. Younger and younger people do less and less exercise, and only 13 per cent of teenagers exercise for over an hour per day. More than a fifth of pensioners have exercise of any kind less frequently than once a week.
Lack of exercise and obesity increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes (that is, type 2), coronary artery disease and transient ischaemic attacks. Arterial diseases affect over a million people in Finland, and hundreds of thousands are at risk of becoming seriously ill.
"Adult-onset diabetes will be a 21st-century epidemic all over the world," says Professor Taskinen.
Balance between good and bad
An increased amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream is a significant risk factor in terms of arterial disease, but cholesterol comes in two forms. There is what is called "bad" cholesterol, that is, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and there's the "good" variety, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which removes cholesterol from arterial walls and transports it through the liver out of the body. Moreover, particles containing plenty of triglycerides carry lipids obtained from food and those produced by the liver in the bloodstream.
If there are too many LDL particles, cholesterol will accumulate in the arterial walls, causing atherosclerosis. Modern man has an average LDL cholesterol level that is many times that of people living in more primitive conditions.
A new threat is posed by low-carb diets that contain large amounts of saturated fat.
There are effective drugs available for the treatment of high cholesterol and they should always be taken if arterial disease has already broken out.
"Statins are the most important discovery to improve arterial health. Although medication can reduce the risk by as much as 40-50 per cent, other risk factors remain, most importantly a lower HDL content. High triglyceride and low HDL content are related to obesity and type 2 diabetes," explains Taskinen.
Take a look at your belly
Living habits can have a major effect on arterial disease risk and the probability of falling ill. The recommendation for obesity treatment and reduction of arterial disease risk is to have more exercise and a healthy diet.
"The minimum target is at least half an hour of exercise a few days a week, as even a moderate amount of exercise will halve your diabetes risk, " she explains.
An easy way to check whether you are in the risk group is measure your waist circumference, because an apple-shaped body is a clear warning sign. The recommended upper limit for men is 94 centimetres, and 80 centimetres for women. As much as 69 per cent of men, however, are over this limit.
Fat not only accumulates around your waist but also in the heart, liver and abdominal cavity. A fatty liver not only produces triglycerides but also causes other factors that increase the risk of arterial diseases.
Acclaimed international researcher
Professor Taskinen is one of Finland most internationally acclaimed researchers being, for example, the first woman and first Finn to receive the Claude Bernard Award given by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Her latest accolade was the 2011 award by the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research.
She is an Honorary Doctor of the University of Gothenburg. She has also chaired the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) and participated in creating recommended treatments for fatty-acid metabolism disorders.
She has had over 400 articles published in important international journals and she is a very sought-after lecturer around the world. Although retired, she continues her research at medical research and training centre Biomedicum Helsinki.
She will use the €20,000 prize money of the Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award for her research and, among other things, to help young researchers participate in international meetings.
Professor Taskinen will hold a lecture titled "Today's Threats to Arterial Health" when she receives her award at the Finnish Medical Convention 2012 on 10 January 2012. The award will be presented by Jouko Pölönen, Pohjola Insurance's President, and Jari Sokka, President and CEO of Suomi Mutual.
For more information, please contact:
Professor Marja-Riitta Taskinen, tel. +358 9 4717 1990, marja-riitta.taskinen(a)helsinki.fi
Anne Lamminpää, Chief Physician at Pohjola Insurance, tel. +358 10 253 2418, anne.lamminpaa(a)pohjola.fi