Doctors in Brussels discovered a new type of diabetes. They said the inherited disease is caused by a genetic mutation. 80-percent of its carriers develop the disease by the time they’re 50.
A Food and Drug Administration panel recommended the approval of a genetic therapy to treat hereditary blindness. Spark Therapeutics said it can improve some people’s vision by replacing a defective gene. The FDA’s final decision is due by mid-January.
The obesity epidemic in the U.S. isn’t over, but it may have peaked. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 40-percent of American adults are obese, along with almost 20-percent of the children. Researchers said the numbers appear to have leveled off since 2014.
Sources:
1- Université Libre de Bruxelles, published in the journal “Nature Communications”
2 – FDA/ AP
3 – CDC/ U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services
