Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 31.05.2018

Women with obesity are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, even if they are considered to be metabolically healthy. Moreover, women of normal weight are at risk of heart attack or stroke if they suffer from a metabolic disease such as diabetes or high blood pressure. These are the results of an analysis conducted by scientists of the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Harvard University and University Hospital Tübingen based on 90,257 data records of a large U.S. cohort study. The researchers have now published their findings in the journal 'The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology'.

Neuherberg, 22.05.2018

An international research team in which the DZD is participating has identified a novel adipokine that favors the development of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. In cases of severe obesity, this adipokine is secreted by the adipocytes of the abdominal fat tissue and released into the bloodstream. The new findings could contribute to the development of alternative approaches for the treatment of diseases caused by obesity. The researchers have now published their results in the journal 'Diabetologia' (Hörbelt et al, 2018) of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Düsseldorf, 18.05.2018

Together with the Football Factory, the SMS initiative organized a one-day football camp for the participating primary school children.

Düsseldorf, 16.05.2018

Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf Supports the Social Commitment of the SMS Initiative.

Düsseldorf, 08.05.2018

Primary school children participating in the SMS initiative visited the Hercules Bakery.

Düsseldorf, 22.03.2018

The “aid” nutrition pilot license program is carried out in the participating primary school classes of the SMS initiative.

Neuherberg, 14.03.2018

The 2018 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Researchers will be awarded today to Professor Tim Schulz in recognition of his biomedical research on the function of brown and white adipocytes (fat cells). At the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), a partner of the DZD, Schulz is investigating how the different types of fat cells develop and what physiological or pathological effects they have. The award, endowed with 60,000 euros, will be presented in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt.

Düsseldorf, 09.03.2018

The Düsseldorf Sports Club 1899 invites the primary school children participating in the SMS initiative to a taster hockey training session.

Düsseldorf, 26.02.2018

Udo Hempel highlights the fascination of sports in a talk to primary school children participating in the SMS initiative.

Dresden, 19.02.2018

As we are approaching the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a wide array of its signaling pathways has been defined. However, the initial step in insulin action, i.e. the engagement with its cell-surface receptor and the resulting conformational change, which propagates across the plasma membrane to the intracellular module, remains poorly understood. Addressing this problem, researchers from the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus of TU Dresden together with colleagues from Rockefeller University New York succeeded for the first time in the visualization of the insulin receptor activation. The results of this collaborative work have now been published in the ‘Journal of Cell Biology’.

Neuherberg, 02.02.2018

Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have examined health insurance data of more than 300,000 people with diabetes in Germany. Their report, published in the medical journal ‘Diabetes Care’, breaks down the costs involved in treating various complications of the disease. The Helmholtz authors are members of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).

Tübingen/Neuherberg, 29.01.2018

Men with type 2 diabetes are less likely to develop prostate cancer than patients without diabetes. However, the mortality rate is higher. Researchers of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) from Tübingen and experts of Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Urology Department of Tübingen University Hospital were able to show that in the affected individuals the androgen receptor and the mitogenic forms of the insulin receptor were more strongly expressed. This could explain why patients with diabetes have a poorer prognosis for prostate cancer. The current results were published in the journals "Molecular Metabolism" and "Endocrine Related Cancer".

Neuherberg, 04.01.2018

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered a mechanism that amplifies the autoimmune reaction in an early stage of pancreatic islet autoimmunity prior to the progression to clinical type 1 diabetes. If the researchers blocked the corresponding molecules, the immune system was significantly less active. The study was conducted under the auspices of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and was published in the journal ‘Science Translational Medicine’.

Düsseldorf, 02.01.2018

The Glomm Bakery and Pastry Shop and Fortuna Düsseldorf Clubhaus Bar95 support the SMS initiative.

Dresden, 10.12.2018

Inflammatory processes are a natural defense reaction of the immune system against pathogens. If they get out of control, they can however lead to diseases themselves. The protein DEL-1, is a central actor that ensures that excessive inflammation subsides. Scientists from the Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus of the TU Dresden and the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC), together with an international team of researchers, were able to demonstrate the importance and basic function of this protein. Their work could provide new approaches for the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, metabolic diseases, inflammatory bone diseases or cancer. The results of the study were now published in the journal "Nature Immunology" (www.nature.com, DOI /10.1038/s41590-018-0249-1).

Neuherberg, 28.11.2018

How the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes is treated also depends on where the patients live in Germany. In socio-economically weaker regions, insulin pumps and long-acting insulin analogs are used less frequently. Here the patients have higher blood glucose levels (HbA1c) and a higher prevalence of overweight. However, the rate of severe hypoglycemia events is lower. This is the result of a study carried out by a team of researchers at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) in Düsseldorf, Neuherberg and Ulm. The results have now been published in the journal 'Diabetes Care'.

Cologne, 15.11.2018

The digestive system of our body is already activated before we take the first bite. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne show how sensing food activates neurons in the brain which prime the liver for digestion.

Neuherberg, 12.11.2018

In Germany, more people die of diabetes and its sequelae than previously thought. Being slim does not automatically mean protection against diabetes. You can determine your diabetes risk with a simple test. This and other important information from diabetes research has been compiled by the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) for the occasion of this year's World Diabetes Day.

Düsseldorf, 12.11.2018

Eat or skip breakfast? Does eating breakfast regularly mitigate the risk of diabetes? - These questions have not yet been answered conclusively by research. Around 20% of the German population skips breakfast in the morning. In the 18-29 age group, the rate is even higher – about 50%. A meta-analysis carried out at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) now shows that adult men and women who skip breakfast have a 33% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The findings are published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Düsseldorf, 08.11.2018

Professor Michael Roden, board member of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) – Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research, director of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology at Düsseldorf University Hospital and board member of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) has been awarded the 2018 Morgagni Gold Medal. With the award named after Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian physician, anatomist and founder of modern pathology, the University of Padova Medical School (Italy) has been honoring leading international researchers in the field of human metabolism for more than 30 years.

Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 05.11.2018

Small chemical changes in the DNA building blocks, which may be influenceable by lifestyle factors, can reduce the amount of IGFBP2. A DIfE / DZD research team has now reported in the journal Diabetes that these epigenetic changes increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, people with high blood levels of the binding protein IGFBP2 are less likely to develop this metabolic disorder. The changes in the blood are already detectable a few years prior to the onset of the disease.

Düsseldorf, 29.10.2018

Early detection of diabetes: Get involved in Düsseldorf Diabetes Week 2018! The aim of Düsseldorf Diabetes Week 2018 from November 12-18 is to raise awareness in the Düsseldorf population about diabetes mellitus and diabetes care and prevention. The City of Düsseldorf, the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) and the Regional Innovation Network (RIN) Diabetes call on Düsseldorf institutions and citizens to actively participate in Diabetes Week with campaigns and events. In connection with the campaign week, RIN Diabetes has published the "Wegweiser Diabetes", an information brochure on local prevention, counseling and care services in the Düsseldorf metropolitan area.

Tübingen, 25.10.2018

Professor Norbert Stefan, MD, Heisenberg Professor for Clinical Experimental Diabetology at the University of Tübingen and researcher at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), was awarded a visiting professorship at Harvard Medical School. There he will expand his research on the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes and, in close cooperation with his American colleagues, establish new structures of interaction in the field of diabetes research with the University of Tübingen and the DZD. In mid-September he gave his inaugural lecture in Boston.

Neuherberg, 23.10.2018

A new combined therapy for obesity and diabetes has been shown to suppress the appetite and at the same time increase energy expenditure. Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), partner institutions of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), have reported their findings in ‘Nature Communications’.

Neuherberg, 10.10.2018

Children who have a first-degree relative with type 1 or gestational diabetes can also improve their insulin sensitivity through exercise, meaning that exercise is an effective preventive strategy not only for children at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is the conclusion of researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, a partner in the German Center for Diabetes Research, who published their findings in the journal 'Diabetic Medicine'.

Neuherberg, 08.10.2018

Many overweight people lack the feeling of being full. It was long thought that this was due to the disrupted transport of the satiety hormone leptin to the brain. That is not the case, as a group of scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum München has now shown in the ‘International Journal of Obesity’. The work was made possible by a new 3D imaging technique that allows tracking the path of the hormone in the brain as shown in a video.

Düsseldorf, 04.10.2018

The liver is one of the few human organs that completely regenerates within a few weeks after more than half of the organ has been removed. However, so far the cause of this remarkable feature remains unclear. Within the framework of the Collaborative Research Center 974 and with support from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), scientists in Professor Eckhard Lammert's research team at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), the Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf, in cooperation with colleagues from HHU and Düsseldorf University Hospital (UKD) showed for the first time that increased blood flow through the small blood vessels of the liver triggers the release of signals from cells of these vessels, thus promoting liver growth. The results are published in the current issue of 'Nature'.

Neuherberg, 25.09.2018

Information on translational diabetes research, presentation of current research results, meetings between young scientists and people with diabetes – that and much more will be offered by the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), October 1-5, 2018, Berlin).

Düsseldorf, 20.09.2018

The children stare at the magician Professor Blitz in disbelief, then the applause erupts. The magician has just conjured up a large sugar cube into a food package with the help of a confetti cannon. The magician playfully explains to the captivated children how much sugar there is in commercially prepared convenience food. Then he continues with his next show sequence, in which real eggs are conjured up. On World Children's Day (September 20th), about 300 children of the initiative "SMS. Be smart. Join in. Be Fit” saw a magic show on healthy nutrition at Düsseldorf University Hospital.

Düsseldorf, 13.09.2018

Chemists, molecular biologists and physicians learned about the latest methods in the field of bioanalytics at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). At the one-week Rainbow Workshop in Düsseldorf, the young investigators tested samples using the latest mass spectrometric methods in the field of proteomics. During the international event, the participants learned about the theoretical and practical aspects of protein detection and were able to test the methods on their own samples.

Neuherberg, 06.09.2018

A recent paper published in the scientific journal Cell gives an unprecedented insight into the metabolic interactions that occur throughout the body over 24 hours. As part of a large-scale study, the authors constructed 24-hour metabolic profiles of mouse tissues and organs under conditions of energy balance and high-fat diet. Their findings provide an overview of how the various metabolic pathways in the body are interconnected and also reveal suitable time frames for anti-obesity therapies. The study was conducted under the aegis of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University of California Irvine in collaboration with the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).

Tübingen, 31.08.2018

Almost one in three adults in industrialized countries suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver. For the affected people this increases the risk of complications such as liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. In a review article in 'The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology', Norbert Stefan and Hans-Ulrich Häring from the University of Tübingen and the DZD and Kenneth Cusi from the University of Florida summarize current research findings and show how this knowledge can be used for personalized risk prognosis and individualized treatment in the future.

Neuherberg, 30.08.2018

A plant-derived substance widely used in traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated promising weight loss effects. The findings of a study conducted by scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), have now been published in the journal ‘Diabetes’. If this substance called Celastrol also proves effective in clinical trials, it could offer a new option for the treatment of obesity.

Düsseldorf, 23.08.2018

Polyneuropathy is one of the most common complications in people with diabetes. However, it can also occur with certain risk factors or diseases before the onset of diabetes. First symptoms are often pins-and-needles sensations in the feet. Although polyneuropathy is present in about 30% of people with diabetes, it often remains undiagnosed. Scientists from the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in Düsseldorf, in cooperation with colleagues from Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU), both partners in the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), have now been able to show for the first time that six biomarkers of inflammation indicate the risk of polyneuropathy. The results were published in the current issue of the journal "Diabetes".

Neuherberg, 21.08.2018

How do muscle cells prepare for the particular metabolic challenges of the day? Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), members of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), have investigated this question and published their results in ‘PLOS Biology’. The study has uncovered a metabolic network which is, contrary to expectations, not controlled by the brain but rather by the ‘circadian clock’ of muscle cells.

Neuherberg, 31.07.2018

Professor Matthias Tschöp, MD, has been appointed the new CEO of Helmholtz Zentrum München. He took over from Professor Günther Wess, who led the center for the past 13 years, on August 1, 2018.

Düsseldorf, 12.07.2018

The Judo Club 71 offers the elementary school students of the SMS initiative a judo trial training.

Neuherberg, 12.07.2018

New technologies enable deeper insights into the causes of major diseases such as diabetes, obesity or cancer and open the way to a new generation of diagnostics and therapies. For the first time, the new Helmholtz Pioneer Campus (HPC) at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have invited bioengineers, diabetes researchers and scientists from related therapeutic areas to the International Conference on Engineering Biomedical Breakthroughs on the island of San Servolo in the Venice Lagoon.

Heidelberg, 11.07.2018

Breathlessness and conditions of restrictive lung disease (RLD), such as pulmonary fibrosis, may be a late complication of type 2 diabetes. These are the key findings of a joint study undertaken by researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) under the leadership of the University Hospital Heidelberg. The latest results have been published in the journal 'Respiration'.

Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 02.07.2018

New analyses of the EPIC-Potsdam study show that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes even outside the Mediterranean region. In addition, a diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, olive oil and the like may also reduce people’s risk of heart attack. The findings on the connection between regional diets and chronic diseases have now been published by scientists of the DIfE within the NutriAct competence cluster in the journal "BMC Medicine".

Düsseldorf, 28.06.2018

High Jump Champion Hendrik Beyer visited the Mosaikschule and conducted a sports session with children participating in the SMS initiative.

Düsseldorf, 19.06.2018

Overweight and type 2 diabetes are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Worldwide, about 50 to 75 percent of people with type 2 diabetes have fatty liver. 10 to 20 percent of these patients even suffer from liver inflammation (NASH, steatohepatitis), cirrhosis or, in rare cases as a consequence, liver cancer. Scientists at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in Düsseldorf and the Touchstone Diabetes Center in Texas (USA) have found that specific biologically active substances measured in liver samples indicate the risk of insulin resistance and liver inflammation.

Düsseldorf, 13.06.2018

With the Aqua Trampoline, the Düsseldorf municipal swimming pool company offers the children participating in the SMS initiative a fun exercise session in the water.

Düsseldorf, 12.06.2018

The primary school children participating in the SMS initiative visit the Central School Garden of the City of Düsseldorf.

Düsseldorf, 11.06.2018

Fortuna Düsseldorf invites the primary school children participating in the SMS Initiative to the Young Talent Center at Flinger Broich.

Düsseldorf, 27.02.2018

KochDichTurkish offers the participating pupils of the SMS initiative a cooking course for kids.

Neuherberg, 19.01.2018

Scientists have identified a network of genes that could play an important role in the development of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. A research team from the Helmholtz Center Munich and the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) led the work that is published in 'Nature Communications'.

Düsseldorf, 19.01.2018

Dr. Maren Carstensen-Kirberg, research associate at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), has been awarded the Dr. Eickelberg Foundation Prize 2017 for her research into biomarkers. An interdisciplinary team received the project grant for their project investigating the importance of the pro-inflammatory effect of the biomarker omentin on cells in adipose tissue.