Some 3.4 million Medicare beneficiaries hit the so-called doughnut hole in drug coverage last year — and a sizable minority quit taking their medicine rather than pay full price out of pocket, a new report says.

At last year’s rate, Medicare beneficiaries were on the hook for prescription drugs after they incurred costs of $2,400. After a beneficiary spent $3,850 out-of-pocket, coverage kicked in again. That coverage gap is commonly referred to as the doughnut hole. (It doesn’t apply to low-income seniors, who qualify for a subsidy.)

AUSTRALIANS with obesity are at significantly higher risk than previously thought of suffering illness, including diabetes, heart attack, stroke and osteoarthritis, a new study has found.

The reassessment of obesity’s impact in Australia found that 600,000 more patients are suffering these diseases because of obesity than was estimated in 2006.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report, recent analysis of government data has linked low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, with Type 2 diabetes. Although the study’s limitations warrant additional research public water systems were moving toward meeting tougher U.S. arsenic standards during the study’s data collection period, analysis of 788 adults’ medical tests found a nearly four-fold increase of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine versus those with even lower levels.

Even low-level exposure to arsenic in drinking water appears to be associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, researchers said in a study published Tuesday.

Millions of people across the world consume drinking water containing arsenic from inorganic sources, said the researchers in the August 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

High levels of arsenic in urine may be linked with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

The findings, published in the Aug. 20 issue of theJournal of the American Medical Association, are the first to link low-level exposure to arsenic with type 2 diabetes prevalence in the United States.

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) — Eli Lilly & Co. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s diabetes drug Byetta was linked to deaths in two patients with an inflamed pancreas, say U.S. regulators who are seeking stronger warnings for the medicine.

Amylin’s shares fell 13 percent, the most in more than seven years, after the Food and Drug Administration posted information on the deaths on its Web site today. Those who died were among six Byetta users who entered the hospital since October because of a condition known as acute pancreatitis.

Developing diabetes before the age of 65 and greater severity of diabetes may be important in the development of mild cognitive impairment among individuals in their 70s and 80s, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, report.

The term “mild cognitive impairment” describes a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, the researchers explain in a report published. Previous studies have shown a link between mild cognitive difficulties and diabetes. Poor control of blood sugar over time may lead to loss of brain cells, while diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, which may also increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

ENGLEWOOD — For a few minutes during practice this week, Wade Wilson and Jay Cutler chatted not about footwork or arm slots or hot reads, but about real life.

Wilson, the Cowboys quarterbacks coach, and Cutler, Denver’s starting quarterback, spoke about blood sugar and insulin pumps and managing life with Type 1 diabetes.

People who are both obese and have diabetes are highly likely to develop heart disease during their lifetime, a new study shows.

Researchers found that of more than 3,400 adults in a long-running U.S. heart study, women who were obese and diabetic had a nearly 80 percent chance of developing heart disease at some point. For their male counterparts, that figure was nearly 90 percent.

Bayer Diabetes Care announced a new chapter in its partnership with Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestselling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People(R), and a new partnership with Fit4D(TM), an organization that provides personalized diabetes coaching. Through these partnerships Bayer Diabetes Care will offer new educational resources and services that help simplify life with diabetes.