all things to do with diabetes obesity and metabolism
22nd August 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
We always worry when athlete patients take supplements to improve their workout and performance. We don’t really know what these “supplements” are. We don’t really know whether they work or whether they are safe. One of the most commonly used supplements is creatine. Does it help muscle building and performance? Does it help to lose fat?…
13th August 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
We know the ongoing cost and availability of anti-obesity medications (AOM) the likes of Wegovy and Mounjaro although we have been assured that the supply issue is behind us now. Part of the problem with cost relate to the manufacturing cost of the devices. In fact, the rate limiting step to the production is the pen, which needs to be precisely manufactured and tested as it is a medical device.…
28th July 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
We are all aware of the four pillars of treatment in the guideline directed medical treatment (GDMT) of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) – SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), beta blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA). When we come to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HRpEF), the pillar of treatment is rather lonely – SGLT2i only.…
30th June 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
You would have no doubt noticed headlines everywhere about the new criteria for GDM diagnosis that was just released a few days ago. Why is there such a buzz? Why is everyone seemingly that excited? We have covered many of the issues covered by ADIPS over the years leading up to this new guideline.…
30th June 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
There are many reasons why some of our patients go vegetarian. A primarily plant-based diet with less meat is supposed to lower the morbidity of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers [1]. Some patients may choose to reduce their food-related ecological footprint. A transition to a diet that contains more plant-based products and less meat could increase food availability while releasing the burden on the environment [2].…
27th May 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
We know about type 1 to type 3 diabetes mellitus. I didn’t know that there was a type 4 and now they tell us there is a type 5. For someone who has a special interest in things diabetes, this is definitely news to me. Actually, on further research, it’s actually not that new.…
27th April 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
We recently looked at the LDL-C levels needed to stabilise plaque progression and the LDL-C levels needed to cause plaque regression. Plaque stabilisation and regression leads to reduction in cardiovascular events. Dyslipidaemia (especially LDL-C) is also associated with cognitive impairment and dementia and reducing those numbers with statin therapy reduces the risk.…
13th April 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was first shown to be beneficial in the management of patients with type 1 diabetes. Later on, patients with type 2 diabetes on insulin also found CGM beneficial in more ways than one. Of course, patients with T2D not on insulin also found CGM beneficial. What else can we use CGM for?…
23rd March 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
I thought I read somewhere many years ago that we don’t have to advocate the traditional 72-hour carbohydrate (carb) loading prior to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). I have not heard that issue being brought up of late. Well, does it increase or decrease the glucose levels of the OGTT.…
24th February 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
This is one of the most common questions asked at glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) CPD meetings. “What about the risk of thyroid cancer, doc?” As usual, the evidence is rather conflicting. The worry about the thyroid cancer risk with GLP1-RA is actually not without justification. The hypotheses is actually biologically plausible.…
A/Prof Chee L Khoo, 26th January 2025
Obesity was first recognised as a disease by WHO in 1948, and more recently also by several medical societies and countries (1–9). The current WHO International Classification of Disease labels obesity as “a chronic complex disease”. But obesity is a highly heterogenous condition and many people with excess adiposity have no signs of illness.…
8th January 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) often (but not always) lead to daytime sleepiness and suboptimal daytime performance (including driving performance). It can also have a major effect on the quality of life (QOL) of the patient and the family. OSA is associated with a number important metabolic and cardiovascular conditions in a multidirectional manner.…