Health
Grandfather's simple changes reversed pre-diabetes diagnosis that left him 'petrified'
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A 66-year-old grandfather who exercised daily was stunned to learn he was pre-diabetic — and he says making one small change to his eating habits helped reverse it.
Dance teacher Will McKechnie, from Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, told SWNS he had always considered himself healthy.
At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 167 pounds, he wore a medium-sized shirt, danced seven times a week, and didn’t think twice about his daily snacks: a chocolate bar and a bag of chips.
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“I honestly thought I was really fit and healthy,” McKechnie said.
But after undergoing a free screening for people over 60 in May 2023, a routine blood test showed that his average blood sugar level was 6.2% — an indicator of pre-diabetes, according to SWNS.
Will McKechnie (right), a 66-year-old grandfather who exercised daily, was stunned to learn he was pre-diabetic. (William Mckechnie / SWNS)
McKechnie didn’t find out until a year later, during an unrelated appointment, when his doctor reviewed the results.
“I was so shocked and worried to hear I was pre-diabetic,” he said.
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McKechnie continued, “When he said it wouldn’t be reversible over 48, I was terrified. I was petrified at the idea that I might be starting to have poor health.”
Determined to turn things around, McKechnie made some major changes — not only in what he ate, but how.
McKechnie, determined to turn things around, made some major changes, such as cutting out nightly chocolate and chips and eating whole, nutritious foods instead. (iStock)
He cut out the nightly chocolate and chips, started eating whole, nutritious foods, and began chewing his food much more slowly.
Now, his lunch — a wholemeal chicken sandwich — takes him 40 minutes to eat.
“I just have a very occasional treat now, and much smaller,” McKechnie told SWNS.
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His breakfast now consists of fruit, and a typical dinner includes boiled eggs, roasted peanuts, celery, cherry tomatoes, carrots and cucumber.
By focusing on slower eating and more mindful food choices, McKechnie shed nearly 27 pounds, bringing him down to 142 pounds and a size small shirt.
“I honestly thought I was really fit and healthy.”
He also lost two inches off his waist — and, more importantly, his blood sugar dropped to 5.9% within nine months, SWNS reported.
“I’m very determined,” McKechnie said.
McKechnie (pictured above doing a plank) shed nearly 27 pounds, bringing him down to 142 pounds and a size small shirt. (William Mckechnie / SWNS)
He added, “If I set my mind to doing something, I’ll do it, and I’m going to get my blood sugar even lower.”
The grandfather of four said he no longer battles sugar cravings and doesn’t feel the urge to rush into stores for a chocolate fix.
He also stays busy caring for his 18-month-old grandson and teaching two dance classes a week.
“Even if you have to pay for it, it’s worth getting your blood sugar checked routinely,” said McKechnie. (iStock)
McKechnie, who quit smoking in 1986 and stopped drinking in 2012, believes everyone should be proactive about checking their health — even if they look healthy on the outside.
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“Even if you have to pay for it, it’s worth getting your blood sugar checked routinely,” he told SWNS, adding, “It’s much, much better to find out.”
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According to SWNS, McKechnie now says he feels stronger than ever and has “enormous amounts of energy.”
“I’m so relieved I had that test. It has changed my life and made me so much fitter.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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