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New British research confirms previous reports that the H1N1 swine flu goes deeper into the lungs than ordinary seasonal flu, possibly explaining why it’s often more severe in some people.

“Most people infected with swine-origin flu in the current pandemic have experienced relatively mild symptoms,” Ten Feizi, a professor at Imperial College London and co-author of a study released Thursday, said in a college news release. “However, some people have had more severe lung infections, which can be worse than those caused by seasonal flu. Our new research shows how the virus does this — by attaching to receptors mostly found on cells deep in the lungs. This is something seasonal flu cannot do.”

The finding echoes that of another study, published earlier this month in PLoS Currents. That work, from University of Maryland researchers, found that H1N1 reached deeper into the lungs of ferrets when compared to seasonal flu strains.

According to the researchers behind the new study, flu viruses infect the body by attaching themselves to receptors on the outside of cells. This allows the viruses to hijack the cells and infect even more cells, a cycle that can lead to illness and death.

The new study, published Sept. 10 in the journal Nature Biotechnology, finds that swine flu attacks cells deep in the lungs, whereas seasonal flu targets cells in the nose, throat and upper airway.

The researchers suspect this may explain why swine flu can be so much more serious than seasonal flu: It may simply be able to attack more cells.

The study also found that the swine flu virus binds more weakly when it goes after cells deeper in the lungs versus cells higher up in the respiratory system. However, “if the flu virus mutates in the future, it may attach to the receptors deep inside the lungs more strongly, and this could mean that more people would experience serious symptoms. We think scientists should be on the lookout for these kinds of changes in the virus so we can try to find ways of minimizing the impact of such changes,” Feizi said.

Most Americans with diabetes are eating too much fat and sodium, and not enough fruits, vegetables, grains and low-fat dairy, a new study suggests.

The results, say researchers, indicate that many people with diabetes may need more education about the importance of nutrition in managing their condition.

Excess weight is one of the major risk factors for type 2 diabetes, a disorder in which the body can no longer properly use the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin. Diet, exercise and weight loss are key to managing the disorder, and in some cases, weight loss can reverse the condition.

Yet in the new study, researchers found that of nearly 2,800 middle- aged and older U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes, nearly all were exceeding the daily recommended fat intake. When it came to artery-clogging saturated fat, 85 percent were consuming too much.

Similarly, 92 percent of study participants were consuming too much sodium, which can raise blood pressure and contribute to diabetics’ already elevated risks of heart disease and kidney disease. (See related Reuters Health story today.)

The researchers used a number of nutritional yardsticks, including the Food Guide Pyramid and recommendations by the Institute of Medicine. For example, experts recommend that adults get no more than 20 percent to 35 percent of their daily calories from fat, with less than 10 percent coming from saturated fat.

And if most study participants were getting too much of those nutrients, many were also not getting enough of certain healthy foods, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Less than half were getting the minimum recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, dairy and grains each day.

“I thought we were going to find people who, because they have a chronic disease, were more educated about and more motivated than the average American to eat healthy, but that’s not the case,” lead researcher Dr. Mara C. Vitolins, of Wake-Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a written statement.

The “most important thing” in managing type 2 diabetes, Vitolins noted, is balancing calories in and calories out to help shed pounds or at least avoid weight gain. The choice of foods is also vital in getting enough beneficial nutrients — like antioxidants and “good”

unsaturated fats — and helping to control blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.

But many people in this study were not making healthy diet choices, even if they had long-standing diabetes, the researchers found.

“The findings clearly illustrate a need to provide ongoing nutrition education for people with diabetes regardless of the amount of time they’ve had the disease,” Vitolins said.

“These people have, within their cupboards and refrigerators, the potential to really manage their diabetes well,” she added. “Day to day, the foods they are eating should be considered a vital part of their treatment.”