Posts Tagged ‘insulin resistance’
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Parents, if your children are overweight it is prudent to protect them by having their liver enzymes measured. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is being seen much more frequently in children due to the marked increase in metabolic syndrome associated with being overweight. This paper published in the journal GUT (International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology) “aimed at determining the long-term outcomes and survival of children with NAFLD.” Liver biopsies were obtained when indicated. The investigators documented a disturbing progression to end-stage liver disease and liver transplantation: “Children with NAFLD may develop end-stage liver disease with the consequent need for liver transplantation. NAFLD in children…may be associated with a significantly shorter survival as compared to the general population.”. Their findings are encouragement to help children eat well and exercise. What is the key: “Insulin resistance is almost a universal finding in paediatric NAFLD.”
Tags: fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, NAFLD
Posted in Children's Health, Insulin & Diabetes | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Two papers have been recently published documenting the link between insulin resistance and colorectal cancer. Insulin was higher and adiponectin (see forthcoming posts) lower with colorectal cancer, and both correlated with the stage of the disease according to the study published in the journal Colorectal Disease. The authors of the second paper published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology state: “In addition to cardiovascular disease, individual components of the metabolic syndrome have been linked to the development of cancer, particularly to colorectal cancer…The physiopathological mechanism that links metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer is mostly related to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance.” There has been a lot written about screening for colorectal cancer; I’m sure you can appreciate the implications of these papers for prevention.
Tags: colorectal cancer, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome
Posted in Insulin & Diabetes, Oncology | No Comments »
Sunday, November 29th, 2009
No doubt about it, you have to take care of your blood sugar and insulin to prevent your brain from degenerating. Here are several papers published in prestigious journals that show the strong connection between insulin resistance and dementia or Alzheimer’s disease:
- Insulin resistance and cognitive impairment in Archives of Neurology
- Hyperinsulinemia and risk of Alzheimer’s disease in Neurology
- Insulin resistance and executive dysfunction in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Hyperinsulinemia and Alzheimer’s disease in the journal Age and Ageing
- Body mass index, cardiovascular risk factors, and dementia in Archives of Internal Medicine
Testing your levels of hemoglobin A1C, glucose, insulin and triglycerides along with measuring your waist-to-hip ratio are among the ways we can see how you’re doing.
Tags: Alzheimer's disease, cognitive impairment, dementia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance
Posted in Brain Health, Insulin & Diabetes | No Comments »
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
There are a few newsworthy findings reported in this study, recently published in the journal Obesity, that used MRI and MRS (proton MR spectroscopy) to measure the accumulation of fat around the heart and in the liver.
- Fat accumulation around organs is linked to decreased heart function
- Body mass index (BMI) is not a reliable predictor of fat accumulation
- Fat in the liver was associated with insulin resistance and triglycerides.
I have seen numerous individuals who do not appear overweight and whose BMI was normal, but bioelectric impedance analysis (an objective measurement of body fat percentage) revealed that they were ‘metabolically obese’—there was excess fat around their organs. Insulin resistance was a factor in each case.
Tags: BMI, body mass index, Cardiovascular, fat accumulation, heart function, insulin resistance, liver fat, triglycerides
Posted in Cardiovascular | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Factors that place fat around the waist (insulin resistance) and the activity of that fat tissue (production of signaling molecules that promote inflammation) are both at play behind the connection documented recently in this paper published in the journal Neurology. The authors found that “…a midlife WHR [waist hip ratio] greater than 0.80 increased risk for dementia approximately twofold…,” and conclude: “There are midlife and late-life implications for dementia prevention, and analytical considerations related to identifying risk factors for dementia.” Here are a few more papers related to the same finding:
- Research on diabetes, hyperinsulinemia and dementia in Dementia and Geriatric Disorders
- A paper on abdominal obesity and Alzheimer Disease published in the same journal
- A study in Archives of Neurology that concludes: “A larger WHR may be related to neurodegenerative, vascular, or metabolic processes that affect brain structures underlying cognitive decline and dementia.”
Tags: Alzheimer's, central obesity, dementia, insulin resistance, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio
Posted in Brain Health, General Science & Health, Insulin & Diabetes | No Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Here is more evidence of the strong correlation between erectile dysfunction and insulin. This paper recently published in the Journal of Andrology clearly discerns the “correlation between erectile function and IR and abdominal obesity.” [IR = insulin resistance. Waist circumference is a metric for abdominal obesity.] Moreover, “IR also appears to alter testosterone production.” Important: a careful reading of this paper also discloses what functional medicine practitioners and Lapis Light patients know: “a negative correlation [with erectile function] was shown only between BT (biologically active fraction) and abdominal obesity. (BT is also termed free-fraction testosterone, measured in our salivary profiles. Total testosterone is not a reliable indicator.)
Tags: erectile dysfunction, insulin resistance, obesity, testosterone, waist circumference
Posted in Men's Health | No Comments »
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Gentlemen, this paper published recently in the journal Urology represents one of many studies linking erectile dysfunction with the hormonal and vascular degeneration associated with insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome (earlier stage) and type 2 diabetes (more advanced). “In our study, the presence of T2DM [type 2 diabetes] was strongly associated with severe ED in patients with MS [metabolic syndrome]. We believe that components of MS should be taken into consideration in the diagnosis and treatment of ED.” If you like sex, take care of your blood sugar and insulin receptors.
Tags: ED, erectile dysfunction, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes
Posted in Insulin & Diabetes, Men's Health | No Comments »
Friday, November 6th, 2009
This compelling research published recently in the journal Diabetes discloses that loss of insulin sensitivity (increased insulin resistance) related to increase in adiposity (fat) and, “In contrast, age had no independent effect on insulin sensitivity.” Astute readers will recall that insulin resistance is a causal factor in overweight, so the main messages here are: Chronological age and biological age are different (this goes for men too, of course); and life-style behaviors that support healthy insulin regulation are good for a lifetime.
Tags: adiposity, age, insulin resistance
Posted in Insulin & Diabetes, Women's Health | No Comments »
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
As outlined in this recent paper, insulin resistance is a major risk factor for female cardiac health. A low glycemic, paleo-Mediterranean diet and interval-based exercise without over-training, plus supplemental nutrients according to individual genetic needs, are key life-style factors.
Tags: cardiac health, diet, Exercise, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, paleo-Meditarranean
Posted in Women's Health | 1 Comment »
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
This welcome study demonstrates that capsaicin (the chemical that makes chilies hot) “lowered fasting glucose, insulin, leptin levels, and markedly reduced the impairment of glucose tolerance.” Levels of inflammatory cytokines (signalling molecules that increase inflammation) in fat and liver tissue also “decreased markedly”. Adiponectin (the hormone secreted in fat tissue that reduces body fat, type 2 diabetes, blood vessel deposits and fatty liver disease) was increased, along with other beneficial agents. “Our data suggest that dietary capsaicin may reduce obesity-induced glucose intolerance by not only suppressing inflammatory responses but also enhancing fatty acid oxidation in adipose tissue and/or liver.” So eat chili peppers to burn fat, suppress inflammation and improve glucose tolerance.
Tags: adiponectin, capsaicin, chili, cytokines, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, leptin, liver fat, obesity
Posted in General Science & Health, Good Eating | No Comments »