Posts Tagged ‘type 2 diabetes’

Insulin and cognitive disorders

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Insulin receptors are found throughout the central nervous system. Fascinating fact: “insulin affects distinct cognitive processes, e.g. by triggering the formation of psychological memory contents.” As the authors of this paper published recently in the journal Diabetologia state: “metabolic and cognitive disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease are associated with resistance of central nervous structures to the effects of insulin…” They go on to conclude: “Enhancement of central nervous insulin signalling…has yielded encouraging results that bode well for the successful translation of these effects into future clinical practice.” Targeted tests are available to determine how you can best take care of your brain by managing blood sugar and insulin.

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Major risk factors for type 2 diabetes all linked by lifestyle-induced chronic inflammation

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

This important paper recently published in the journal Diabetologia extensively highlights the central role of lifestyle-induced chronic inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes. The authors share data revealing that people at risk for type 2 diabetes are those for whom the inflammatory responses to those factors are more pronounced and prolonged. They state: “Chronic low-grade inflammation will eventually lead to overt diabetes if counter-regulatory circuits to inflammation and metabolic stress are compromised because of a genetic and/or epigenetic predisposition. Hence, it is not the lifestyle change per se but a deficient counter-regulatory response in predisposed individuals which is crucial to disease pathogenesis.” Everywhere you turn you will see the importance of evaluating and treating tendencies to chronic inflammation—which may be symptomatic or silent.

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Undernutrition during pregnancy and obesity, type 2 diabetes in your child

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

This paper in Current Diabetes Reports discusses how the so-called ‘thrifty gene’ effect (the tendency to conserve calories in the form of fat during times of famine, established through gene selection over thousands of years) occurs not only through this selection process, but can also manifest as a ‘thrifty phenotype’ when eating too little during gestation is followed later by overnutrition. This means that eating too little during your pregnancy can promote obesity and type 2 diabetes in your child if they consume excess calories later. Like with most everything else, moderation is key.

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Diabetes has increased rapidly in Asian populations

Friday, November 13th, 2009

From the recent paper in The Lancet: “Prevalence of type 2 diabetes has rapidly increased in native and migrant Asian populations. Diabetes develops at a younger age in Asian populations than in white populations, hence the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease and its complications are also common in young Asian people. The young age of these populations and the high rates of cardiovascular risk factors seen in Asian people substantially increase lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease.”

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Erectile dysfunction, metabolic syndrome & type 2 diabetes

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.

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Taking Metformin? Make sure you have Vitamin B12

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

There is abundant evidence that metformin, a medication commonly used for type 2 diabetes, impairs the absorption of Vitamin B12 (even by broad pathological reference standards, not to mention the more sensitive functional reference ranges). Few patients seem to be told about this even though it has been well known for a long time:

  1. Use of Metformin Is a Cause of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
  2. Risk Factors of Vitamin B112 Deficiency in Patients Receiving Metformin
  3. Metformin-related vitamin B12 deficiency
  4. Metformin increases total serum homocysteine levels in non-diabetic male patients
  5. Malabsorption of vitamin B12 during biguanide therapy
  6. Association of metformin, elevated homocysteine and methylmalonic acid

For vitamin B12 I recommend the sublingual methylcobalamin form.

(Metformin is a type of biguanide. Homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels go up with B12 deficiency.)

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Krill oil beats fish oil for reducing fat in heart and liver

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

This study compared the effects of fish oil versus krill oil, with a control diet of oleic, linoleic plus alpha-linoleic oils. Fish and krill oils both lowered liver fat and inflammation compared to the control diet, 38% and 60% respectively. Krill oil, however, reduced heart triglycerides by 42% compared to the fish oil reduction of 2%. This substantial reduction of unhealthy fat deposition and inflammatory response is particular value in metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

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Male sexual function correlates with glycemic control

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

Not surprisingly, numerous factors involved in the regulation of blood sugar also impact male erectile function. This study documents the correlation between glycemic (blood sugar) control and increased risk for erectile dysfunction (ED) in type 2 diabetes. “We conclude that glycemic control is independently and inversely associated with ED in men with diabetes type 2.”

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Cancer & Type 2 Diabetes

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

In this cohort study of 9577 people followed over eleven years, “significantly increased risks were observed for pancreatic, liver and colon cancer” in patients with type 2 diabetes.  This is one among numerous studies demonstrating the links between insulin as a proliferating hormone, type 2 diabetes and a variety of malignancies.

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Cancer risks of insulin therapy

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Lapis Light patients know that insulin resistance is a risk factor for numerous cancers and that insulin is elevated in metabolic syndrome years before diabetes sets in. This study documents that insulin therapy given in the treatment of type 2 diabetes increases the likelihood of developing a range of solid tumors, highlighting the action of insulin as a proliferating hormone. Obviously this must be taken into consideration in diabetes case management and prevention.

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