The series is called Discovery Health- CME and it is running on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9AM, at least the last few weeks it has around my neck of the woods (East coast). Last weekend they discussed the “thrifty gene”and how it is contributing to a huge increase in diabetes among the Aborigine people in Australia.

Through history this group of people among the outskirts and brush of Australia have had to be very frugal and make a meal stretch for days until the next meal was available. Enter- “thrifty gene”. Their bodies learned (through evolution) to cherish the nutrients inside their bodies and slow their metabolisms down- way down!

I thought that little tidbit was very interesting. Now moving forward to this morning… they were speaking about insulin resistance among type 2 diabetics. This week was presented in a round table type discussion among pediatricians, endocrinologists and a psychologist. It was geared towards the prevalence of this resistance in young people. Scary!!

Anyway, if you get a chance and it plays in your area, check it out. If nothing else, very interesting. There is an area on the Discovery Health site that you can set a reminder to watch the show.

Post from: Blisstree

Australia… Aborigine… Children… Discovery Health Has It All!

GIP is a hormone that is secreted in response to your food intake . It inhibits the secretion of acids that stimulate the release of insulin as part of the digestive process thus Pro3(GIP) combating this.

While the significance of its action is largely unknown, its potent and prolonged stimulation after a high-fat diet has led researchers to speculate it may play a key role in metabolizing fat. Research has shown that high fat feeding results in elevated circulating GIP concentrations, traits often found in patients who are obese with diabetes. GIP also effects the growth of fat cells. Other studies have shown that mice injected with the GIP receptor antagonist – (Pro3)GIP – can reverse or prevent many of the metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity.

So, in a nutshell… more GIP bad, less GIP good! That was easy, haha. And just what did they find with this particular study?

This study showed that blocking GIP activity using (Pro3)GIP in mice with established, high fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes results in significant weight loss, improvement of insulin resistance and amelioration of diabetes.

Researchers are now examining the findings as an interesting new way to battle obesity and metabolic disorders.

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Pro3(GIP) To Promote Weight Loss, Improve Insulin Resistance And Reverse Diabetes

The US team discovered that volunteers who were roused whenever they were about to fall into the deepest sleep developed insulin resistance. This inability of the body to recognize normal insulin signals leads to high blood sugar levels, weight gain and, eventually, even type 2 diabetes.

Personally, I have been in trouble from the start. My kids are such horrible sleepers and my hubby and I have not slept through the night in 7 years. Not to mention that a pin drop wakes me at night! Ugh…

On to science… How would the researchers use this information for good you ask? Yes, it does indeed have some importance.

“The current evidence suggests that strategies to improve sleep duration and quality should be considered as a potential intervention to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes in at-risk populations.”

I know I already have diabetes but I worry that my lack of sleep could further my resistance to insulin. I need to get some serious zzz’s! And maybe it will make those dark circles go bye bye while I am at it!

via bbc.uk

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Sleep Deprivation And Increased Risk Of Diabetes Strikes Again

“There’s a fair amount of evidence that starch-based foods don’t cause weight gain like sugar-based foods and don’t cause the metabolic syndrome like sugar-based foods,” said Dr. Richard Johnson, the senior author of the report, which reviewed several recent studies on fructose and obesity. “Potatoes, pasta, rice may be relatively safe compared to table sugar. A fructose index may be a better way to assess the risk of carbohydrates related to obesity.”

Ok, so this is not the answer to your holiday munchies given that most cakes, pies and cookies are loaded full of fructose, but it does offer up the idea that a slice of bread or baked potato here and there might not be the worst thing ever. Yee-ha! I do hope, yes I said hope, that there is more research and funding put into this. Just think of how many people, maybe even including you, live on a very low carb, no “white stuff” type diet. This does include me for the most part.

Why is fructose more dangerous then glucose, which on a very elementary level is what most carbs turn in to?

Eating too much fructose causes uric acid levels to spike, which can block the ability of insulin to regulate how body cells use and store sugar and other nutrients for energy, leading to obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, said Johnson, the division chief of nephrology and the J. Robert Cade professor of nephrology in the UF College of Medicine. UF researchers first detailed the role of uric acid on insulin resistance and obesity in a 2005 study in rats.

Hmm… so what do you think? Will this prove to ring true through and through or is it just new fluff? Hey- it’s an honest question considering this could change diet and nutrition teaching across the board.

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

What Did They Just Say? Bread Isn’t A Great Big No-No???

What gene is being examined and how does this pertain specifically to diabetics? The gene adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, AMPK, which controls the amount of energy in our cells by becoming active when fuel stores start to deplete such as in extreme exercise. The mutation showed a doubling of the energy use in the cells. In diabetics there are high levels of fat stored in the muscle have been linked to insulin resistance, so increased energy production would be a leg up in the right direction.

In addition, as metformin, a drug commonly used to both prevent and treat diabetes, acts by increasing AMPK activity, this discovery provides valuable information for pharmaceutical research.

Could a new drug come out of this discovery? Who knows at this point but it is promising indeed.

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Gene Mutation Thought To Control Energy Levels In Cells Promising For Diabetics

There is research that shows after just 10 sessions of biofeedback and relaxation therapy, diabetics blood sugars and A1c were lowered and stayed that way for up to 3 months. And a bonus… depression and anxiety among these patients also decreased. Here would be my hunch why this type of treatment could be effective…

The Stress Effect Biofeedback may decrease cortisol, a stress hormone linked to insulin resistance.

Some of you may remember me writing about this previously. Yes, stress does play a role in releasing hormones like cortisol which ultimately has a negative effect on a diabetics blood sugars. You can even learn to do biofeedback on your own. Why not give it a try, it is free, non invasive and involves no pain. I’m sold! I will let you know how it goes.

post derived from RealAge tip of the day

Post from: Blisstree

Biofeedback Helps Control Diabetics Blood Sugars

Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body’s cells become resistant to insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that plays an essential role in regulating the carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins obtained from food.

Yes, I am talking about your belly fat. Now, before you go and get all offended, listen up. We all have it, that nasty little roll right below the ol’ belly button. Well, most of us do anyway. Researches have now discovered that the spare tire alone may not be to blame for causing metabolic syndrome. Your skeletal muscle’s may have a little something to do with it as well…

But with the help of powerful new imaging technologies, a team of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers at Yale University School of Medicine has found that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle leads to alterations in energy storage that set the stage for the metabolic syndrome.

So long story short, they are thinking that this metabolic syndrome, or pre-diabetes if you will, is really a problem with how we store energy from food. This is fairly good news because there is a simple cure to that… exercise. Now, get out there y’all and do something healthy for yourself!

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Metabolic Syndrome Is Really A Problem With How We Store Energy

When you think about it, our bodies are just not wired to be up at night and sleep during the day. I know that personally, when I work night shift, I am up for at least 24 hours before getting sleep. My meals are not at the “normal” times and exercise is not a real priority that day.

My blood sugars were very elevated through the night, even though I wasn’t eating. I did have several cups of coffee to help the ol’ eyes stay open during the down time, which I might add is not all that much, contrary to popular belief.

Once again, my crazy thoughts overtook me this morning and I started searching away looking for the answers to the questions that I ponder. Guess what? I did find research that showed that blood sugars, blood pressures, and cortisol levels of night shift workers were compromised due to irregular circadian rhythms.

These results are very similar to those previously found in simulated night-shift conditions; it is the first time such changes have been reported in real shift workers in field conditions. They provide evidence that the abnormal metabolic responses to meals taken at night during unadapted night shifts are due, at least in part, to a relative insulin resistance, which could contribute to the documented cardiovascular morbidity associated with shift work.

Think about all the shift workers across the globe. Can we attribute some of our rising health care epidemics and concerns to erratic work schedules? Will our bodies evolve over time to adapt to our ever growing busy lifestyles? And finally, will my blood sugar ever make sense to me?

via Journal of Endocrinology

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Does Shift Work Affect Diabetics?

When placed on a high-fat diet, the B6 mouse,white fat, develops severe obesity, high blood glucose and insulin resistance with extremely high insulin levels. By contrast, the 129 mouse, brown fat, gains on average 30 to 50 percent less weight on either a high-or low-fat diet than the B6 mouse and has been considered resistant to dietary induced obesity and glucose intolerance. In the new study, Dr. Kahn and his colleagues showed that this difference is due to the higher basal energy expenditure in the 129 mouse. When searching for the source of the energy expenditure, the researchers found unexpected clusters of brown fat cells stuck between bundles of muscle fibers in the leg of the mouse. In this case, the 129 mouse had over 100 times more brown fat in muscle than the B6 mouse.

Can we assume that the same is true in humans? Let’s hope so. If the study does correlate to humans, would scientists be able to produce a magic drug to stimulate the good ol’ brown fat and aid in the prevention of diabetes? I know my fingertips would appreciate it!

via eMaxHealth

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Could The Production Of A Certain Type Of Fat Help Prevent Diabetes?