Previously in this series, we've discussed the role of cellular energy excess, inflammation, brain insulin resistance, and micronutrient status in insulin resistance. In this post, I'll explore the role of macronutrients and sugar in insulin sensitivity.
Carbohydrate and Fat
There are a number of studies on the effect of carbohydrate:fat ratios on insulin sensitivity, but many of them are confounded by fat loss (e.g., low-carbohydrate and low-fat weight loss studies), which almost invariably improves insulin sensitivity. What interests me the most is to understand what effect different carbohydrate:fat ratios have on insulin sensitivity in healthy, weight stable people. This will get at what causes insulin resistance in someone who does not already have it.
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New Obesity Review Paper by Yours Truly
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism just published a clinical review paper written by myself and my mentor Dr. Mike Schwartz, titled "Regulation of Food Intake, Energy Balance, and Body Fat Mass: Implications for the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Obesity" (1). JCEM is one of the most cited peer-reviewed journals in the fields of endocrinology, obesity and diabetes, and I'm very pleased that it spans the gap between scientists and physicians. Our paper takes a fresh and up-to-date look at the mechanisms by which food intake and body fat mass are regulated by the body, and how these mechanisms are altered in obesity. We explain the obesity epidemic in terms of the mismatch between our genes and our current environment, a theme that is frequently invoked in ancestral health circles.
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Alastair Campbell on Happiness, David Edgar on the value of the Arts, Field Music, Culture Shots and more...
A constant stream of comments, thoughts and ideas have been coming in around part one of m a n i f e s t o, some of which are here for your delectation. All will be revealed over the next few weeks. Thank you EVERYONE. Please feel free to email any comments which must be received before 31st January.
BlueSCI and Field Music
Our friends and colleagues at BlueSCI were featured in the Guardian this week and to hear their collaborative work with Field Music and see the work of Arts for Health alumni Caro Inglis, you have until the 17th January to get to The Lauriston Gallery in Sale.
‘...happiness is all the more intense for knowing what it’s like to be utterly miserable.’ Alastair Campbell
A really interesting take on the ‘happiness’ debate that continues to fill the columns and obsess politicians, out for a quick hit. Alastair Campbell has written a book about his experience of clinical depression and the affect of his best friends death on his own understanding of what aspiration to happiness might be about. The book’s out on 12th Jan, but a good extract from it shows some considered thinking; that its not all about simpering positivism, but the grief, anger and depression that life throws at us, tempered by friendship and love (and some of those five ways+) that might add up to a life well lived and reflected on as we face our death. Click on the photo below for the extract.
Why should we fund the arts?
Publicly funded arts institutions are under more pressure than ever to quantify the social benefits they bring, as would be done for schools and hospitals. But isn't the crucial role of art to challenge the way society is run? An excellent article by playwright David Edgar. Click on the photograph below.
Dementia and Imagination with Claire Ford
I’m thrilled that the artist Claire Ford will be sharing reflections of her Churchill Fellowship at our first network event of 2012 on Thursday January 26th between 6:00 and 8:00pm (venue to be confirmed at MMU). As usual the event is free to our members, and will be informal. Claire spent 10 weeks in the USA exploring different approaches to dementia and the arts, and will be sharing this experience, her findings and ideas about future developments in the field. Thanks to those who’ve said they want to attend. Anyone who hasn’t yet expressed an interest, please get in touch by the 19th January. Venue will be confirmed by email one week prior to the event.
+Culture Shots
Museums and Galleries Week
Culture makes a difference. Experience it.
7 days
5 hospitals
70 creative workshops
5 hospitals
70 creative workshops
6-12 February 2012
+Culture Shots is a week-long series of creative events run by museums and galleries in all five Central Manchester University Hospitals this February. From museum collections, music, film and photography to Wild food foraging, painting and the science of football, these unique sessions give you the chance to discover how culture can enhance your own life, your professional practice, and your patients’ health and wellbeing. www.HealthandCulture.org.uk
...and finally, although I know its a little overdone, the recent edit of the Great Dictator speech has been doing the rounds and is worth a few moments. Thanks, C.P
...and finally, although I know its a little overdone, the recent edit of the Great Dictator speech has been doing the rounds and is worth a few moments. Thanks, C.P
What Causes Insulin Resistance? Part IV
So far, we've explored three interlinked causes of insulin resistance: cellular energy excess, inflammation, and insulin resistance in the brain. In this post, I'll explore the effects on micronutrient status on insulin sensitivity.
Micronutrient Status
There is a large body of literature on the effects of nutrient intake/status on insulin action, and it's not my field, so I don't intend this to be a comprehensive post. My intention is simply to demonstrate that it's important, and highlight a few major factors I'm aware of.
Read more »
Micronutrient Status
There is a large body of literature on the effects of nutrient intake/status on insulin action, and it's not my field, so I don't intend this to be a comprehensive post. My intention is simply to demonstrate that it's important, and highlight a few major factors I'm aware of.
Read more »
What Causes Insulin Resistance? Part III
As discussed in previous posts, cellular energy excess and inflammation are two important and interlinked causes of insulin resistance. Continuing our exploration of insulin resistance, let's turn our attention to the brain.
The brain influences every tissue in the body, in many instances managing tissue processes to react to changing environmental or internal conditions. It is intimately involved in insulin signaling in various tissues, for example by:
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The brain influences every tissue in the body, in many instances managing tissue processes to react to changing environmental or internal conditions. It is intimately involved in insulin signaling in various tissues, for example by:
- regulating insulin secretion by the pancreas (1)
- regulating glucose absorption by tissues in response to insulin (2)
- regulating the suppression of glucose production by the liver in response to insulin (3)
- regulating the trafficking of fatty acids in and out of fat cells in response to insulin (4, 5)
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What Causes Insulin Resistance? Part II
In the last post, I described how cellular energy excess causes insulin resistance, and how this is triggered by whole-body energy imbalance. In this post, I'll describe another major cause of insulin resistance: inflammation.
Inflammation
In 1876, a German physician named W Ebstein reported that high doses of sodium salicylate could totally eliminate the signs and symptoms of diabetes in certain patients (Berliner Klinische Wochenschrift. 13:337. 1876). Following up on this work in 1901, the British physician RT Williamson reported that treating diabetic patients with sodium salicylate caused a striking decrease in the amount of glucose contained in the patients' urine, also indicating an apparent improvement in diabetes (2). This effect was essentially forgotten until 1957, when it was rediscovered.
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Inflammation
In 1876, a German physician named W Ebstein reported that high doses of sodium salicylate could totally eliminate the signs and symptoms of diabetes in certain patients (Berliner Klinische Wochenschrift. 13:337. 1876). Following up on this work in 1901, the British physician RT Williamson reported that treating diabetic patients with sodium salicylate caused a striking decrease in the amount of glucose contained in the patients' urine, also indicating an apparent improvement in diabetes (2). This effect was essentially forgotten until 1957, when it was rediscovered.
Read more »
What Causes Insulin Resistance? Part I
Insulin is an ancient hormone that influences many processes in the body. Its main role is to manage circulating concentrations of nutrients (principally glucose and fatty acids, the body's two main fuels), keeping them within a fairly narrow range*. It does this by encouraging the transport of nutrients into cells from the circulation, and discouraging the export of nutrients out of storage sites, in response to an increase in circulating nutrients (glucose or fatty acids). It therefore operates a negative feedback loop that constrains circulating nutrient concentrations. It also has many other functions that are tissue-specific.
Insulin resistance is a state in which cells lose sensitivity to the effects of insulin, eventually leading to a diminished ability to control circulating nutrients (glucose and fatty acids). It is a major contributor to diabetes risk, and probably a contributor to the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and a number of other disorders.
Why is it important to manage the concentration of circulating nutrients to keep them within a narrow range? The answer to that question is the crux of this post.
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Insulin resistance is a state in which cells lose sensitivity to the effects of insulin, eventually leading to a diminished ability to control circulating nutrients (glucose and fatty acids). It is a major contributor to diabetes risk, and probably a contributor to the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and a number of other disorders.
Why is it important to manage the concentration of circulating nutrients to keep them within a narrow range? The answer to that question is the crux of this post.
Read more »
New York Times Magazine Article on Obesity
For those of you who haven't seen it, Tara Parker-Pope write a nice article on obesity in the latest issue of NY Times Magazine (1). She discusses research showing that the body "resists" fat loss attempts, making it difficult to lose fat and maintain fat loss once obesity is established.
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High-Fat Diets, Obesity and Brain Damage
Many of you have probably heard the news this week:
High-fat diet may damage the brain
Eating a high-fat diet may rapidly injure brain cells
High fat diet injures the brain
Brain injury from high-fat foods
Your brain cells are exploding with every bite of butter! Just kidding. The study in question is titled "Obesity is Associated with Hypothalamic Injury in Rodents and Humans", by Dr. Josh Thaler and colleagues, with my mentor Dr. Mike Schwartz as senior author (1). We collaborated with the labs of Drs. Tamas Horvath and Matthias Tschop. I'm fourth author on the paper, so let me explain what we found and why it's important.
The Questions
Among the many questions that interest obesity researchers, two stand out:
The Findings
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High-fat diet may damage the brain
Eating a high-fat diet may rapidly injure brain cells
High fat diet injures the brain
Brain injury from high-fat foods
Your brain cells are exploding with every bite of butter! Just kidding. The study in question is titled "Obesity is Associated with Hypothalamic Injury in Rodents and Humans", by Dr. Josh Thaler and colleagues, with my mentor Dr. Mike Schwartz as senior author (1). We collaborated with the labs of Drs. Tamas Horvath and Matthias Tschop. I'm fourth author on the paper, so let me explain what we found and why it's important.
The Questions
Among the many questions that interest obesity researchers, two stand out:
- What causes obesity?
- Once obesity is established, why is it so difficult to treat?
The Findings
Read more »
Junk Free January
Last year, Matt Lentzner organized a project called Gluten Free January, in which 546 people from around the world gave up gluten for one month. The results were striking: a surprisingly large proportion of participants lost weight, experienced improved energy, better digestion and other benefits (1, 2). This January, Lentzner organized a similar project called Junk Free January. Participants can choose between four different diet styles:
If you've been waiting for an excuse to improve your diet, why not join Junk Free January?
- Gluten free
- Seed oil free (soybean, sunflower, corn oil, etc.)
- Sugar free
- Gluten, seed oil and sugar free
If you've been waiting for an excuse to improve your diet, why not join Junk Free January?
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