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Diabetes 101: the Causes of Insulin Resistance (Part 2 of 4)
In the previous installment of this series, Diabetes 101, we saw just exactly what type II diabetes is, how it is diagnosed, and how it relates to insulin resistance. In part 2, we are going to examine the causes of insulin resistance. In the previous installment of this series, Diabetes 101, we saw just exactly what type II diabetes is, how it is diagnosed, and how i... more
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Shepard Fairey on health care
In this outtake, Shepard Fairey takes a moment to talk about one issue that's very important to him in the upcoming election: health care. He talks about his personal struggle with diabetes and why the issue really hits home. In this outtake, Shepard Fairey takes a moment to talk about one issue that's very important to him in the upcoming election: hea... more
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Alzheimers..Possible change of name?
Alzheimer’s disease is a very hard disease to cope with. It not only affects the bearer of the disease, but the families as well. A person diagnosed with AD, is unwillingly entered into a death sentence of forgetfulness. The research conducted by Eric Steen, et al. investigated the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease with any abnormal patterns related to insulin and gene expression. They hypothesized that the insulin and the insulin like growth factor expression in Alzheimer’s disease would be significantly lower than in the normal aged adult.
Eric Steen et al. received their samples from various blood banks located nationally. There samples consisted of brain tissue obtained from the brain banks. They received twenty eight Alzheimer disease brain tissue, and twenty six normal aging brain tissue. Eric Steen et. Al. determined if the brain tissues were from the “normal” aging process by reviewing the medical case studies of the “normal” aged brain tissue donors. They used various methods to measure the chemical affects of insulin and other receptors. They measured by using real time quantitative RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction). This is a great method of measuring for it can detect mRNA levels in a small sample size. They used the western blot analysis to review the amount of Akt. They used immunoprecipitation to study the “interactions between the p85 subunit of PI3 kinase and insulin receptor substrate types 1 and 2.”(E.Steen et al. pg.65).
When E.Steen et al. used the western blot analysis they found “significantly reduced mean levels of phospho-AKT “(E.Steen et al. Pg.73) this could help validate the study that is being done because AKT is involved in cell increase, programmed cell death, and diabetes. AKT was found in large numbers in the hippocampal tissue of AD Brain tissue. This research has found that insulin, and the insulin like growth factors originate from problems linked to impaired CNS growth factor production. The neurons are expressing the growth factor genes. This “raises questions and concerns about the potential benefits of peripherally administered replacement therapy.”(E.Steen et al. Pg.77) The downfall with this finding is that peripherally administered replacement therapy is the best way to administer medications without the complications of the blood brain barrier. In AD brain tissue the IGF-II expression was higher in the hippocampus area of the brain. In the control group, insulin and IGF-1 receptors were expressed at significantly greater amounts than the AD brain tissue. “In AD, insulin gene expression in the hippocampus and hypothalamus was significantly reduced relative to control (insulin gene expression was not detected in the frontal cortex.”(E.Steen et al. pg.68) This shows that AD brain tissue has a lower amount of gene expression in the areas where short term memory is stored. The human growth factor and the receptor expression were found to have significance at the .01 level when insulin was concerned. This research suggests that if AD could somehow be treated with
ligands that can increase insulin and the growth factor signaler, it can increase the life and purpose of certain neuronal cells that are at a high risk of developing AD.
My summary is from research conducted by:
“Impaired Insulin and insulin-like growth factor expression and signaling mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease- is this type 3 diabetes?” Eric Steen, Benjamin M. Terry, Enrique J. Riviera, Jennifer L. Cannon, Thomas R. Neely, Rose Tavares, X. Julia Xu, Jack R. Wands and Suzanne M. de la Monte. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease vol. 7 (2005). Alzheimer’s disease is a very hard disease to cope with. It not only affects the bearer of the disease, but the families as well. A ... more -
Diabetes 101: Defining the Disease and How to Test for It (Part 1 of 4)
Amid the many health problems facing America today, two prominent problems are thrust into the forefront: obesity and diabetes. With soaring rates of obesity and diabetes reaching number six on the Centers for Disease Control’s Causes of Death in the United States list, the time has come to really take a closer look at these illnesses. Amid the many health problems facing America today, two prominent problems are thrust into the forefront: obesity and diabetes. With s... more
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Byetta Diabetes Drug Linked to Patient Deaths; Real Diabetes Cures Ignored
Another FDA-approved diabetes drug has now been linked to life-threatening pancreas inflammation that has resulted in at least two deaths. Byetta is the latest FDA-approved diabetes drug to be linked to organ damage and death. Another FDA-approved diabetes drug has now been linked to life-threatening pancreas inflammation that has resulted in at least two dea... more
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Click to Donate $2 to Charity
It doesn't get any easier than this! Squidoo is giving away $80,000 to the winning charity. There are many to choose from, just click to vote for your favorite. Hurry, voting ends October 15.
As the parent of a diabetic child, I chose the Juvenite Diabetes Foundation. Which one is your favorite? It doesn't get any easier than this! Squidoo is giving away $80,000 to the winning charity. There are many to choose from, just... more -
Eating Legumes Slashes Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 40 Percent, Research Shows
A higher legume intake corresponds to a roughly 40 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Shanghai Cancer Institute and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A higher legume intake corresponds to a roughly 40 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study conducte... more
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Too Good to Be True?: Fat That Keeps You Thin
Scientists have stumbled on a chemical in the body that could one day prevent or reverse diseases linked to obesity.
Researchers at Harvard University's School of Public Health (H.S.P.H.) report in Cell that palmitoleate, a newly discovered hormone produced by fat cells, is also a fatty acid. (Most hormones are proteins.) They believe that if they can increase its production, they may be able to stave off metabolic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease (caused by hardening of the arteries) and so-called fatty liver, an often asymptomatic disease that can lead to damage of the organ as well as cancer. They speculate that it may also aid in weight loss.
But how could fats help trim the portly—or at least avoid accompanying diseases?
"The homemade meal is always the healthiest and best tasting meal," says study co-author Gökhan Hotamisligil, a professor of genetics and metabolism at H.S.P.H. "Similarly, the best kind of fat is the kind that you produce on your own from your fat tissue."
He says researchers discovered palmitoleate's potential thinning power by engineering mice that did not have proteins responsible for shuttling dietary fat to storage fat cells (often found around the abdomen, thighs and other places familiar to cellulite hosts). The animals ate like pigs, so to speak, but remained lean, free of metabolic disease, and showed no sign of fat deposits on their livers or insulin resistance. (Resistance to insulin—a hormone produced in the pancreas—causes sugar to accumulate in the blood instead of being taken up the muscle, which can result in type 2 diabetes.)
Hotamisligil says the team traced the hormone to fat cells when they were trying to figure out why these mice had so many fat molecules in their blood. Normally, excess of fatty acids in the bloodstream end up in the muscle and liver—and eventually affect insulin-sensing cells, causing diabetes.
"Fat is a huge soup of many many chemical entities," Hotamisligil says. "You can't treat fat like one kind of thing. It's a combination of many different kinds of molecules—the composition of [the] soup is important."
Palmitoleate is involved in a process known as de novo lipogenesis, the production of fat molecules by fat cells. The naturally made fat, he explains, appears to have the opposite effect of fat from food: It actually keeps fat from accumulating on the liver and thwarts insulin resistance. He noted that whereas the healthy rats had lots of palmitoleate in their fat reserves, diabetic mice do not. The mechanism by which palmitoleate works, however, has yet to be figured out.
"If you can replenish that source [of palmitoleate] or find a way to activate fat cells to produce more of their own fat, this could end up helping people with obesity, diabetes and fatty liver disease," says Hotamisligil.
He warns that high palmitoleate levels may only guard against metabolic illness and not obesity itself. Although he cannot be certain that the hormone has the same effect on humans, he does note that the pathways involved in mice and humans are almost identical.
In an editorial accompanying the Cell article, endocrinologist Jerrold Olefsky of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine points out: "Earlier studies have indicated that the capacity of human [fat cells] for de novo biosynthesis of fatty acids is considerably less than in rodent models." More work has to be done, he says, to determine if higher palmitoleate levels coincide with less metabolic disease in humans, as well. Scientists have stumbled on a chemical in the body that could one day prevent or reverse diseases linked to obesity. ... more -
FDA says BPA is OK despite concerns raised in new study
With scientists at odds over the safety of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other food packaging, consumers got minimal guidance Tuesday about how to protect themselves.
At a scientific hearing, the Food and Drug Administration defended its assessment that bisphenol A-- or BPA--is safe, even as the first major study of health effects in people linked it with possible risks for heart disease and diabetes. The debate could drag on for years.
However, a study released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested a new concern about BPA. Because of the possible public health implications, the results "deserve scientific follow-up," the study authors said. Using a health survey of nearly 1,500 adults, they found that those exposed to higher amounts of BPA were more likely to report having heart disease and diabetes. With scientists at odds over the safety of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other food packaging, consumers go... more -
Bisphenol A and Risk of Metabolic Disorders
In this issue of JAMA, Lang and colleagues1 report the results of the first major epidemiologic study to examine the health effects associated with the ubiquitous estrogenic chemical bisphenol A (BPA). This compound is the base chemical (monomer) used to make polycarbonate plastic food and beverage containers, the resin lining of cans, and dental sealants; it also is found in "carbonless" paper used for receipts as well as a wide range of other common household products. Based on their analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004, Lang et al report a significant relationship between urine concentrations of BPA and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver-enzyme abnormalities in a representative sample of the adult US population. This report, suggesting links between BPA and some of the most significant and economically burdensome human diseases, is based on a cross-sectional study and therefore cannot establish causality; follow-up longitudinal studies should thus be a high priority. Yet many peer-reviewed published studies report on related adverse effects of BPA in experimental animals,2 and cell culture studies identify the molecular mechanisms mediating these responses.3 These experimental findings add biological plausibility to the results reported by Lang et al. In this issue of JAMA, Lang and colleagues1 report the results of the first major epidemiologic study to examine the health effects as... more
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Health Brings Wealth: Just look at what you Burn when your Smoke (My Jacksons)
Most people save for retirement by focusing on their wealth. But you may accomplish more by focusing on your health. That's because the out-of-pocket costs for diseases that may be avoidable through diet and exercise can be staggering. Getting and staying fit now may be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars later--a sum that just might exceed the carefully crafted stockpile in your 401(k).
That's not to say that if you are fit you don't need a financial plan. "Good health has a high value in dollars," says Bruce Pyenson, an actuary at health consultants Milliman. "But it's not enough for you to stop saving." He says your savings goal, if you are healthy, should be 10 times your final salary, and significantly more if you suffer a chronic health problem such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
How much savings is enough for chronic sufferers? That depends on the severity of the ailment and the level of coverage. But consider that Medicare spends four times as much on unhealthy people as it does on healthy ones; out-of-pocket costs from deductibles and co-pays are much higher too. If you have an uncovered, extended nursing-home stay, the cost of health care in retirement may surpass $300,000.
Such costs have given rise to a wellness industry that promotes healthy living now as a means of avoiding disease and expense later. The industry, which has exploded to $2 billion in annual revenue from less than $100 million a decade ago, promotes smoking-cessation and stress-reduction programs, as well as healthy-diet and daily-exercise regimens such as stretching and moderate weight training. Even a cursory estimate shows how quickly a few health measures pay off.
Lose weight. Obesity is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and more. Obese people spend a third more than fit people on health services and three-quarters more on medications, according to Rand Health. The average annual out-of-pocket cost for diabetics is $454, according to an analysis of government data conducted by Nationwide Better Health, a health-management company. But those costs skyrocket to $12,000 or more for the 1 in 2 diabetics who do not carefully tend to their illness, says Nationwide. Bottom line: shed some pounds, avoid these diseases and invest the related windfall from, say, age 40 to 65--and you could pad your nest egg by up to $700,000.
Stop smoking. Not buying cigarettes alone can add up to more than $100,000 if you stop at age 40 and invest the difference conservatively until age 65. If you avoid emphysema and cancer, your savings multiply. The potential savings from medical treatments could add tens of thousands of dollars more to your nest egg.
Get moving. Exercise and diet are keys to avoiding high blood pressure and heart disease, which together have annual costs to the individual of $606, according to Nationwide's analysis. Investing that sum for 25 years may provide more than $35,000.
Such savings are not guaranteed. Even healthy people get sick, and living healthily usually means living longer, which layers on costs for other health woes you may encounter as you age. Still, the most important steps to retirement security may have more to do with what you give up (fatty foods, cigarettes and more than two alcoholic drinks a day) than with what you sock away. This is one situation in which less means much more.
Want More Money? For more information, visit cnn.com/rightonyourmoney Most people save for retirement by focusing on their wealth. But you may accomplish more by focusing on your health. That's becau... more -
Scientists Discover Baby Fat Cells In The Body
U.S. researchers reported on Thursday that baby fat cells formed at or before birth live inside the blood vessels that nourish fat deposits and lay waiting to form new fat cells.
The findings could help researchers trying to find better ways to control the obesity and diabetes epidemics, and perhaps help people grow new fat deposits after surgery.
The team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas reported that eating excess calories may activate the cells, which leave their hiding places inside the walls of the blood vessels.
Dr. Jonathan Graff, who led the study published in the journal Science, said the immature cells, called progenitor cells, appear to be formed at or before birth.
"These cells become fat cells. Being able to manipulate them or alter them offers an important potential for obesity and diabetes," Graff said.
He believes it may be possible to remove immature cells from a patient's own fat and use them to grow natural grafts, for example, for a woman after breast cancer surgery. Cosmetic purposes might include plumping out lips or wrinkles.
Graff said it's easily accessible. "It's chock-a-block full of these stem cells. It's the ideal source for reconstruction and such cells may be useful for the field of regenerative medicine.”
Stem cell researchers hope someday to be able to remove a patient's own cells, manipulate them as needed and use them as tissue grafts or transplants to cure disease or repair injuries.
Graff's team genetically engineered mice so that cells that produced a large amount of a fat-regulating hormone called PPAR-gamma would glow green.
His team searched in fat deposits, inside the blood vessel walls, where some experts had guessed fat cells may originate. Some green-glowing cells were in there and when taken out they matured into fat cells.
"They're not just attached to the vessel wall, they're an integral part of it," Graff said.
Graff said the cells can react to compounds in the blood, including nutrients like glucose. Perhaps they drift out of the vessel walls when they sense enough glucose, which in turn signals that the body is taking in more calories than it needs and should store some as fat.
The team then tested the cells' response to diabetes drugs known as thiazolidinediones.
Also called TZDs or glitazones, the drugs include GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Avandia, which has been linked to increased heart attack risk, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd's pioglitazone, sold as Actos or Glustin.
Graff noted that the progenitor cells matured into fat cells when treated with glitazone drugs.
"One of the side-effects that people don't like is they gain 10 or 15 pounds on (these drugs)," Graff said.
However, this could help explain how the drugs fight type-2 diabetes, which occurs when the body loses its ability to use insulin to convert food to fuel.
Graff said fat cells produce signals that control blood sugar. “We don't know what those signals are."
"We know that skinnier fat cells send out good signals and fatter fat cells send out bad signals. TZDs alter them so that they are more insulin-sensitive." U.S. researchers reported on Thursday that baby fat cells formed at or before birth live inside the blood vessels that nourish fat dep... more -
Scientists Pave Way for new Diabetes Treatment
Scientists cause normal human skin cells into cells that produce insulin, perhaps opening new avenues of research that could one day lead to a cure for diabetes. Scientists cause normal human skin cells into cells that produce insulin, perhaps opening new avenues of research that could one day l... more
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Mark Your Calendars: Tampa's Tour de Cure 2009 | Bike Commuters
Dawn Keglor, associate manager for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure, wrote to tell us about the date and time for the Tampa Bay area’s Tour event:
Our Tour de Cure event is coming up on March 1, 2009…it is an incredible ride! It takes place in Venice, FL…not too far from Tampa Bay. It is a lively ride with 4 different
routes: 15, 35, 60, and 100 miles of beautiful scenic views. We have entertainment, great food, prizes, and thank you gifts. It truly is a great biking experience!
Diabetes is on the rise, not only with our adults, but it is now affecting children in great measures. Statistically, every 21 seconds someone in America is diagnosed with Diabetes. We need the help of
cyclists in the Tampa Bay area and beyond to assist us in our fight against this disease. Dawn Keglor, associate manager for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure, wrote to tell us about the date and time for the ... more -
Fast Food News: Corn Refiners Association HFCS Propaganda
Wow....wow, wow, wow.
"Here are two of the ads from the Corn Refiners Association: (Did these people used to work for the Tobacco Industry?)"
I DO know what they say about it!!
Everyone should.
http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.htm...
http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=966 Wow....wow, wow, wow. ... more -
Corn syrup linked to diabetes
Epidemic reflects rise in refined sugars.
by Helen Pearson
Nature News
The startling rise in diabetes is perfectly mirrored by our mounting consumption of refined carbohydrates, a new analysis reveals. The study adds to evidence that sugary foods should be eschewed and that public health advice to cut back on fat may have backfired.
Levels of obesity and late onset diabetes have risen slowly over the last century and accelerated in the last 40 years. While the problem is most acute in developed countries, there is evidence that rates are starting to increase in developing countries too. Most experts agree that worsening diets and increasingly inactive lifestyles are responsible, but the exact cause is hard to pin down.
Simin Liu of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and his co-workers collected information on consumption and food composition for the period between 1909 and 1997. They compared this with data on disease incidence rates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The climb in diabetes goes hand in hand with the rise in total calorie intake, the team reports in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1. This fits the idea that obesity places people at risk of diabetes.
But when Liu broke down the figures into proteins, fats and carbohydrates, a different picture emerged. Neither fat consumption nor protein seem to be the root cause of the problem.
Instead, the diabetes rise best matches dropping fiber consumption and escalating consumption of corn syrup, a ubiquitous sweetener in today's processed foods. "It is quite striking," says nutritional scientist Cyril Kendall of the University of Toronto, Canada.
“Never before have people eaten so much refined carbohydrate.”
David Ludwig,
Harvard School of Public Health
Foods high in refined carbohydrate, the argument goes, send blood sugar soaring, requiring the pancreas to pump out insulin. Over time, the body's tissues become resistant to the excess insulin and pancreatic cells wear out, resulting in diabetes.
Liu’s analysis does not prove that corn syrup caused the increase in diabetes, experts are careful to point out. But the finding bolsters the idea that this and other highly refined carbohydrates such as white flour, white rice and sugar put people at risk of obesity and diabetes.
(read more at link) Epidemic reflects rise in refined sugars. by Helen Pearson Nature News ... more -
NYC Diabetics, Big Brother is Watching
If you live in New York City and have diabetes, your right to privacy is gone. A mandatory registry of all diabetics is in effect.
City officials assert that the registry exists to meet the need of a chronic disease that is “out of control.” Out of control it is—only 7 percent of patients with diabetes have controlled A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
No doubt something needs to be done, but I question whether the registry is the right method. Educating patients on how to effectively manage their condition is a necessity. However, the New York City registry does little to actually provide intervention and assistance to patients. Right now, the plan is to both send letters to those individuals who have A1C results over 8% and to assist providers in tracking their patients’ progress.
New York City is the first area in the country to get aggressive politically and require data on routine testing for a major chronic noninfectious disease (registries for HIV or tuberculosis are common).
This registry will track highly personal information: A1C results, ethnicity, addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.
In all other government-regulated registries, the governing body plays a part in financing patient care. That is not part of the plan for diabetes.
Read the whole article at the link above If you live in New York City and have diabetes, your right to privacy is gone. A mandatory registry of all diabetics is in effect. ... more -
Raising Robyn
This is the story of a struggling single mother living with 2 broken arms, diabetes, dealing with recent DUI convictions and almost kicked out of her house with her daughter. This is her story. This is the story of a struggling single mother living with 2 broken arms, diabetes, dealing with recent DUI convictions and almost ki... more
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Kim Jong dead or sick
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is very ill or dead. If Kim is not longer the effective leader of the isolated and nuclear-capable Marxist state there are profound implications.
north korea, kim jong-il, dead, pyongyang, rumours concubines, terrorism, washington, united states, kim il-sung, nuclear moscow, soviet union, war, negotiations, economic, diabetes, parade, military,Jonathan Manthorpe, international affairs, Vancouver, Vancouver Sun. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is very ill or dead. If Kim is not longer the effective leader of the isolated and nuclear-capable Mar... more -
Double Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup
Farmers receive subsidies to grow corn - much of this corn is sold to cola and other junk-food companies at a reduced rate. These companies then make high fructose corn syrup to sweeten their products. It is much cheaper to use than beet or cane sugar and can have serious negative effects on our bodies - especially the bodies of children. It's in just about any processed food you can name. As well as sweets and colas it is in bread, beer, fruit juices, frozen treats - read your labels. High fructose corn syrup is not processed by the body like sugars from fruits and vegetables - it's something we all should learn about if we value our health. Farmers receive subsidies to grow corn - much of this corn is sold to cola and other junk-food companies at a reduced rate. These com... more
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Diabetes
