FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE BLOG
Includes over 800 monographs reporting on emerging studies in the medical and scientific literature of practical clinical importance, easily searched for content.
Statins — how they increase diabetes risk
Knowing that statins activate the NLRP3/caspase-1 inflammasome that promotes inflammation and insulin resistance should caution practitioners to attend carefully to insulin sensitivity in patients taking statins.
Magnesium supplementation improves insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is benefited by magnesium supplementation according to mounting evidence. A study published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism documents significant improvements in insulin resistance by supplementation even when the subjects' magnesium levels appeared normal.
Type 2 diabetes risk associated with high normal serum calcium
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by impaired insulin action, is linked to elevated serum calcium according to a study just published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Breast cancer and glucose intolerance
Breast cancer, insulin resistance and blood sugar dysregulation are associated, and more evidence for the breast cancer link with glucose intolerance is presented in a study just published in PLOS ONE.
Thyroid in heart, metabolism, brain, kidney; vital importance of T3
Thyroid disorders have widespread impact and although subclinical hypothyroidism and low triiodothyronine (T3) syndrome are common they are frequently overlooked in practice.
Type 2 diabetes - autoimmune aspects
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) causation is not restricted to metabolic factors but can include loss of immune tolerance for components of the glucose and insulin regulating systems. A paper published recently in the journal Gerontology reminds that interventions that ameliorate autoimmune inflammation can help to lower blood sugar.
Magnesium: insulin, brain, heart and inflammation
Magnesium may be the critical nutrient most commonly drained by modern environmental stress to suboptimal levels... Recent studies add evidence to its indication for insulin resistance, diabetes, cognitive impairment, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular disease, and neurogenic inflammation.
Cognitive decline: major overlooked causes
Cognitive decline is fueled by that have not received adequate attention but have great practical, clinical significance.
Metabolic health status and aging determined by inflammation, not weight
Metabolic health is not reliably determined by weight or BMI (body mass index). Lean individuals can suffer from cardiovascular and other diseases involving metabolism, and evidence has been mounting that supports the notion of a subtype of obesity that is metabolically healthy. Inflammation can determine metabolic health in both obese and non-obese populations.
Osteoporosis risk is increased by bone marrow fat linked to blood triglycerides
Excess accumulation of bone marrow fat promotes osteoporosis... A study recently published in the journal Radiology offers evidence that bone marrow fat tracks liver and muscle fat, and can be predicted by the level of serum triglycerides.
Dementia risk increased by higher blood sugar before diabetes
Our results suggest that higher glucose levels may be a risk factor for dementia, even among persons without diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes and cytokines: clinical opportunities
Type 1 diabetes, like all autoimmune diseases, is characterized by dysregulated pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Recent studies that reveal the dynamics suggest opportunities for therapy.
Insulin resistance is a risk factor for breast cancer even with normal fasting glucose and insulin
Well before fasting glucose and insulin rise out of the normal range, background surges of insulin associated with decreased insulin receptor sensitivity do harm throughout the body and, as confirmed by a study just published in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research shows, promote breast cancer.
Sitting the rest of the day wipes out the benefit of an hour of vigorous exercise
Adding to the evidence demonstrating the marked metabolic impairment caused by sitting most of the day (and the benefit of sit-stand desks), research recently published in PLoS One (Public Library of Science) shows that the benefit of a full hour of exercise is wiped out by sitting the rest of the day...One hour of daily physical exercise cannot compensate for the negative effects of inactivity on insulin sensitivity and plasma lipids if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Reducing inactivity by low intensity activities such as walking at a leisurely pace and standing is more effective than physical exercise in improving these parameters in sedentary subjects. Our study suggests that in addition to health interventions that stress the importance of spending enough energy to maintain a neutral energy balance, a minimal daily amount of non-sitting time should also be promoted.
High protein beats high carbohydrate diet for biomarkers of metabolic syndrome
Regulating insulin is the key factor metabolic syndrome, diabetes and weight loss. In accordance with that, a randomized controlled trial just published in the journal Diabetes Care offers more evidence that a higher protein (with carbohydrate) diet improves multiple biomarkers better than a high carbohydrate diet.
Study associates iodine deficiency with type 2 diabetes
Astute clinicians are cautious with iodine supplementation due to the risk for triggering latent thyroid autoimmunity, but a study just published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes is a reminder to remain vigilant about the potential need for iodine when managing type 2 diabetes.