Insulin Resistance

An intermittent low-carb diet could be better than a standard low-calorie Mediterranean diet for weight loss and lowering insulin, a study finds. Low-carb diets have been shown in a number of studies to be superior to regular low-calorie diets for various weight health outcomes, but they're notoriously difficult to stick to for a number of people. In this study, researchers followed 115 women who had a family history of breast cancer for four months as they were randomly assigned to one of three diet programs.

Long after the buzz has gone, and even after the resulting hangover has cleared, a bout of binge drinking will leave your metabolism in a deeply disturbed state, which may be why binge drinkers -- even occasional ones -- are at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (or its precursor, metabolic syndrome) than nondrinkers or those who drink more moderately. A new study, conducted on rats, suggests that binge drinking disrupts metabolism not by poisoning the liver but by inflaming the brain's hypothalamus, which conducts the symphony of signals necessary for proper metabolic function.

Japanese researchers combing through the preserved brain samples of 135 men and women who lived and died in the town of Hisayama have found that those who developed insulin resistance and other metabolic disturbances during their lives were more likely to show plaque deposits in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease . The study, published Wednesday in the journal Neurology , sheds light on how Alzheimer's may...

If you're pear-shaped and smug, a new study's findings may take you down a peg: For those at slightly increased risk of developing diabetes, fat stored in the buttocks pumps out abnormal levels of two proteins associated with inflammation and insulin resistance. (And that's not good.) The new research casts some doubt on an emerging conventional wisdom: that when it comes to cardiovascular and diabetes risk, those of us who carry some excess fat in our hips, thighs and bottoms ("pear-shaped" people)

Move over, omega-3s . There's a new fatty acid in town that might make you healthier. Something more closely associated with creamy pleasure than with fish burps. Trans-palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that circulates at higher levels in the blood of those who consume lots of full-fat dairy products, may protect against diabetes, according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine . That surprising finding may fly in the face of much nutritional advice that warns us against consuming too much whole milk, cheese or other sources of animal fat. But it comes from a study of 3,736 adults participating in the long-running Cardiovascular Health Study . It also proceeds from a suspicion that researchers have had for a while, but found difficult to prove: that the fatty acid palmitoleate, which humans produce in their liver and fat, and consume in dairy fats, may play a complex role -- beneficial and harmful -- in regulating metabolism . By measuring just the palmitoleate that came from consumption of dairy fats, researchers were able to discern the side of this fatty acid that may contribute to good health.

Here's another way in which exercise may help a person avoid an early death: It fights insulin resistance syndrome, which may affect millions of American. "My guess is 10% to 25% of the population is insulin resistant," said Dr. Robert Sherwin, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and president-elect of the American Diabetes Assn. There are no statistics on exactly how many people have the condition, he said.

Texas researchers have found a naturally occurring hormone that can extend the lifespan of mice by as much as 30%, a discovery that opens a new avenue of research into human longevity. The hormone has a drawback, however: It decreases fertility and increases susceptibility to diabetes, the team reported Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science.

Strength training mostly consists of concentric exercises (when the muscles shorten to lift something, as in lifting a weight to do a bicep curl) and eccentric exercises (when the muscles lengthen to lower something). But could one action provide more benefits than the other? A study found that half an hour of eccentric exercise a week boosted muscle strength and lowered insulin resistance more than concentric exercise. Twenty women were randomly assigned to an exercise group that did either concentric or eccentric movements once a week for eight weeks.

Exercise as simple as climbing stairs can help at-risk children of diabetics process sugar better and avoid their parents' disease. Moderate aerobics helps their muscle cells accept sugar and either use it or store it as the muscle fuel glycogen, according to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine. "The bottom line is, with exercise we can improve significantly or reverse this abnormality," said Dr. Gerald I.

Just a few nights of bad sleep is enough to throw the body's metabolism into disarray, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The study shows that getting four hours of sleep a night for four nights made healthy people's bodies resistant to insulin - a condition that is a common precursor of weight gain, diabetes and other serious health problems. In a healthy body, when you take in sugar, insulin is released from the pancreas and travels throughout the body, signaling to cells that they should absorb some of that new glucose.

Just a few nights of bad sleep is enough to throw the body's metabolism into disarray, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The study shows that getting four hours of sleep a night for four nights made healthy people's bodies resistant to insulin - a condition that is a common precursor of weight gain, diabetes and other serious health problems. In a healthy body, when you take in sugar, insulin is released from the pancreas and travels throughout the body, signaling to cells that they should absorb some of that new glucose.

It's official: TV chef Paula Deen admitted on the "Today" show Tuesday that she has Type 2 diabetes and has become a paid spokeswoman for pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. After rumors about her condition ramped up last week, Deen talked with weather anchor Al Roker (who underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2002) Tuesday about her diagnosis three years ago, and why she decided to wait so long before going public with the news. "I'm here today to let the world know that it is not a death sentence," said an upbeat Deen, adding that she is being compensated by the pharmaceutical company and is collaborating with them on a website, DiabetesInANewLight.com . The site offers recipes and information about the disease.

Remember this name: irisin. A newly described polypeptide hormone named after the Greek messenger goddess Iris, irisin may one day play a role in defeating the twin epidemics of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. It made its debut on Thursday in the journal Nature . To understand how irisin might help the lumbering masses lose mass, it helps to remember that mammalian fat comes in (at least) two colors. Brown is the new black: It's what you want more of. Unlike the white fat that lards the thighs and jiggles dangerously across the belly, brown fat's the stuff that boosts a mammal's energy expenditure.

An intermittent low-carb diet could be better than a standard low-calorie Mediterranean diet for weight loss and lowering insulin, a study finds. Low-carb diets have been shown in a number of studies to be superior to regular low-calorie diets for various weight health outcomes, but they're notoriously difficult to stick to for a number of people. In this study, researchers followed 115 women who had a family history of breast cancer for four months as they were randomly assigned to one of three diet programs.

With diabetes rates rising, it's important to learn how to prevent the disease as well as help control symptoms. Learn how exercise can benefit those with diabetes during a live web chat Monday at 11 a.m. PDT with Dr. Ruchi Mathur. Mathur is director of the diabetes program in the division of endocrinology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and is an endocrinologist at the facility's Weight Loss Center. "Exercise is important in general to maintain a healthy lifestyle," Mathur said, "and for diabetics as well.

Strength training mostly consists of concentric exercises (when the muscles shorten to lift something, as in lifting a weight to do a bicep curl) and eccentric exercises (when the muscles lengthen to lower something). But could one action provide more benefits than the other? A study found that half an hour of eccentric exercise a week boosted muscle strength and lowered insulin resistance more than concentric exercise. Twenty women were randomly assigned to an exercise group that did either concentric or eccentric movements once a week for eight weeks.

Women have long been told that gaining weight before becoming pregnant or being overweight at the start of pregnancy puts them at higher risk for gestational diabetes. But a new study finds that the first trimester is the most crucial time for weight gain that can increase the danger of developing the condition. The study, released Monday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, looked at data from an ethnically diverse group of women who had babies between 1996 and 1998; 345 women had gestational diabetes, and 800 who had not developed the disease served as a control group.

Long after the buzz has gone, and even after the resulting hangover has cleared, a bout of binge drinking will leave your metabolism in a deeply disturbed state, which may be why binge drinkers -- even occasional ones -- are at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (or its precursor, metabolic syndrome) than nondrinkers or those who drink more moderately. A new study, conducted on rats, suggests that binge drinking disrupts metabolism not by poisoning the liver but by inflaming the brain's hypothalamus, which conducts the symphony of signals necessary for proper metabolic function.

Move over, omega-3s . There's a new fatty acid in town that might make you healthier. Something more closely associated with creamy pleasure than with fish burps. Trans-palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that circulates at higher levels in the blood of those who consume lots of full-fat dairy products, may protect against diabetes, according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine . That surprising finding may fly in the face of much nutritional advice that warns us against consuming too much whole milk, cheese or other sources of animal fat. But it comes from a study of 3,736 adults participating in the long-running Cardiovascular Health Study . It also proceeds from a suspicion that researchers have had for a while, but found difficult to prove: that the fatty acid palmitoleate, which humans produce in their liver and fat, and consume in dairy fats, may play a complex role -- beneficial and harmful -- in regulating metabolism . By measuring just the palmitoleate that came from consumption of dairy fats, researchers were able to discern the side of this fatty acid that may contribute to good health.

People with kidney disease may become healthier and live longer if they pump iron. A new study suggests that increasing one's lean body mass -- that means muscles -- is important.   Recent research revealed the puzzling discovery that kidney dialysis patients live longer if they have a high body mass index. But it has been unclear what accounts for this link and which was more important: a high proportion of lean mass or fat mass. Researchers at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center examined that question in a study of 792 dialysis patients.