Tag Archives: diabetes

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 15 Issue 7

Let’s dive into articles that have been critical to understanding type 2 diabetes and Insulin Resistance: the Ominous Octet and now the Egregious Eleven from the BMC Medicine paper and the 2009 Diabetes paper by Dr. Ralph DeFronzo. Peter Attia recently interviewed Dr. Defronzo and I am on listen #3 because it is so good and yet incredibly complicated. This piece is a compilation of that interview and reviewing Dr. DeFronzo’s papers.

“…all too often, the risk factors for these disorders are not addressed promptly in clinical practice, leading to irreversible pathologic progression… Traditional approaches to treatment involving sequential therapy, in which agents are added only after one has failed, contribute to clinical inertia and often prevent goal attainment, leading to adverse outcomes…. in turn contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. In contrast, early diagnosis and prompt, intensive intervention, often with initial combination therapy, leads to faster goal attainment and improved outcomes for at-risk patients.” (Handelsman et al. 2023)(Schwartz et. al. 2024)

…literature review.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #79 – Robert Lustig, MD – Obesity Epidemic

Welcome to the podcast! Today, I am thrilled to have a true pioneer in the field of metabolic health, Dr. Robert Lustig, MD, joining us. Dr. Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco. He is best known for his groundbreaking work on the intersection of diet, obesity, and metabolic disease, particularly his deep dive into the role of sugar as a driving force behind many of today’s chronic health issues.

As the author of several influential books, including Fat Chance, The Hacking of the American Mind and Metabolical, Dr. Lustig has been a vocal advocate for public health, helping to raise awareness about the harmful effects of processed foods, particularly refined sugars. His research has been instrumental in shifting the conversation around nutrition, focusing on the biological impacts of sugar and the ways it contributes to insulin resistance, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. His most recent paper entitled Obesogens, A Unifying Theory for the Global Rise in Obesity in the International Journal of Obesity – Nature is a ground stirring take on the current research.

We are excited to explore his latest insights into metabolic health and the science of obesity, and how we can apply this knowledge to improve our own well-being. Let’s welcome Dr. Lustig to the show!

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 10

APOE4 and the history of human disease
Apolipoprotein E, discovered in 1973, is derived from a polymorphic gene called ApoE that encodes for a signaling protein on a class of fatty proteins that primarily carry cholesterol and other molecules around the body. We find ApoE primarily on VLDL, very low-density lipoproteins and HDL, High density lipoproteins. It primarily helps to shuttle cholesterol from the periphery of the body back to the liver. ApoE proteins are also involved in neuronal signaling, neuroinflammation and glucose metabolism making them especially critical for brain activity. This is becoming a critical part of the story for understanding dementia and neurodegeneration. (Williams T. 2020) ApoE is most famous for an isoform, APOE4/4, being highly associated with Alzheimer’s dementia in modernity. Unfortunately, as we do with many things in medicine, we have been focused on this genetic protein variant as a net negative in humans because we look at things as black and white. Either good or bad. A binary choice. Rubish! …..
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 5

Sugar, Immune Health and Two Studies
Let us start right out of the gate with two studies. #1: Here is the abstract from European Journal of Clinical Nutrition: “Milk contributes with saturated fat, but randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the effects of dairy on the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) where dairy is given as whole foods are scarce. The objective of our study was to investigate the long-term effects of semi-skimmed milk on insulin sensitivity and further to compare milk with sugar-sweetened soft drinks (SSSD). A secondary analysis of a 6-month RCT with 60 overweight and obese subjects randomly assigned to 1 L/d of either milk (1.5 g fat/100 mL), SSSD, non-calorie soft drink (NCSD), or water was conducted. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and plasma free fatty acids. Second, fasting blood lipids, blood pressure, and concentration of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 were assessed……and more on antibiotic resistance.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 48

Covid 19 Post Mortem Part II
The story of the Standard American Diet and its directional connection to death from Sars2 – Covid.
Post Covid population health data has shown us that humans that chronically consume more meat, sugar, animal products and highly processed foods were associated with more death and morbidity if they contracted early versions of Covid19. The effect of consuming sugar products on mortality was considerable, and obesity has affected increased death rates and reduced recovery rates. (Kamyari et. al. 2021) (Greene et. al. 2021) (Merino et. al. 2021) – also a Recipe of the Week.
Enjoy
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 35

Here is a short written version of the fructose story in tandem with the podcast with Dr. Rick Johnson where we go deep. We are going to discuss the survival switch and fructose metabolism in specific as it relates to pregnancy. It will be another life changing discussion for many of us. Fructose is the natural sugar found in fruit, honey and root vegetables. Historically, humans consumed fructose in these natural whole foods and did so moderately. Since the 1970’s, there has been a major rise in fructose consumption, primarily as a beverage…. Also, a discussion of fiber and neurodevelopment as well as a review of the book the Carpenter and the Gardener by Alison Gopnik.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

 

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #50 – Richard Johnson, MD – Fructose and Perinatal Issues

This weeks guest is my favorite researcher, Dr. Richard Johnson.
He is the Tomas Berl Professor of Medicine and the Chief of the Renal Division and Hypertension at the University of Colorado since 2008. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a major in Anthropology, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, he is a physician and nephrologist whose research has focused on the role of sugar, and especially fructose, in driving obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. Much of this work has explored the role of fructose metabolism, especially the generation of uric acid, in driving this phenotype, and his work has included studies ranging from molecular biology, integrative physiology, and evolutionary biology. He is the author of The Sugar Fix which introduced the first low fructose diet, and also The Fat Switch which explores the role of fructose in driving the obesity epidemic. His newest book, Nature Wants Us To Be Fat, is a tour de force of the entire pathway of survival via metabolic events in the body related to fructose and the polyol pathway. This is a must read book.
This podcast will follow up on the original conversation, podcast #14, and the exceptional work of Dr. Johnson this time looking at how we are mismatched metabolically for the environment of modern America and our food systems from the maternal health and perinatal perspective.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

1 2 5