LifeCare Chiropractic

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insulin resistance

HOW DETRIMENTAL IS INSULIN RESISTANCE TO OUR HEALTH? – (05-23-05)

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Rise in Insulin Resistance is Associated With Escalated Telomere Attrition

Sometimes I get sick of hearing myself rant and rave about insulin resistance and how detrimental it is to our health, so I can imagine how my patients feel!  But this study says it all.  Recall that telomeres shortened as our cells age.  They are essentially our cells’ hourglass on life; shorter=less life.  Insulin resistance shortens telomeres.  Period.

Can anyone explain to me why I have to keep explaining insulin resistance to seemingly everyone in my office and in the community that I have contact with?  Why is this condition so incredibly ignored?  It is the single most devastating physiological imbalance occurring in Westernized countries and it is virtually ignored!!  (Oops…I’m ranting again…)

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EFFECT OF COCOA AND TEA ON BLOOD PRESSURE – (12-03-07)

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Effect of Cocoa and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure

Let’s face it. Adding dark chocolate to your daily life really isn’t all that painful. Dark chocolate is a regular staple around our house and my 2 year old always gets a small corner of whatever I’m eating. This article is actually a meta-analysis, looking at 5 different studies on cocoa consumption and blood pressure.

The authors concluded that, in a mere 2 wks, that cocoa could drop systolic blood pressure an average of 4.7 mm. Not that may not sound like much, but remember that the best approach to any chronic condition is multifactorial, and in this case increasing intake of dark chocolate is only one intervention that would be used to help manage blood pressure along w/ managing insulin resistance, exercise and stress management.

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IMPROVE INSULIN SENSITIVITY BEFORE GOING FOR INFERTILITY TREATMENT – (12-03-07)

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Insulin Resistance Increases the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion after Assisted Reproduction Technology Treatment

“Patients with IR should be advised to improve their insulin sensitivity through lifestyle change or medical intervention before infertility treatment to reduce their risk of spontaneous abortion.” HAH!! Like that would ever happen!! Why change anything when IVF is available on every corner?

The bottom line is that we cannot and should not ever try to cheat Mother Nature. There will always be a price to be paid. The rapid increase in IVF pregnancies will come with a price to society–as unhealthy mothers give birth to predisposed babies who are raised in the same unhealthy manner we will start seeing chronic diseases begin earlier and earlier in age

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DIETARY CYSTEINE ALLEVIATES DIABETES AND INSULIN RESISTANCE – (11-05-07)

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Dietary cysteine alleviates sucrose-induced oxidative stress and insulin resistance

Anyone wanting some really boring biochemistry can look further into how dietary cysteine (an amino acid) gets converted into glutathione (one of the body’s strongest antioxidant and detoxification enzymes).

For the rest of us, this article finds that, in rats, increasing dietary cysteine greatly alleviates the affects of a diet promoting diabetes and insulin resistance. Not that I would promote a diet high in refined carbs, but adding in high quality protein sources such as whey may help protect our bodies from the abuse we dole out as a result of our current lifestyles.

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HOW DOES REPRODUCTIVE-AGE HORMONE AFFECT THE BRAIN? – (07-23-07)

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The Neurosteroid Allopregnanolone is Reduced in Prefrontal Cortex in Alzheimer’s Disease

Allopregnanolone is considered one of the most potent GABA agonist on the planet, natural or synthetic. This means it has a potent ability to calm the brain cells down. Allopregnanolone is derived from progesterone. So how would what is thought of as a reproductive-age hormone affect the brain later in life? Actually the potential for interactions are great.

First, we know that the damage with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s start decades before symptoms, putting the time frames for beginning damage well into the reproductive years.In addition, Alzheimer’s is very strongly associated with insulin resistance, and IR is well known to inhibit ovulation and lower levels of progesterone. The bottom line, however, is the same as always–prevention of these age related chronic diseases begins decades earlier, and the approach to lowering risk is multifactorial.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION – (07-23-07)

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Molecular Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance in Humans and Their Potential Links With Mitochondrial Dysfunction

As much as I consider insulin resistance to be a devastingly unrecognized problem in today’s society, the truth is that mitochondrial dysfunction is the underlying cause of IR.

This study is just one more in the growing collection supporting the concept that defects in a muscle cell’s ability to generate energy and protect against energy generation predispose IR. It is likely that too much glucose in the cell causes the cell to back off on energy production in an attempt to protect itself, starting the cycle. Luckily, lifestyle changes targeted for helping w/ IR are the very same that help mitochondria function better. Funny how that works out.

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TODAY’S TREATMENT FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE IN DIABETICS ACTS ONLY IN THE LIVER – (01-21-08)

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Has natural selection in human populations produced two types of metabolic syndrome (with and without fatty liver)?

I have to admit, with as familiar as I am with metabolic syndrome, the concept that there may be three main clinical manifestations is new to me, but makes sense. We know that there are certain cells that make up the main contributors to insulin resistance and glucose metabolism: muscles, adipose tissue and liver. I’ve always viewed the effects as identical, but this author is suggesting that we may get 3 separate clinical pictures depending upon which tissue is most affected. Thinking about this and applying it to patients in my office, it makes much sense. I have very insulin resistant patients with very low body fat. I have patients that seem to have elevated liver enzymes long before anything else appears. And I have patients that look relatively lean but have a high body fat.

All these pictures would suggest different tissues being affected and may lead to different emphasis on treatments. Interestingly, the main drugs available today to treat insulin resistance in diabetics acts ONLY in the liver and would probably be minimally effective in the other two clinical scenarios presented here.

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METABOLIC ENDOTOXEMIA INITIATES OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE – (01-26-08)

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Metabolic Endotoxemia Initiates Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Got out your dry erase marker and board for this one? A perfect example of just how convoluted physiology is and why dividing human health into specialties just doesn’t work. Here’s the deal… Regular readers of Updates know how much importance I place on mitochondrial function and dysfunction as it relates to chronic diseases. So the idea that mitochondrial dysfunction will lead to obesity and insulin resistance is no surprise whatsoever.

We know from animal studies that high fat diets increase the levels of LPS (lipopolysaccharides–products coming off the cell wells of bacteria, typically from the gut). Higher levels of LPS (called Endotoxemia) leads to interference with mitochondrial function. So, other then high fat diets, how else to we get higher levels of LPS? How about destruction of normal flora with antibiotics leading to overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut? Couple that with a high fat diet and you’ve got the circle complete. Just a tad more complicated than an Arkansas family tree.

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