LifeCare Chiropractic

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insulin

Vitamin Supplement Use and Diabetes Mellitus – (06-14-01)

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Vitamin Supplement Use and Diabetes Mellitus

This study does not identify specific vitamins, but I can guess at some of the specific vitamins present in a multi that could reduce the risk of diabetes. Vanadium and chromium are known to help insulin do it’s job. The B vitamins help the liver process glucose. However, I would rather see a patient take multivitamin in conjuction with a healthy lifestyle instead of having them take specific nutrients to lower the risk of specific diseases. Remeber that maintaining a healthy lifestyle lowers your risk of ALL diseases…

Am. J. Epidemiol. — Abstracts: Ford 153 (9): 892

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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes – (03-18-01)

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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

It is generally accepted that insulin dysregulation is a major contributor to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Insulin acts by shunting more precursor hormones over to testosterone instead of estrogen. These elevated levels of testesterone then lead to the findings of PCOS. The authors suggest an insulin to glucose ratio to determine whether insulin resistance is present; this is one of the most accurate ways to identify impaired glucose tolerance decades before diabetes may develop.

J Pediatr 2001;138:38-44 Profound metabolic derangements, which can be detected early in young, obese adolescent girls with polycystic ovarian syndrome, appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, report physicians in Pennsylvania. Dr. Silva Arslanian and colleagues, of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, determined in vivo insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, and fasting hepatic glucose production in 22 girls, average age 12.0 years, whose body mass index was 90% or greater for their age. Twelve subjects had been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome after exhibiting hyperandrogenism, while the remaining 10 girls served as controls. Fasting glucose levels were normal in all subjects, the investigators report in the January issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. Hepatic glucose production was also similar between the two groups. However, among the girls with the ovarian syndrome, fasting insulin levels were about twice as high, while insulinlike growth factor binding protein-1 and fasting glucose-to-insulin ratios were lower, compared with those in the control subjects. Dr. Arslanian and associates conclude that the reduction in peripheral tissue insulin sensitivity, hepatic insulin resistance, and compensatory hyperinsulinemia puts obese adolescents with polycystic ovarian syndrome at risk for type 2 diabetes. The investigators recommend oral glucose tolerance testing in patients with this syndrome and suggest that the fasting glucose-to-insulin ratio may be of use in screening for insulin resistance.

Oral Contraceptives and Glucose, Insulin, and Diabetes – (06-24-02)

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Oral Contraceptives and Glucose, Insulin, and Diabetes

Articles like this are good to see, but the citations appearing in other medical journals does make me scratch my head in wonder. This study did show lower fasting glucose levels and lowered risk of diabetes (after ten years of use). However, insulin levels were elevated. Medscape’s review implied that insulin levels were lowered!! And then you wonder why our health system is so screwed up. My interpretation?? Elevated insulin from pharmacological interventions can never be a good thing. It is entirely possible that oral contraceptives has some type of insulin secretagogue property yielding higher insulin and lower glucose and lowered risk of diabetes in the short term. I feel confident that if this study were to be followed up in another decade the results would not be so “drug friendly.”

Dia Care — Abstracts: Kim et al. 25 (6): 1027

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Chromium Picolinate Improves Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism – (06-06-02)

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Chromium Picolinate Improves Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism

Chromium is one of the mainstays for use in insulin disorders because it is believed to help insulin due its job. This article suggests that one of the mechanisms by which this is accomplished is via glut-4 translocation to the cell membrane. Glut-4 acts as the “mitt” that cells put out to catch glucose as it floats by, thereby lowering levels in the bloodstream and allowing for an energy source in the cell.

Nutrition.org — Abstracts: Cefalu et al. 132 (6): 1107

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Diet, Exercise on BP, Insulin, Oxidative Stress, NO Availability – (10-31-02)

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Diet, Exercise on BP, Insulin, Oxidative Stress, NO Availability

Need I say more? Obviously this wasn’t sponsored by the makers of Lipitor or Atenolol. 30-45 mins exercise per day and dietary modifications for 3 weeks. 3 weeks!!! That’s all it took to affect these markers. And yet, recommendations such as these are low on the list of what most patients get. I remember a 19-year old patient who found out she had cholesterol in the 300′s and triglerides in the upper 400′s. A CARDIOLOGIST told her to just eat a low fat diet. She was. Gummi bears, pop, twizzlers….Roberts et al., 10.1161/01.CIR.0000040584.91836.0D –

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Postprandial glucose, insulin, and incretin responses to grain products – (02-04-02)

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Postprandial glucose, insulin, and incretin responses to grain products

This article brings to light some important issues. The glycemic index (GI) is the rate at which glucose shows up in the serum following ingestion of a substance. Whole grain foods are considered to be healthy because they generally have a low glycemic index. However, this is not always true and we are starting to see that we may need to look beyond the GI to a substance’s direct effect on insulin. This article shows white bread having a more profound effect on insulin than whole grains. Interestingly, a recent article also implicated milk as a strong insulin stimulator.

AJCN — Abstracts: Juntunen et al. 75 (2): 254

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Metabolic disturbances in obesity versus sleep apnea – (06-23-03)

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Metabolic disturbances in obesity versus sleep apnea: the importance of visceral obesity and insulin resistance

I must admit this is a very interesting concept. Basically, this article opens up the idea that sleep apnea may actually be a manifestation of underlying insulin resistance and obesity. We have always known that abdominal obesity was a risk factor for sleep apnea, but the association with insulin resistance would really change the approach to treatment. I am always in support of a CPAP machine because sleep apnea can have some pretty serious long term consequences, but now we should add aggressive lifestyle changes for insulin resistance as well.

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Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among US Adults – (01-24-02)

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Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among US Adults

Remember that Metabolic Syndrome (aka Syndrome X, dysinsulinism) is a condition in which insulin becomes less and less effective at reducing levels of glucose in the bloodstream; resulting in elevated glucose as well as insulin. The negative effects on health from these alterations are incredibly lengthy.

This article reviews the prevalence in the US and finds a shockingly high percentage, averaging around 25%. One of the first dietary recommendations I give to any patients for any condition is to avoid refined carbs. I believe that our dietary patterns are resulting in these high percentages.

Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among US Adults: Findings From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

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