by Gurumantra | May 17, 2016 | Diabetes, Health, Inflammation, Obesity
The Role Of Fatty Acids In Insulin Resistance
New research into insulin resistance reveals that not all organs and receptor sites react in the same ways. This further complicates the problem. How do we ensure optimal levels are achieved and maintained?
This new research by Barry Sears Email author and Mary Perry peels away another secret of the body’s endless complexity.
The human body has developed an extraordinary number of systems to maintain stable blood glucose and to avoid broad swings in its level. These systems include hormones that are directly or indirectly generated by the diet.
These hormones sense dietary nutrients and send appropriate neural signals to the brain (specifically the hypothalamus) to orchestrate fuel usage for either oxidation into energy or long-term storage. The central hormone involved in this metabolic communication system is insulin.
Insulin resistance is a multi-faceted disruption of the communication between insulin and the interior of a target cell. The underlying cause of insulin resistance appears to be inflammation that can either be increased or decreased by the fatty acid composition of the diet. However, the molecular basis for insulin resistance can be quite different in various organs.
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by Gurumantra | Oct 16, 2013 | Supplement
Steve has an interview on krill oil with Christopher Speed.
The Unique Benefits of Antarctic Krill Oil
There is a lot of interest in Krill Oil. There are significant benefits and some of those benefits are unique to Krill Oil. There has also been a lot of hype and claims for Krill Oil that are not accurate. It can be confusing for consumers.
In this interview we will be exploring the health benefits of Krill Oil. Krill Oil contains important omega-3 fatty acids as well as phosphatidyl serine and astaxanthin. Phosphatidy serine and astaxanthin both have benefits in addition to the omega-3 fatty acids.
The particular Krill Oil we will be discussing is Superba Krill from Aker BioMarine. Superba Krill Oil is one of
those unique patented, clinically studied supplements that we like so much. There are some important clinical studies that reveal some of the benefits. Superba™ Krill is rich in phospholipid omega-3s EPA and DHA, which are more bio-efficient than other marine oils.
Phospholipid-bound omega-3 fatty acids are water dispersible, making them gentler on the stomach and more readily absorbed by the body. And with phospholipid omega-3s, less is more—smaller capsules are easy to swallow, easy to digest (no more burps!), and better absorbed by the body.
Phospholipids are natural, integral parts of cells—they are structural components of cell surface membranes and the membranes within the cells. Studies have shown benefits for joints, heart, brain and inflammation.
Here are 9 interviews that discuss the benefits of omega-3 that you will find on HealthQuestPodcast.com
Health Quest Podcast
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by Gurumantra | Feb 12, 2013 | Food, Supplement
Omega -3s Aid Recovery After
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries
LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY
January 29, 2013; 01:28 PM
Researchers at Loma Linda University Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine are the first to determine that a preventive diet high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids accelerates recovery and improves the ability to walk after traumatic injury to the spinal cord.
“Our findings suggest that a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can be part of a comprehensive approach to enhance the prospect of recovery following damage to the nervous system,” said Dr. Marino De Leon, professor and senior author on the study. “Although much more work is needed to address this critical health problem, our findings illustrate that what you eat can be part of the solution.”
The study reports that this preventative nutritional intervention enriched in docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) prepares neural cells to respond to injury by modifying the cell membrane composition. In addition, the study shows that a diet enriched in omega-3 fatty acids favors the metabolism of protective lipids and promotes the expression of genes associated with cell survival and resiliency.
“Unfortunately, trauma to the brain and the spinal cord are common in contact sports, car accidents, and during military combat; and in most cases they are impossible to predict. Even minor impacts to the brain and the cord can be disabling as they can accumulate over time,” says Dr. De Leon.
LLU postdoctoral research specialist and the first author of the study, Dr. Johnny D. Figueroa, says the study identifies cellular targets important in the effects of nutritional omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease. “Because our bodies can’t produce DHA,” he says, “it must be acquired through the diet. Our study illustrates the therapeutic value of dietary omega-3 fatty acids, particularly in situations of anticipated damage to the nervous system. Importantly, we demonstrate for the first time the metabolomics lipids fingerprinting of the injured spinal cord after being subjected to a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.”
Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, walnuts and salmon.
The findings were published on Jan. 10 in the “Journal of Neurotrama,” a leading peer-reviewed journal in the field of traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries. The study was co-authored by Kathia Cordero and Miguel S. Illan, both MD-PhD students at LLU School of Medicine. The research was supported by grants 5R25GM060507 and 1P20MD001632 from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
by Gurumantra | Jan 17, 2013 | Food Safety, Health
Millions of people worldwide are exposed to arsenic from contaminated water, and we are all exposed to arsenic via the food we eat. New research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Nutrition Journal has demonstrated that people who ate more dietary vitamin B12 and animal protein had lower levels of arsenic (measured by deposition in toenails). Total dietary fat, animal fat, vegetable fat and saturated fat were also all associated with lower levels of arsenic, while omega 3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil, were associated with increased arsenic.
Long term exposure to high levels of arsenic is known to cause skin lesions, cancer and cardiovascular disease, and also affects foetal development. Even low concentrations of arsenic are potentially dangerous. Arsenic is found in some water supplies, but more people are exposed via their diet. Staples such as rice contain arsenic, especially the toxic inorganic forms, while fish, although high in total arsenic, contains organic forms which are thought to be less toxic.
Inside the body arsenic is methylated to aid excretion in urine but arsenic also has an affinity for keratin and can be deposited in hair and nails as they grow. Consequently levels of arsenic preserved in nails or hair can be used as a biomarker for arsenic exposure over periods of months to years.
Researchers from Dartmouth College and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth looked at the levels of arsenic in toenails of residents of New Hampshire who all use private groundwater wells as their household water source.
Results of the study showed that arsenic in nails was positively associated with both alcohol and omega 3 fatty acids, however, lower levels of arsenic were found for people who ate greater amounts of vegetable and animal fat. Prof Kathy Cottingham, who directed the study, explained, “While there may be a direct interaction between fats and arsenic preventing absorption or binding to keratin in nails, the results may simply reflect dietary preference, with people who eat a diet rich in fats not eating foods high in arsenic, such as rice.”
Joann Gruber, who led the study, noted that, “Humans can be very efficient at removing arsenic from the body. Improved methylation reduces the amount of inorganic arsenic circulating in the body. Surprisingly, we didn’t see a reduction in toenail arsenic with other dietary factors known to be necessary for arsenic methylation such as folic acid. This may be because the population we sampled had adequate amounts of these factors in their diet.”
The authors are currently working on similar studies in children, through the Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth.
by Gurumantra | Feb 16, 2012 | Health, Supplement
Retinitis pigmentosa is one of several eye conditions that appears to benefit from nutritional substances. In a study published Monday, researchers found that people with the condition experienced a slowing of the disease process if they took vitamin A supplements and ate a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Retinitis pigmentosa causes night blindness by adolescence and eventually tunnel vision and total blindness by about age 60. Vitamin A has been a standard therapy for the condition since 1993 when studies showed it slowed disease progression.
But adding omega-3s to the mix may be even better. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary looked at data from studies on visual acuity involving 357 patients.
The analysis showed those who had a diet high in omega-3s — which are found in oily fish — had a slower annual rate of decline in acuity. Someone adopting this dietary recommendation by age 35 could have 18 years of additional vision, with most people retaining their visual acuity and central vision field for most of their lives, the authors said.
The study is published online in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
