It's time to celebrate your liver. It's a hard-working organ and it deserves some credit.One of the liver's most important overall functions is maintaining nutrient homeostasis. It controls the blood level of a number of macro- and micronutrients, and attempts to keep them all at optimal levels.Here's a list of some of the liver's functions I'm aware of:Buffers blood glucose by taking it up or releasing it when neededA major storage site for glycogen (a glucose polymer)Clears insulin from the bloodSynthesizes triglyceridesSecretes...
Monday, 28 April 2008
The Liver: Your Metabolic Gatekeeper
Posted by Admin in: diabetes liver
As I've been learning more about the different blood markers of metabolic dysfunction, something suddenly occurred to me. Most of them reflect liver function! Elevated fasting glucose, low HDL cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides and high fasting insulin all reflect (at least in part) liver function. The liver is the "Grand Central Station" of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism, to quote Philip A. Wood from How Fat Works. It's also critical for insulin and glucose control, as I'll explain shortly. When...
Sunday, 27 April 2008
Book Review: Blood Sugar 101
Posted by Admin in: book review diabetes
I just finished reading "Blood Sugar 101" by Jenny Ruhl. It's a quick read, and very informative. Ruhl is a diabetic who has taken treatment into her own hands, using the scientific literature and her blood glucose monitor to understand blood sugar control and its relationship to health. The book challenges some commonly held ideas about diabetes, such as the notion that diabetics always deteriorate.She begins by explaining in detail...
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Olive Oil Buyer's Guide
Posted by Admin in: fats real food
Olive oil is one of the few good vegetable oils. It is about 10% omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids, compared to 50% for soybean oil, 52% for cottonseed oil and 54% for corn oil. Omega-6 fatty acids made up a smaller proportion of calories before modern times, due to their scarcity in animal fats. Beef suet is 2% n-6, butter is 3% and lard is 10%. Many people believe that excess n-6 fat is a contributing factor to chronic disease, due to...
Monday, 14 April 2008
Real Food V: Sauerkraut
Posted by Admin in: real food thrift.jpg "2414932871_86eae79e62_m(2)")
Sauerkraut is part of a tradition of fermented foods that reaches far into human prehistory. Fermentation is a means of preserving food while also increasing its nutritional value. It increases digestibility and provides us with beneficial bacteria, especially those that produce lactic acid. Raw sauerkraut is a potent digestive aid, probably the reason it's traditionally eaten with heavy food.Sauerkraut is produced by a process called...
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Leptin
Posted by Admin in: diet Kuna lectins leptin metabolic syndrome overweight
I've been puzzled by an interesting question lately. Why is it that certain cultures are able to eat large amounts of carbohydrate and remain healthy, while others suffer from overweight and disease? How do the pre-industrial Kuna and Kitavans maintain their insulin sensitivity while their bodies are being bombarded by an amount of carbohydrate that makes the average American look like a bowling ball?I read a very interesting post on...
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Hydration: Attempt Only Under Medical Supervision
Posted by Admin
I've noticed how the word "hydration" has crept into the popular lexicon in the last decade or so. Before that, we were so primitive, we just "drank water". Now you need a PhD just to put a glass to your lips. I'm not sure I'm qualified!I've been hearing so many people, including health professionals, tell me to drink 8 glasses of water a day for my entire life. In my middle school health class, I was told by my hydrophilic teacher...
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Low-carb Review Article
Posted by Admin in: low-carb
The other day, I came across this nice review article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It gives a thorough but accessible overview of the current state of research into carbohydrate-restricted diets, without all the fatophobic mumbo-jumbo. It points out a few "elephants in the room" that the mainstream likes to ignore. First of all, the current approach isn't working:The persistence of an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes suggests that new nutritional strategies are needed if the epidemic is to be overcome.They...
