Phytosterols, also referred to as plant sterols or stanols, are cholesterol-like molecules found in cell membranes of plants. Unlike cholesterol, however, the body cannot produce phytosterols. Therefore, their main source comes from plant-based foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. There are multiple different types of phytosterols, but sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol are most abundant in commonly consumed foods.. The function of phytosterols is similar to that of cholesterol in the body. Phytosterols may help lower…

by Bianca Garilli, ND The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the total number of people living with diabetes in 2014 was 422 million, equal to approximately 8.5% of adults worldwide– a majority of whom were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D). These figures are a staggering increase from the estimated 108 million people, globally, who were diagnosed with diabetes in 1980!1 The United States does not fare any better.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29.1 million people…

Patients with diabetes often have numerous comorbid conditions such as obesity, heart disease, kidney disease and hypertension to name a few. Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP), in particular, can lead to increased risks for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), heart failure (HF) and attendant microvascular complications. The last time the American Diabetes Association (ADA) provided a position statement on hypertension was more than 15 years ago. Given the increasing rise in the numbers of people afflicted by diabetes, increased BMI…

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released their latest National Diabetes Statistics Report— and the news is not optimistic. The report indicates that one in 10 (30.3 million) US adults has diabetes, while more than one in three–or 84.1 million–has prediabetes. What is even more disconcerting is that 90% of those with prediabetes are not aware of their condition!  As the CDC report notes, most people with prediabetes do not know that they are at high risk to progress to…

A recent article  published in a recent edition of Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice and Policy proposes a shift from discussing BMI and weight loss with patients in the provider’s office, to focusing on the topics of awareness and education surrounding healthy life habits, physical activity in particular.  Authors Emily Dollar and team encourage an emphasis on cardiorespiratory fitness over body size to minimize the risk of stigma associated with overweight and obesity and increase collaboration between patient and provider.…

A 2009 publication, obesity-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis are alleviated by omega-3 fatty acids: a role for resolvins and protectins can be downloaded here. In this paper, the authors discuss omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3-PUFAs), which have well-documented protective effects that are attributed not only to eicosanoid inhibition but also to the formation of novel biologically active lipid mediators (i.e., resolvins and protectins). In this study, we examined their effects on ob/ob mice, an obesity model of insulin resistance and…

Novel Pro-Resolving Mediators and Mechanisms in Inflammation presented by Jesmond Dalli, PhD for ASPEN Clinical Nutrition Week 2015 This presentation, entitled Novel Pro-Resolving Mediators and Mechanisms in Inflammation: Immunoresolvents is delivered by Dr. Jesmond Dalli and Dr. Charles N. Serhan. They are preeminent researchers in the field of inflammation resolution and share their insights at ASPEN 2015. They have recently published some of their findings on inflammation resolution along with the mechanisms they have uncovered regarding inflammation. The talk focuses…

by Bianca Garilli, ND  Often considered a disease of the older population, recent reports are indicating that an estimated 10% of stroke victims are less than 50 years of age and, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), ischemic stroke rates have risen in young adults aged between 24-50 years.1 The study further points out that hospitalization rates for stroke have also increased for both women and men—nearly double in the case of men. Research conducted…

by Bianca Garilli, ND  Obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions globally and have been shown to adversely influence many clinical markers of health However, the data are sparse with regards to the effect maternal obesity may have on fetal and neonatal outcomes.    A recent report in Lancet, by Di Cesare et al, showed that the number of women aged 18 years and older with a BMI of > 35 (obesity class II and III) doubled from approximately 50 million to 100 million worldwide between…

In Part 2 of this 2-part series, ketogenic diet expert Jeff Volek, PhD, RD, reviews the critical need for nutritionally based management options in obesity treatment. Dr. Volek discusses the ketogenic diet and its safety, efficacy, and outcomes in patients with obesity. In this presentation you will learn how to personalize and implement a safe and effective ketogenic diet in a real-world clinical practice. Dr. Volek is a Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. For…