by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN There is a paradox occurring in American youth: obesity and dieting. National statistics confirm that pediatric overweight and obesity rates are high, steadily rising over the past few decades.1 In fact, over 20% of the 12-19 age group in the US are obese, with higher prevalence in Hispanics and blacks.1 Actual weight and the teenager’s perception of their weight can be incongruent. Furthermore, weight status misperception drives intent for weight change.3 American youth are…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation in the digestive tract and can be classified into two main conditions: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Both of these debilitating diseases involve similar symptoms including bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, fever, fatigue, and unintended weight loss.1 The two disease processes, although overlapping in many ways, differ in their pathophysiology:1-2 CD: This disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is…

by Bianca Garilli, ND, IFMCP The Global Breastfeeding Collective (GBC), co-led by UNICEF and WHO, has a mission to rally political, legal, financial, and public support for breastfeeding, which will benefit mothers, children, and society. Seven key priorities have been set forth by the GBC to increase the rate of breastfeeding globally; their most recent data from 2017 evaluated 194 nations and found that, “only 40 percent of children younger than six months are breastfed exclusively (given nothing but breastmilk)…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).1 For decades, research efforts have targeted neuropathological features of the disease (amyloid plaques, tau dysregulation and tangle formation) with little success so far. Impaired brain glucose metabolism is an early hallmark of the disease.2 For instance, cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglu) utilization was found to be 13% lower in AD compared to healthy, young subjects.3 Conversely, brain ketone metabolism remains unchanged in mild…

by Lewis Chang, PhD Frailty, characterized by exhaustion, reduced physical activity capacity, slow gait speed, unintentional weight loss, and muscle weakness, is a major health concern associated with aging that increases the risk of disability, institutionalization, and death in older adults.1 It is important to identify modifiable risk factors associated with frailty so that prevention or early intervention strategies can be implemented accordingly. According to epidemiological evidence, certain dietary patterns or dietary components can influence the risk of frailty.2 However,…

by Bianca Garilli, ND and Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Poor diet quality is common in developed countries and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. The impact of dietary patterns and nutritional bioactives on mental health is important to understand since at least 16 million people in the US, or 7% of the population, experience at least one bout of depression per year.1 The worldwide prevalence of depression is estimated to be 300 million, with projections by the World…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Almost 10% of the US population has diabetes, with another 34% in a precarious state of prediabetes.1 These diagnoses are not destiny. Research demonstrates that lifestyle interventions, particularly those incorporating nutrition therapy, produce clinically meaningful improvements in diabetes.2 Integrating this research foundation into the clinical setting is key. A study used an endocrinology private practice waiting room to deliver weekly group-based nutrition education classes for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), examining the effects…

by Bianca Garilli, ND It is well known that gut dysbiosis impacts various aspects of human health, from cardiovascular disease to asthma.1 Bacterial composition in the digestive tract can be influenced by many aspects of daily life: stress levels, environmental exposures, and dietary habits, including alcohol consumption, to name a few.1-2 The literature also suggests that alcohol intake may play a role in the makeup of human oral microbiota through several mechanisms including direct cytotoxic effects on bacteria, changing the…

by Lewis Chang, PhD Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where one alternates periods of eating and fasting. Overall, intermittent fasting has demonstrated efficacy in weight management and improvements in metabolism and body composition.1,2 However, it is unclear whether the observed metabolic benefits are the result of weight loss or due to other mechanisms. Also, there are a variety of fasting regimens which may have different physiological effects. Researchers from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, AL) Department of…

by Bianca Garilli, ND As the rise in obesity continues globally, questions remain: do all people with obesity have increased risk of long-term chronic health conditions, or whether is there a subset of individuals who are healthy despite having obesity? In fact, the concept that “not all obesity is created equally” is emerging in the literature1 to describe individuals with obesity but who do not (yet) carry the markers of disease. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as metabolically healthy…