Over 75% of overeating can be attributed to emotional factors. Lifestyle habits can translate into an obese phenotype, but understanding the psychological underpinnings of food choices and obesity is crucial to effective obesity management. Deanna Minich, PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMCP is a Functional Medicine-trained clinician and researcher with a unique approach that combines physiology and psychology. In this talk titled “Scientific Understanding and Clinical Strategies for Eating Issues Related to Obesity,” Dr. Minich explores the role of mood in food…

Obesity, Comorbidities & Weight Change Patterns: Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD Obesity is on track to be the #1 killer in the US. Concurrent with the obesity epidemic is the rapidly growing diabetes epidemic. Environmental impact and lifestyle choices contribute to the high “diabesity” prevalence. Furthermore, epigenetic changes across generations are also playing a role. In this presentation “Obesity, Comorbidities & Weight Change Patterns,” Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, FACE, of the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard, explores the evolution of dietary…

Inflammation & Resolution Physiology in Obesity: Joan Clària, PhD Unresolved, low-grade chronic inflammation triggers adipose dysfunction and is the culprit of obesity comorbidities. In this presentation “Inflammation & Resolution Physiology in Obesity,” Joan Clària, PhD explores how the resolution phase of the inflammatory response can be leveraged to resolve inflammation chronicity. He discusses in vitro and in vivo research demonstrating the distinct biological properties, pathways and actions of omega-3 PUFAs vs. specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) in targeting unresolved, inflamed adipose tissue.…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Strokes are responsible for 1 out of every 20 deaths in the US – that’s ~ 140,000 Americans’ lives lost each year.1 Stroke is also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.2 Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke, a form of stroke caused by inadequate blood supply (and therefore insufficient oxygen and nutrients) to a particular area of the brain. Ischemic strokes account for the majority of strokes (87%) in the US.2 Another subtype…

Sedentary behaviors have been linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. In terms of potential mechanisms, research has revealed associations between sedentary time and cardiometabolic risk factors, including higher waist circumference, higher blood pressure, unbalanced glucose and insulin metabolism, and unfavorable blood lipid profile.1 Television watching and its negative impact on health have been well-documented. A recent research study examined whether other types of sedentary behaviors netted a similar, deleterious impact on health. Specifically, the group of public…

America’s metabolic based diseases are on the rise; with over 20 million Americans currently having Type 2 diabetes (T2D), it is expected that 1 in 3 will be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime.1 Furthermore, every year over 610,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the number of people diagnosed with heart disease continues to climb as well. 1 Taken together, the statistics are staggering. Both of these preventable diseases are exacerbated by obesity which, itself, is rising dramatically in the United States.1 It…

by Lewis Chang, PhD  Many nutrition studies utilizing a low fat diet for weight and health management have not consistently demonstrated reductions in cardiovascular events or mortality. In contrast, higher fat diets have netted improved body composition, diet adherence, and satisfying food preferences. However, it is still unknown whether there is an optimal diet composition of fat content for health benefits. A balanced high fat diet (BHFD) is a diet with 50/30/20 ratio of fat/carbohydrate/protein in which the fat component…

In this webinar, Dr. Osama Hamdy, the medical director of the obesity program at the Joslin Diabetes Center, discusses, “Dietary Fat: Should We Change Recommendations.” He begins with basic information on dietary fats. There are three types of lipids: free fatty acids, compound lipids (phospholipids, sterols/cholesterol). When we discuss fatty acids, we mean a chain of carbon atoms, one end called the alpha end, and one called the omega end. It is from that structure that we get the names of polyunsaturated…

In the United States more than 30 million people, approximately 10 percent of the population, have type-2 diabetes (T2D).1 Additionally, one in three adults in the US have prediabetes- that translates into over 84 million adults with hyperglycemia and an increased risk for frank diabetes. Diabetes is associated with other serious health concerns including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity.1 A recent cross-sectional analysis examined the impacts of glucose metabolism status (i.e. normal, prediabetes and T2D) on cognitive function and…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN An analysis of the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS2) cohort revealed that women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) who are also overweight or obese have a significantly increased risk of developing chronic hypertension (HTN) later in life.1 HDP includes pre-eclampsia and gestational HTN: obstetric complications increasing risk of maternal mortality.2 In the US, pre-eclampsia and gestational HTN affect 3% and 5-10% of pregnancies, respectively.2 Furthermore, HDP increases risk for chronic HTN. Conservative figures estimate that…