by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Heart disease is the #1, equal opportunity, killer in the US.1 Suboptimal diet quality, including low nut consumption, is also a leading cause of death.1 Observational and interventional studies have demonstrated that chocolate and almonds, separately, yield cardiometabolic benefits. Numerous nutritional bioactives exist in these foods, but the key players are thought to be unsaturated fats in almonds and flavanols in dark chocolate. A recent study by Lee et al. explored the individual and combined effects of dark chocolate,…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Nonnutritive sweeteners were designed to limit caloric intake and assist in weight and blood glucose management,1 but recent findings linked nonnutritive sweetener use to higher adiposity and cardiometabolic risk.2 Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) including aspartame, sucralose and stevioside are zero- or low-calorie sugar substitutes commonly consumed in the US.3 Approximately 25% of children and 41% of adults consume low-calorie sweeteners, with increased consumption in adults with higher body weight.3 Although beverages are the top source of NNS, many foods contain these ingredients too. The…

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…

by Bianca Garilli, ND A member of the Lamiaceae flowering plant family, peppermint (Mentha piperita) is one of the most widely herbs used in today’s society.  The peppermint plant is a mix of Mentha spicata (spearmint) and Mentha aquatica (watermint). This fragrant herb originates form the Mediterranean region and now grows wildly in many areas of the world.  Peppermint is well known for its spicy taste and the characteristic “coolness” which comes from its menthol containing volatile oil.1 Peppermint use throughout…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Vitamin D is essential- it helps absorb calcium, supports nervous and muscle tissue, and the immune system. Compared to normal-weight counterparts, vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in those with obesity. In the US over one-third of adults meet obesity criteria.1 A study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism2 examined cellular mechanisms of vitamin D trafficking in metabolically dysfunctional adipose tissue as compared to normal adipocytes in conjunction with a vitamin D supplementation intervention in…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Insulin resistance (IR) develops as a response to long term elevation of insulin levels or hyperinsulinemia (HI) after exposure to chronic increases in blood sugar levels. Additionally, IR in conjunction with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an increase in ectopic adipose storage including visceral adiposity tissue (VAT), are shown to increase the risk and further the progression of dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recently, studies have indicated that elevations of…

by Lewis Chang, PhD  Body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with cardiometabolic risk and insulin resistance in children according to a recent population-based study, but cardiorespiratory fitness may mitigate risk.1 Swedish researchers from the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Karolinska Institutet (Huddinge, Sweden) and colleagues from Spain and Chile conducted a pooled study including cross-sectional data from three projects (n=1247, aged 8-11 years old) to evaluate the impact of BMI on cardiometabolic risk and homeostatic model assessment of insulin…

Probiotics Video Animation This animation is designed for the educational use of clinicians and patients. The human gut is home to over 100 trillion bacterial cells, known as the gut microbiota. The bacteria are diverse and contain mostly “good” bacteria that help process the foods we consume and produce vitamins and short-chain fatty acids that help our bodies to function. The gut bacteria also produce metabolites that communicate with the brain and the rest of the body. They may influence…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Obesity has both genetic and environmental underpinnings. Research has elucidated key fat-regulating genes, one of which is the fat-mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene located on chromosome 16q12.2. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the FTO gene have been associated with an increased risk for obesity.1 Certain obesity-related SNPs have been shown to be specific to a person’s ethnic and racial makeup. As body mass index (BMI) continues to increase at an alarming rate across the globe, it is…