by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN The global burden of diabetes is staggering, with an estimated 422 million adults living with the chronic disease.1 This prevalence has almost doubled since 1980 alongside the rise in obesity and has been dubbed the “diabesity” phenomenon.1 Diabetes and its myriad comorbidities (heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, limb amputation, vision loss, and pregnancy complications) translate into substantial economic losses to the person affected by the disease, health systems and national economies.1 Effective…

by Robert Silverman, DC, MS, CNS   When your joints ache, don’t open the medicine cabinet for a pain pill. Instead, head to the grocery store to find healthful—and delicious—foods the support joint health instead. Sweet Potatoes The deep orange color of a sweet potato comes from the rich supply of beta-carotene it contains. Beta-carotene is the natural precursor of vitamin A (retinol). When you eat a sweet potato, your body converts some of the beta-carotene into vitamin A. The rest…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Updated clinical practice guidelines from the 2017 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions and co-published in Hypertension1 and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology2 by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and AHA, revealed a new blood pressure (BP) classification system and updated hypertension (HTN) treatment recommendations, with a clear emphasis on lifestyle approaches. How will these guidelines affect clinical decision-making? These updated, more conservative ACC/AHA criteria will translate into millions of newly diagnosed patients with HTN, shifting many…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN You may have heard that many Americans are not getting enough vitamin D, calcium, potassium, etc. from their diet. But do you think about omega-3s as a nutrient gap? You should. Research from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) demonstrates that> 90% of Americans are not meeting recommendations for omega-3 intake,with key differences observed in age, sex, and ethnicity subgroups.1 Although the cardiovascular benefits of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have…

A team of Swiss researchers report on a novel therapeutic approach for migraine reduction: ketone supplementation.1  One in seven American adults suffer from migraine headaches, but effective therapies are lacking.2 Females, especially during reproductive years, are disproportionately affected by migraines, with a migraine prevalence of approximately 20% in females vs. 9% in males.2 Migraines are a leading cause of outpatient and emergency room visits.2 The personal disability and public health burdens from migraines are obvious, but solutions for migraine prevention and treatment are more elusive. Exogenous ketone…

by Kara Fitzgerald, ND Allergy season is in high gear. The trees are budding and pollen is bursting forth in Connecticut. As our winters are warmer, we’re also seeing allergies kick in sooner, perhaps with a higher intensity than in years past. While most of us are cracking our windows open and emerging from the winter cocoon into the welcoming sun, our spring allergy patients step outside or crack their windows and they’re bombarded immediately with an almost invisible (to the non-sufferer)…

Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) offer an exciting opportunity to treat and manage the inflammation often associated with chronic disease. In this short video, Metagenics Institute asks Dr. Charles Serhan of Harvard Medical School about the significance of resolution physiology in the healthcare system today. Dr. Serhan responded that while resolution physiology has been known for decades, it has not been studied in detail of mechanisms until recently. Dr. Serhan’s work has shown that there is an organized progression to homeostasis from…

1. Insights from the Metagenics Lifestyle Summit 2015 in Phoenix, AZ: Charles Serhan, PhD If already taking fish oils, is there a need to supplement with specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs)? In this video, Dr. Charles Serhan presents insights on inflammation from the Metagenics Lifestyle Summit in September 2015. Dr. Serhan is a distinguished researcher and professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Dr. Serhan cites his research to answer a variety of questions on…

This animation features information on the role of inflammation in managing insults and injury to the body. Infection, wounds, poor diet, and aging are causes of acute inflammation. Acute inflammation helps the body to heal and helps tissue to return to homeostasis. When inflammation becomes chronic, however, as is common in many chronic diseases, it can destroy tissues and leave the body in poorer health. Science has now shown us that inflammation resolution is an active process that is controlled by specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs),…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN With over 70% of US adults overweight or obese,1 weight loss methods that are effective and sustainable over the long-term are critically needed. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study led by Kevin D. Hall, PhD investigated how physical activity (PA) and energy intake (EI) impacted long-term weight loss in participants from “The Biggest Loser” TV competition.2 “The Biggest Loser” is a televised weight loss competition involving an intensive diet and exercise program (30…