Obesity and cardiometabolic disease are metabolic perturbations associated with inflammation chronicity. The Western diet is typified by a surplus of calories, low nutritional quality, and high pro-inflammatory potential, thereby fueling excess adiposity, which further leads to inflammation. To break this obesity-inflammation cycle, adopting a healthful dietary pattern and incorporating regular physical activity is critical. Furthermore, identifying foods and nutritional bioactives that can reduce or counteract inflammation is important for the development of targeted nutrition therapies. This blog focuses on a…

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…

Host: Deanna Minich, PhD, FACN, CNS Guest: Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, FACB, CNS There has been considerable discussion recently as to what is the best approach in the management of early stage chronic disease- drugs or lifestyle? To help us answer that question, Drs. Deanna Minich and Jeffrey Bland discuss a recent New England Journal of Medicine publication1 by Johns Hopkins Professor of Medicine Andrew P. Feinberg, MD, MPH on the emerging and important role of epigenetics in medicine and…

by Whitney Crouch, RDN, CLT What is Golden Milk? Popularized across social media, golden milk is a cross-cultural drink originating in Asian countries and consumed for its anti-inflammatory properties and pungent flavor. Also known as “golden milk latte” or “turmeric tea”, golden milk is made with freshly grated or ground turmeric, a pinch of freshly ground pepper, honey or lemon to taste, and hot water, milk, or dairy alternative.1-2 The addition of freshly grated or ground ginger adds extra flavor…

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…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN The digestive system begins in the mouth, which is home to 700+ unique species of bacteria.1 Research has shown that salivary2 and gastrointestinal (GI)3-4 microbiota possess diurnal rhythms; whether these daily patterns are a result of circadian biology and/or eating behaviors is unknown. The composition of one’s habitual diet has been shown to impact human GI microbiota, and emerging research suggests that eating frequency and timing of meals may also play a role,3-4 however,…

by Lewis Chang, PhD Gut microbiota, a community of trillions of microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract, play an important role in health and disease in humans. A loss in species richness and diversity in the microbiota has been associated with many metabolic disorders and disease states.1 Nutrition can have a significant impact on the microbiota composition. The Mediterranean diet is known for its various health benefits.2 However, little is known on how the Mediterranean dietary pattern affects the composition…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Body mass index (BMI) is used in the medical community for defining anthropometric height/weight characteristics.1 An individual’s BMI categorizes them as normal, overweight or obese and is often used as a risk factor for various chronic health issues including coronary artery disease (CAD).1 It has become apparent however that BMI is a gross estimate of adiposity; BMI is a poor indicator of percent of body fat and does not indicate site of body fat distribution, an…

by Bianca Garilli, ND In individuals with overweight or obesity, it only takes a 5% reduction in body weight to create potentially significant improvements in LDL and total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose.1 The challenge in the weight loss field however, is often less about losing this initial 5% but rather maintaining the loss over an extended period of time. In fact, only 20% of people maintain their weight loss over the long-term, with 10-80% of individuals returning to their…

This 12-week study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a nutritional product containing n-enriched tetrahydro iso-alpha acids and undenatured type 2 collagen in participants with chronic joint pain (including pain from symptomatic osteoarthritis and from rheumatoid arthritis). Tetrahydro iso-α acids (THIAAs), derived from Humulus lupulus (hops), have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Undenatured type 2 collagen has been found to be effective in clinical studies in RA and osteoarthritis (OA). OBJECTIVE:…