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),…

What do we know about hormones for menopause? What are the risks and the benefits for women? Erika Schwartz, MD Chief Medical Officer at the Age Management Institute discusses the state of science and uses of hormone therapy for health concerns and improving quality of life. Dr. Schwartz also discusses the importance of preventative and individualized medicine for women. Presented at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium Annual Conference (IHS) in New York City – February 22, 2017 View the slides  …

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…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN A food fortification trial demonstrated that 600 IU of daily vitamin D3 had a significantly greater impact than 600 IU of daily vitamin D2 in elevating serum blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].1-2 Vitamin D is essential for skeletal health and many emerging extraskeletal physiological processes, but remains one of the most common micronutrient dietary gaps, resulting in widespread hypovitaminosis D globally. Understanding how much vitamin D the body needs daily, in what form, and from what sources…

Hypertension (HTN) affects more than a third (32.6%) of Americans and is a major risk factor for heart disease and mortality.1 Unfortunately, the exact mechanisms as to development and maintenance of this condition are yet to be understood. It has been suggested that HTN is associated with a fundamental defect in the ability for the kidneys to excrete sodium.2 Salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP) is a measurable, physiological, trait where an increase in dietary sodium intake leads to an increase in…

Clinicians and healthcare practitioners have a unique opportunity in advocating lifestyle medicine because patients see them as a reliable source of advice. However, there are still numerous technical and logistic challenges to overcome before personal “big data” can be translated into actionable and clinically relevant solutions. Clinicians are also facing various issues prior to bringing personalized lifestyle medicine to their practice. Nevertheless, emerging ground-breaking research projects have given us a glimpse of how systems thinking and computational methods may lead…

During periods of over-nutrition, excess energy is stored in white adipose tissue (WAT); continuing expansion of WAT may lead to obesity. Obesity alters the cellular physiology of adipocytes, the cells of WAT. In the context of obesity, adipocytes secrete elevated levels of free fatty acids and adipokines, but decreased levels of adiponectin. These pathophysiologic changes have many effects. Elevated free fatty acids contribute to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and impaired arterial flow regulation Download the PDF

The clinical results of a randomized controlled research study that showed a diabetes-specific nutrition formula for glucose control in combination with a structured dietary plan resulted in significant reduction in HbA1c levels and body weight in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to an individualized dietary plan alone. The study, conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center, was presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 76th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Effective management of A1c levels, while challenging, is…

This research review discusses how the combination of undenatured type II collagen and tetrahydro iso-alpha acids help revitalize joint function and support an active lifestyle. Arthritis is not a single condition. In fact, there are more than 100 different forms of arthritis. The 2 most common types of arthritis, whose main feature is joint pain, are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OA is a degenerative joint disease characterized by active bone remodeling, articular cartilage degradation, and synovial inflammation resulting…

Dyslipidemia is a prominent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and impacts over half of US adults. Lifestyle interventions, particularly those incorporating medical nutrition therapy, are essential in the management of dyslipidemia, to halt progression towards advanced CVD and metabolic disease. The primary objective of this multi-site, prospective case series was to measure changes in the plasma atherogenic lipid profile and metabolic syndrome-related variables in 24 overweight patients with dyslipidemia at baseline, 4 weeks after daily consumption of a…