Weight, Obesity, and Diabetes Research

Menopause and Obesity
After menopause, many women notice that their muscle-to-fat ratio tilts in favor of the latter and the battle of the bulge is increasingly difficult. All the hormones, especially estradiol and testosterone, can help tip the scale back in the right direction.

Estradiol, increases fat breakdown from body fat stores so that it can be used as fuel and increases basal metabolic rate, while testosterone has been shown to maintain muscle tone, volume, and strength, increase metabolism, and decrease body fat. In a 2000 study, featured in Menopause, estrogen supplementation had effects on body fat distribution in postmenopausal women that was associated with improved lipid parameters.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported that obese women given low doses of testosterone lost more body fat and subcutaneous abdominal fat, and gained more muscle mass than women who were placed on a placebo.

In a 2006 study, researchers writing in the medical journal Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism found “HRT reduces abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, new-onset diabetes, lipids, blood pressure, adhesion molecules and procoagulant factors in women without diabetes and reduced insulin resistance and fasting glucose in women with diabetes.”

Women are not alone in the hormonal decline department. Men also experience a falling off of hormone levels. In my practice, I have found that most men over forty suffer from low levels of testosterone, a condition called andropause, or male menopause. Testosterone decline may be linked to many age-related symptoms like muscle weakness, bone loss, memory complications, weight gain and heart disease. As far as quality of life is concerned, in the absence of normal-to-high levels of testosterone, men suffer from mood swings, fatigue, and libido dysfunction

Not everyone will benefit from hormone supplementation. The goals, realities, and risks of hormone supplementation should be discussed, at length, with your physician prior to onset of treatment.

Insulin Resistance, Weight Gain Lead to Early Aging
When we eat, our bodies release insulin into our blood stream so that we can process glucose (sugars) from our foods to make energy, especially in our muscles. Glucose belongs in our cells and not in our blood. When it remains in our blood we produce more insulin. Increased insulin, according to many researchers, is the number one factor for accelerated aging.

Waist Size and Health Risks in 50-95 Year Olds
Researchers writing in the medical journal Diabetes Care say that while overall body fat and fitness levels are important in predicting health risks, it is your waist size or the measurement of abdominal obesity that is the still the measurement to assess health risk among older adults.

Exercise, Abdominal Fat, Insulin Resistance
Researchers writing in The Journal of Applied Physiology studied 16 obese men and women, about 63 years old, during a 12 week exercise program.

Low Gylcemic Index Foods for Weight Loss and Diabetes
Researchers writing in The Diabetes Educator say that incorporating more low-glycemic foods helped individuals with weight control and diabetes.

UCSD Study Sheds New Light on Insulin’s Role in Blocking Fat Breakdown in Patients with Type II Diabetes
“Chronically high levels of insulin, as is found in many people with obesity and Type II diabetes, may block specific hormones that trigger energy release into the body, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. Their findings, which may point to new approaches to developing improved treatment options for the disease…”

Be Active: Reduce Diabetes Risk, Live Longer
Researchers writing in the medical journal Diabetes Care, examined the relationship between active lifestyle, diabetes, and life expectancy.

Exercise, Diabetes, Diabetes Risk
Researchers writing in the Medical Journal Diabetes Care say patients may need more convincing that exercise assists in diabetes management and diabetes risk management.

Obesity and Decreased Hormone Production
Researchers writing in the medical journal Clinical Endocrinology say that “Obesity may predict greater decline in testosterone and SHBG levels with age.”

Abdominal Fat Strongest Indication of Health Risks
Researchers writing in the medical journal Obesity, say that waist measurement is one of the most useful indicators of health risk.

Sleep and Diabetes Risk in Men
Researchers writing in the medical journal Diabetes Care say that too little or too much sleep increases diabetes risk. The researchers say that men getting 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night were twice as likely to develop diabetes, men getting more than 8 hours were three times more likely to develop diabetes. They also noted that testosterone may be a factor in sleep on diabetes.

Testosterone, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease
New research says Testosterone may have a protective role in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in aging men.

Middle Aged Men, Metabolic Syndrome, Stroke Risk
Finish researchers say that middle aged men with Metabolic Syndrome have twice the risk of suffering from a stroke. Read more

Metabolic Syndrome and Stroke
Researchers writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine say that preventing and controlling Metabolic Syndrome is likely to reduce risk of stroke.