The Genetics of Weight and Diabetes

A few weeks back I attended an international conference on pregnancy induced diabetes also known gestational diabetes.  Little did I know the surprise I was in for with the most fascinating and disturbing information I have ever heard on these topics.   Over the next few blogs I’ll share some of those insights, some of which may surprise you.

The conference gave details of what happens in the womb to determine whether or not you become overweight or have a predisposition towards diabetes. 

A prominent topic we hear about in research is inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is believed to be the precursor of most medical issues – weight, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis to name a few.

Excess weight or fat prior to pregnancy can significantly increase the chances of the placenta transferring inflammatory hormones to the baby.  These hormones can increase the baby’s chance of an increased body fat or a higher triglyceride level.

What does this mean?  Babies born to overweight or diabetic moms have almost double the body fat of normal weight or non-diabetic moms.  Starting out with a higher body fat as an infant drives obesity in childhood and adulthood.  A higher triglyceride level (the storage form of fat in the blood) can increase the risk of fatty liver disease and obesity in children.

What is the take home message here?  It depends on where you are in your journey of life.  If you are planning to become pregnant it is in the best interest of your future child to have the healthiest body and diet before conception.

If you are someone who struggles with weight or diabetes, it is important to know that part of your struggle happened before you even entered the world.  I have struggled my whole life with managing my weight and working hard not to become diabetic.  After this conference I had much more empathy for myself in this journey.  I knew I had power over my lifestyle factors but the backbone of the struggle I had no control over. 

Work with your body and know there is hope.  Keep your diet clean, exercise as much as you can, and get your rest.  One bright spot presented with this information was the power of omega 3 fats to promote resolution of the inflammation both in vitro and later in life.  Daily fish oil and flax seed is one easy thing to add to your lifestyle regimen – even if you are not planning to have a baby all too soon.

Agave Syrup worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

When I attended the National American Dietetics Association conference in Denver a few months back I heard 2 female biochemists discussing the nitty gritty of carbohydrate metabolism and how different sources of carbohydrate are digested and used by the body.

One fascinating detail they discussed was Agave syrup.  I had not paid much attention to it since I don’t recommend anything other than 100% raw sugar or honey to sweeten foods or recipes.  Most people know that high fructose corn syrup is not good for us but did you know that agave is actually more harmful?  How can that be true?

When I was at Whole Foods today I noticed how Agave is in everything from coconut ice-cream to cookies and crackers.  The power of marketing has played a large part of this phenomenon.

High fructose corn syrup is approximately 55-60% fructose and not the natural kind like in fruit.  When you consume a large percentage of this type of fructose it goes directly to the liver, which not only increases your triglyceride levels but causes fatty liver, increased hunger levels and a plethora of other health issues you would rather avoid.  High levels of fructose make your brain deaf to leptin, the hormone responsible for making you feel full.

Agave is 85-90% fructose.  According to the experts, Agave plants are crushed and the collected sap is heated to 140 degrees to concentrate the liquid into a syrup.  The heating process is necessary to hydrolyze it into fructose to obtain the desired sweetness.  Therefore, Agave is not a natural or whole real food by any sense of the imagination.  It is actually a fractionated and processed food to be avoided that comes from Mexico with very few quality controls.

AND it has more fructose than high fructose corn syrup.  If you want to sweeten a recipe or add something sweet to your hot beverage use a little sugar or honey.  Your body and liver will thank you!

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

A current popular topic for medical research is inflammation.  We all know what happens when you sprain your ankle or hurt some part of your body – it becomes inflamed and swollen.  But, there are also things going on inside the body that the naked eye can’t see. That’s similar to what happens when you eat something unhealthy.

What happens internally when you eat something harmful? 

Most think nothing happens, which may be true in some instances.  However, even one fast food meal can cause inflammation.  For example, if you ate a fast-food hamburger, fries and a coke, here’s what would happen:

1.  Insulin levels rise to accommodate high glucose levels

2.  Levels of trans fat in your blood can trigger free radicals or oxygenation (i.e. rust on an old car), and constriction in your blood vessels

These changes are short lived and can be turned around with a healthy meal, but what happens if you consume these foods meal after meal?

Inflammation is manifested in many forms, and triggers many health issues such as:

• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• fatty liver
• diabetes
• cancer
• gastrointestinal reflux (GERD)

One blood test used to measure inflammation in the body is called C-reactive protein. This measures when inflammation is high, like when the body is experiencing infection and stress, but can also be elevated due to obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes.  A measure greater than 3.0 mg/l puts someone in a higher risk category than having levels below 3.

Is there a type of eating that can lower inflammation?  Over the last several years, multiple studies have shown certain foods can increase or decrease inflammation as well as the balance of what one eats.

Since this topic is a whole blog in itself let’s wait till tomorrow to discuss anti-inflammatory eating so stay tuned.