Fatty Liver Disease

The journal we read pertaining to the young adult obese subjects in Italy brought to attention non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We know that obesity is a leading risk factor in the development of type 2 diabetes, but it also plays a major role in liver disease. There are two types of fatty liver disease: alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic liver disease. From previous courses you may know that some fat in the liver is normal, however even a small percentage of total liver weight consisting of fat can be detrimental.

Alcoholic liver disease is brought upon by consuming large amounts of alcohol. These copious amounts can deter the liver enzymes responsible for alcohol metabolism. An increase in visceral fat also affects these enzymes and promotes liver disease. Non-alcoholic liver disease is caused mainly from obesity, which enlarges the liver to the point that the cells cannot properly work. The liver has an issue with breaking down fats, and because of this they begin to build up in the tissue. As we know, with increasing obesity comes the development of type 2 diabetes, helping in the formation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In fact, "more than two thirds of people with diabetes develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease." Obesity leads to increased cholesterol and triglycerides, and the development of insulin resistance.

Sources:
http://www.medicinenet.com/fatty_liver/page4.htm#what_is_the_relationship_between_nonalcoholic_fatty_liver_disease_obesity_and_diabetes

http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/fatty-liver-disease

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/basics/causes/con-20027761#

Obesity in developing countries

After reading the review article assigned, titled Diabesity: An Inflammatory Metabolic Condition, it mentioned that obesity and type 2 diabetes are becoming the most prevalent in developing countries. This was surprising to me, seeing as I have always attributed obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes to a poor diet and over consumption of food. Some major causes of obesity that are commonly left out are the mixture of living a sedentary life and consuming high amounts of non-nutritional food. Obesity is not solely based on overconsumption of food but has many different factors that play a key role in the development of such a popular disease.

The mixture of undernutrition with overconsumption is a key factor of the development of obesity in developing countries. The first part of the equation of obesity is undernutrition. Most developing countries were faced with lack of food but are now becoming accustom to having the over accessibility of food. Because of this food becomes a major want from the people inhabiting the developing countries, but this does not mean that they are making the right food choices. What I mean by right food choices are healthy food options that the human body craves. For example, protein, vegetables, fruit, and carbohydrates are key components in contributing to the energy that our body makes on a daily basis. When there is a lack of consumption of one of these elements, our body reacts by storing fat for energy to overcompensate. Even though, people who are obese may be consuming plenty of food, the fact they are not eating the proper food for the human body is one of the factors that leads to obesity. The second part to the equation is living a sedentary life. A sedentary lifestyle is characterized by lack of physical movement or exercise. Most developing countries still follow the the social norms of women staying at home while the men work. Because of this it was found that most women, in comparison to men in developing countries, were obese. (1) This is attributed to the fact that women being cooped up in their homes all day are much more sedentary than the men. These are just a couple of factors that help explain the prevalence of obesity in developing countries.

Works Cited:

1. Misra, Anoop, and Lokesh Khurana. "Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome in Developing Countries." : The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism: Vol 93, No 11_supplement_1. N.p., 02 July 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2014.

2. Schmidt, Maria Inês, and Bruce Bartholow Duncan. "Diabesity: An Inflammatory Metabolic Condition." Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 41.9 (2003): 1120-130. Web.

The Globalization of Type II Diabetes

While I was feeding the inflammafish, I was thinking about our discussion last week pertaining to the effects of Curcumin on obesity and diabetes. Curcumin is a dietary spice prevalent in Asian cuisine and our discussion of its role made me curious about the prevalence of Type II diabetes and obesity in different countries around the world. I found that the rates of Type II diabetes in other countries are indeed high, with “35 out of 219 countries (16% of the total) has very high prevalence of diabetes, over 12%”. The reason for this high prevalence in developing countries is due to the recent urbanization of communities and an increasing economy, which has resulted in a transition in nutrition and diet. This has caused a dramatic shift in traditional diet to one more focused on western influence, causing the rapid rise in Type II diabetes. This “nutritional shift typically involves increased consumption of animal fat and energy-dense foods, decreased fiber, and more frequent intake of fast foods”. The shift in diet has also brought an increase in food portions amongst cultures. The traditional diet in Asian countries is high in refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, and increasing portions of these foods along with the shift from a traditional diet lead to an increased risk for developing diabetes. Along with the shift in diet, the modernization of communities has also increased the number of people who live an inactive lifestyle.
 What I found interesting is that the prevalence of obesity is low in Asian countries compared to Western countries such as the United States, despite the high numbers of Type II diabetes. However an increased risk of developing diabetes is still an issue for Asian cultures, it just affects patients at a lower average BMI than in Western cultures. Type II diabetes is not just a rising issue in the United States but it is a global public health issue due to changes in economic development and recent urbanization of developing countries.
 

Sources-

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/6/1249.full

http://healthintelligence.drupalgardens.com/content/prevalence-diabetes-world-2013

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Diabetes

Since becoming a Diabetes and Obesity "specialist" this past week, I have began to notice the presence of information on Diabetes and inflammation everywhere. I came across an interesting article recently published in Time titled "Why Inflammation Matters for Diabetics". I always find it interesting to come across articles discussing topics being taught in my physiology courses, so this article complimented these two weeks of diabetes and obesity discussion perfectly.


The article briefly discusses the role of inflammation in diabetes, as we were able to examine together as a group. What I found interesting was the article cites a research study performed by the American Heart Association, showing that anti-inflammatory drugs may be a new way to prevent cell damage and blood vessel disease in diabetics. Further researching the study, cells from the aorta were cultured and the ability to metabolize glucose was examined under normal conditions versus conditions of inflammation. In the condition where inflammation was mimicked in the cells, by the addition of interleukin-1 (IL-1), more glucose entered the cells compared to when there was no inflammation present. What I found interesting was when glucose entered the inflamed cells, the pathway to metabolize glucose created even more inflammation. Once an anti-inflammatory drug, anakinra, was added the inflammation was reduced and the negative effects on glucose metabolism reversed.

I found this study and article interesting because it highlighted yet another proposed method for treating the condition of Type II diabetes. Choosing to directly target inflammation associated with type II diabetes, with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, may be a step in the right direction for the future treatment of diabetic patients.


References:
http://time.com/3329225/inflammation-diabetes/

http://newsroom.heart.org/news/inflammation-may-be-key-to-diabetes-heart-disease-link?preview=e861

Masking the affects of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes has become an epidemic for all ages in America. Obesity has been found to be a major cause in individuals developing Type 2 diabetes. After this past week’s discussion, I was thinking about other factors then obesity and inactive lifestyle that could cause Type 2 diabetes. I then started to think about the people I know in my life with Type 2 diabetes: my aunt and my uncle. But what do these two people have in common? They were both smokers for the majority of their lives.

Smoking is one of the greatest ways a person can increase their chances in developing Type 2 diabetes. My aunt had been smoking cigarettes, up to two packs a day, since she was 16 years old. On top of this, she had not been watching her diet and started to become overweight. In light of her son and daughter changing their health habits, my aunt decided to do so herself. Although, it was not until she had lost almost 40 pounds and quit smoking for a couple months that she found out she had developed Type 2 diabetes. How had her body been surviving with this disease? Was it the fact that she lost weight that made the disease come out of the shadows? Or could it be that her body did not know how to properly handle insulin without the help of cigarettes?

Smoking has been found to have a key role in insulin resistance. In “heavy smokers”, like my aunt, the overall body fat has been found to be higher, than those who are considered “light smokers.” (3) The nicotine in cigarettes acts as a neurotransmitter stimulating the energizing pathway of the body, but this is not all it does. The effects of nicotine on heavy smokers who have quit can cause insulin resistance. Their nicotine acts as a trigger for lipolysis in the body, which can lead to an overall increase in free fatty acids. The body’s response to an increase in free fatty acids is to have a decrease in glucose uptake. This causes the body to not be able to properly store and use the insulin that is ingested. (4) This is what my aunt’s body was going through when she had initially quit smoking and changing her lifestyle habits. She has now been Type 2 diabetes free and smoke free for the past 3 years.

Works Cited:

1. "Your Weight and Diabetes." Obesity.org. CDC, July 2010. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

2. "Smoking and Diabetes." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and               Prevention, 11 Aug. 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

3. Chiolerol, Arnaud, David Faeh, Fred Paccaud, and Jacques Cornuz. "The American Journal of Clinical               Nutrition." Consequences of Smoking for Body Weight, Body Fat Distribution, and Insulin                               Resistance. N.p., 25 Sept. 2007. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

4. Bajaj, Mandeep. "ACKNOWLEDGMENTS." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S.                             National Library of Medicine, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2014