Triple Threat
It seems like the more we learn about diabetes, the more complex it becomes. For example, a recent study has shown some evidence that depression influences glucose metabolism and increases the risk of diabetes.
The three-year study involved 2,662 women from many different ethnic backgrounds with a history — and found a few interesting twists and turns. First, African-American women and Caucasian women were the only racial categories in which the overlap between depression and diabetes was statistically significant. When the data was adjusted to account for central adiposity (better known as belly fat), depression ceased to be a factor for increased diabetes risk in the case of Caucasian women. But African-American women who were depressed were two and a half times more likely to have insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing diabetes, even after central adiposity was factored into the equation.
The twist of obesity vs. depression is interesting. And of course, the racial overlay shows what we already know — namely that African-Americans are in a much higher risk group for diabetes, with Caucasians a close second. Of course, which of the factors is the egg and which is the chicken isn’t exactly clear.
What matters here, I think, is while you are certainly better off not having any of these conditions — diabetes, obesity, or depression — you really don’t want all of them. And some of the same approaches will solve all three.
First, sugar elimination is a must for all three, as is regular exercise. It’s also a good idea to make sure that your digestive system is functioning well, and that you have adequate levels of stomach acid. Poor digestion and low amino acids have been shown to cause depression. And it can certainly make insulin regulation challenging as well.
Once you get your stomach acid checked and normalized, start taking a supplement that includes all eight essential amino acids: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
Next, if you experience depression, consider the natural treatments that Dr. Wright has recommended in numerous articles on the subject, starting with the supplement containing the eight essential amino acids mentioned above, plus B vitamins (especially B12 and folic acid), and the trace minerals rubidium and lithium.
Whether the relationship between depression, diabetes and obesity is a chemical one, or an environmental one is besids the point. All three of these conditions can be addressed using natural approaches — and the less you are affected by any of them, the better you’ll feel.
The usual caveat applies — be sure to work closely with a natural medicine physician before embarking on any of the suggested treatment options that Dr. Wright recommends. If your current doctor is not knowledgeable or supportive of this approach, you can contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine at 800-532-3688 or go to www.acam.org. Also, subscribers can search the archives for Dr. Wright’s many articles on depression to find out more in-depth information on each of the prevention and treatment approaches I’ve mentioned here. Just visit www.nutritionandhealing.com, log on with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue of Nutrition & Healing, and enter “diabetes” or “depression” into the search field at the top of the webpage.
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Bon voyage
Q: My wife and I would like to take a cruise, but I’ve been avoiding it because I’m prone to motion sickness. Is there anything you recommend that can help?
JVW: Motion sickness is caused when the parts of the body that detect motion, primarily the eyes and the inner ear, send mixed messages to the brain. This results in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweating, and headache. Fortunately, there are very simple ways to counter these effects.
New research indicates that what you put into your body before and during your travel is important. Participants in a study at the University of Pennsylvania were fed either a high-protein meal, high-carb meal, or no meal before being subjected to laboratory induced motion sickness.
Those in the high-protein group went longer before developing symptoms, and their symptoms were least severe of all the groups.
Acupressure bands have been proven effective on many types of nausea, including that induced by motion sickness. They work by stimulating the P6 acupressure point on the wrist. Several types of bands from different manufacturers can be found online. They either come in a one-size-fits-all or in different sizes for adults and children.
And last but not least, there’s always ginger. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, ginger is excellent for nausea created by morning sickness. A recent study also demonstrated its effectiveness on motion sickness induced nausea as well. You can find ginger in many forms including capsules and fresh ginger root that you can get in just about any grocery store. To make your own ginger tea, simmer fresh ginger in water for 20 minutes. Use about 1/2 cup of chopped ginger for every 3 cups of water.
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What is…adiposity?
What is…adiposity?
The word adiposity is derived from adipose cells, which are fat cells in the body. Adiposity literally means fattiness, and is often used interchangeably with the word obesity. There are two types of adipose cells, White Adipose Tissue (WAT) and Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT).
The body uses WAT to store energy for use in famines; BAT burns energy to maintain body temperature. Severe obesity occurs when the body begins storing too many WAT cells than it requires for survival. Some research suggests that only the reduction of fat cell numbers can cause permanent fat loss, and weight loss techniques that reduce the size of fat cells, but not their numbers, are doomed to be temporary.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
Everson-Rose SA, et. al. “Depressive symptoms, insulin resistance, and risk of diabetes in women at midlife.” Diabetes Care 2004; 27(12): 2,856-2,862.
Levine ME, Muth ER, Williamson MJ, Stern RM. “Protein-predominant meals inhibit the development of gastric tachyarrhythmia, nausea and the symptoms of motion sickness.” Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2004; 19(5): 583-590
Stern RM, Jokerst MD, Muth ER, Hollis C. “Acupressure relieves the symptoms of motion sickness and reduces abnormal gastric activity.” Altern Ther Health Med 2001; 7(4): 91-94
Lien HC, Sun WM, Chen YH, Kim H, Hasler W, Owyang C. “Effects of ginger on motion sickness and gastric slow-wave dysrhythmias induced by circular vection.” Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2003; 284(3): G481-G489
