INTERESTING TIMES

EPIGENETICS OF DM2: GLUCOCORTICOID AND VIT D RECEPTORS MEDIATE
ALSO TNF ALPHA OR DEXAMETHASONE INDUCES IR
http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v17/n1/full/ncb3080.html
Identification of nuclear hormone receptor pathways causing insulin resistance by transcriptional and epigenomic analysis
Sona Kang, Linus T. Tsai, Yiming Zhou, Adam Evertts, Su Xu, Michael J. Griffin, Robbyn Issner, Holly J. Whitton, Benjamin A. Garcia, Charles B. Epstein, Tarjei S. Mikkelsen & Evan D. Rosen
Nature Cell Biology 17, 44–56 (2015) doi:10.1038/ncb3080
Received 06 August 2014 Accepted Nov 2014 Published online 15 Dec 2014
Abstract
Insulin resistance is a cardinal feature of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and a frequent complication of multiple clinical conditions, including obesity, ageing and steroid use, among others. How such a panoply of insults can result in a common phenotype is incompletely understood. Furthermore, very little is known about the transcriptional and epigenetic basis of this disorder, despite evidence that such pathways are likely to play a fundamental role. Here, we compare cell autonomous models of insulin resistance induced by the cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α or by the steroid dexamethasone to construct detailed transcriptional and epigenomic maps associated with cellular insulin resistance. These data predict that the glucocorticoid receptor and vitamin D receptor are common mediators of insulin resistance, which we validate using gain- and loss-of-function studies. These studies define a common transcriptional and epigenomic signature in cellular insulin resistance enabling the identification of pathogenic mechanisms.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/44170?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-02-07

((This brings up the question: could global warming be a factor in the obesity epidemic??))

(Duh.)
http://www.nature.com/news/gut-microbial-enterotypes-become-less-clear-cut-1.10276

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

You can check out the progress of America's increasing BMI by state, since 1985, on this govt page. The South leads the charge.


Colorado is the Rocky Mountain holdout but they are sliding too.

Further analysis of the Women's Health Initiative data has revealed that women who drink 4+ cups of coffee per day have 25% less risk of endometrial cancer than women who drink one or less. Drinking 2 or more cups of decaf per day was associated with a 22% risk reduction but the sample size was too small to have statistical significance. The strongest inverse association between coffee drinking and endometrial cancer was among obese women.

SOURCES
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754053?src=mpnews&spon=16
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2011/10/03/1055-9965.EPI-11-0766.abstract

I heard the report on NPR this morning. The potato industry is up in arms about revisions to school food programs that specifically limit potatoes. The potato industry rep, and the academic from the University of Idaho, both said that potatoes are nutrient dense. I expected it from the rep, but the academic? Geeze. OK, so let's talk about potatoes. White potatoes. Idaho potatoes. And what exactly it means to be nutrient dense. Generally we talk about something being nutrient dense because it has a high ratio of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and such relative to how many calories it has in it. Potatoes are excluded because they are very high calorie. The skins are where the nutrients are. There's a little nutrition in the starchy meat of a potato, but mostly it is made up of calories. Energy. Potatoes are great high energy food, they elevate the blood sugar immediately, and then an insulin response ideally follows. If you take away the skin, you are taking away most of the vitamin and mineral nutrition. I think most people know this, but it bears restating in the face of the news. I certainly agree that it would make more sense to limit deep fat fryers in schools, or limit potato chips, but really I think what we need to limit is ALL processed and reconstituted potatoes. Potatoes that come in the shape of french fries or tater tots. Convenience potatoes make people fat. Baking them after they have been machine formed and cheap-fat coated does not make them good for you. Those are the ones that kids don't need. If you want to put some potato chunks in their beef stew or yellow curry, more power to you.

Mind you, my favorite new vice is the Salt and Pepper flavor Kettle chips. And I eat them even knowing about ( The Potato Chip Study (article by Jacob Schor) )

dietary supplementation with coconut oil-->reduction in waist circumference after 1 week!!
also coconut--> higher HDL, lower LDL:HDL ratio
randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 12 week long diet
n = 40 women in 2 groups, daily soybean oil vs daily coconut oil
all walked and ate low cal diets
at 1 wk: soybean oil group had incr total chol, LDL and LDL:HDL ratio, decr HDL
(bad trend in fats)
( the study )

They don't mention the fact that adipose tissue actually MAKES estrogen. Grow a gut and the moobs are soon to come.
( article )

**download her notes and print body composition charts, timeline
( notes )