The Nutrient: Insulin and weight gain, Ozempic and weight loss, Chronic stress

Research

Hyperinsulinemia and Its Pivotal Role in Aging, Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer
Journal of molecular science

Prediabetes is a precursor to diabetes and, according to this research, elevated insulin levels is a precursor to prediabetes.

"There is considerable evidence that hyperinsulinemia is the common etiological factor in the development of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature mortality and also plays an essential role in age-related decline. Therefore, interventions that reduce hyperinsulinemia might play a key role in the prevention and treatment of age-related decline, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer."

I wrote about insulin and weight-gain a year ago here.

Listen

Will Ozempic Solve Obesity in America?
Honestly Podcast

There was a lot of talk last week on a diabetes drug that some claim is also a miracle weight-loss solution. I'm pessimistic, and also disappointed that the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests a lifetime of pharmaceuticals is part of the solution for 12 year-olds who are obese.

This podcast offers an interesting debate on the pros and cons of relying on medications to solve a food problem. Here's the description:

Ozempic, the brand name drug for a medication called semaglutide, is one of the most popular drugs on the market right now. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, the injectable drug has recently boomed in popularity for its off-label use to help people lose weight... fast. Who should be taking it? Is it safe for longterm use? Who is it safe for? Should children be prescribed it to treat childhood obesity, as the American Academy of Pediatrics recently advised? Is Ozempic a permanent solution to the obesity epidemic? Or is it more like a bandaid, a quick fix that does little to address the root causes of obesity?

Words of the week

"It’s much more common, especially in the modern world, to never experience full-blown, life-threatening stress, but to never fully relax either. We’ll spend our days half-asleep and nights half-awake, lolling in a gray zone of half-anxiety. When we do, the vagus nerve stays half-stimulated."
– James Nestor author of Breath

Enjoy your week,

Dr. Adam