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The physiology of Diabetes Written by: Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND For further questions or concerns email me at [email protected]† One of the most common questions people call or ask about is regarding blood sugar. Statistics for diabetes are quite alarming. In the United States alone there …
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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InVite Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
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Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:40] You’ve probably heard all about the benefits of berry extracts, how we should incorporate berries into our daily dietary routine. We know that two particular fruits have been studied extensively when it comes to enhancing something known as AMPK, which is an enzyme that’s found in every cell in the body. And one of the things that we know is that as we get older, the activity of AMPK begins to go down. That is a problem because AMPK works as an energy regulator and through this energy regulation, this enables our bodies to be able to burn fat. So today I want to talk about two different proanthocyanidins berry extracts when combined together can pack a lot of punch, and that is our BlueGranate TxⓇ.† [00:01:28]
[00:01:31] I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH. And oftentimes when people think about the power of antioxidants, they think about fruit extracts. And we’ve all heard about all of the many different benefits of pomegranate extract and of course, blueberry extract when it comes to our cardiovascular system, when it comes to our neurological system. But I wanted to zero in on AMPK because many times people aren’t aware that our BlueGranate TxⓇ is a power punch that targets AMPK activity. Now, as I mentioned, as we get older, AMPK begins to go down. So if this level starts to go down, we’re going to have a harder time when it comes to that regulation of glucose, as well as fat metabolism. So how do we bring that back to life? How do we regenerate that? We can utilize nutrients such as pomegranate, as well as blueberry extract. [00:02:25]
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[00:02:26] Now, many people have concerns about trying to target belly fat and belly fat, we know is directly linked to problems such as heart disease, type two diabetes. We can certainly look at insulin resistance as being a driving factor for lowering AMPK activity. So the more insulin resistance you have, the less likely it is that you can actually burn away that belly fat and now we have more of that excess fat that’s being stored, which is incredibly problematic. So we know that when it comes to cellular aging, that decrease in activity of AMPK certainly is problematic. And we want to be able to stop that because with cellular stressors, oxidative stress, free radicals, things along that line, this is going to impair the proper functionality of AMPK.† [00:03:16]
[00:03:17] So let’s talk a little bit about the science behind blueberry extract and pomegranate extract when it comes to AMPK activation. So in the Redox Biology Journal, they went into the impact or the effect of blueberry anthocyanidins, that’s the actual powerful antioxidants that are derived from that blueberry, and how this can work to activate AMPK. So in this study, the way that they were able to decipher out the, how that blueberry was working was through a series of different markers, so measuring things such as glucose, looking at lipid metabolism, looking at AMPK activity when it came to blood and urine glucose levels, as well as triglyceride levels, and they were able to to see how the anthocyanidins contained within the blueberry extract actually help to lower blood sugar. At the same time, lowered cholesterol levels. So in turn, what they recognized was through this action of AMPK activation. So not to get too heavy into the science on this, but one of the things that we know with the anthocyanidins that are contained within the blueberry extract is it does many different things when it comes to fatty acid synthesis, when it comes to lipolysis, lipid genesis. And we know much of this is driven through that activation of AMPK. And, you know, same thing when we think about the glucose metabolism. So the more that we can have these proanthocyanidins coming from the blueberry extract, the more the body can better manage any of these disruptions in any of these systems, which is always key. There’s a reason why we come naturally equipped with AMPK and, you know, through daily stressors, this level starts to diminish.† [00:05:13]
[00:05:14] Now we see the same type of studies done with pomegranate and AMPK activation, and it’s generally done in that setting of weight loss so that many of the studies with pomegranate extract have shown that through the power of the anthocyanidins derived from the pomegranate, we can induce this activation of AMPK. So AMPK is an activated protein kinase, and it really is so critical when it comes to the way that our body goes through both lipogenesis and lipolysis, so the creation of fat cells in the breaking down of fat cells. So with inadequate amounts of AMPK, the body can no longer break down fat properly. So this is why they’ve looked at these active constituents contained within both blueberry and pomegranate. And they said, “Wow, this is really very beneficial.”.† [00:06:14]
[00:06:15] And you can look at the nutritional facts on, you know, pomegranate and why utilizing the extracted form… you can see all of the the powerful ellagic acid that’s contained within that vitamin C, vitamin K, you’re getting choline. So obviously beneficial for brain health, liver health, natural, naturally-occurring magnesium, selenium, all of these different nutrients that are contained within pomegranate. And certainly when it comes to the scientific studies done on pomegranate, we can see across the spectrum from cardiovascular support to our joints for easing inflammation because we certainly know that oxidative stress can drive up a significant amount of damage within the joint spaces themselves. And then, of course, when you look at just metabolic health in general. And then when we’re looking at the anthocyanidins coming from the blueberry extract, we can see the optimal benefit that comes with the vascular support to the brain. And they’ve actually done MRI imaging where they can show how areas of the brain can become activated just through the utilization of blueberry extract, which is wonderful when we think about cognition, when we think about concentration.† [00:07:32]
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[00:07:33] So through using this BlueGranate TxⓇ, you are getting all of those antioxidants that can help to stave off any of the damaging effects from oxidative stress and free radicals that we’re exposed to, or that are even generated from our own body. And at the same time, we’re helping facilitate the activation of all of these different pathways that can help to enhance the way that our bodies and our cells function each and every single day. So I definitely encourage you to check it out. Maybe you do have those concerns about that excess belly fat and maybe turning to something like the BlueGranate TxⓇ may be a good option for you. So put down that soda and pick up a bottle of the BlueGranate TxⓇ and see how wonderful that combination of blueberry and pomegranate is for your overall health and wellness.† [00:08:26]
[00:08:27] So that’s all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:08:27]
You may know apple cider vinegar as a salad dressing, but did you know it can promote fat burning? Learn more about how this nutrient can promote weight management, digestive health and more from Amanda Williams, MPH.
We can go all the way back to Hypocrites when it comes to Apple Cider Vinegar and its history. Vinegar was considered a medicinal discovery that have numerous purposes. Today, it is studied for its support in weight management and cardiovascular health.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Let’s talk about the harmful effects of glycation – what it is, how is it impacting our health, why it may be hard to understand and the role it plays in your body. We will discuss what you can do to fend off excessive glycation in our system, including an important form of Vitamin B1 called Benfotiamine.
What is Glycation and What are AGEs?
Our bodies go through something called the Maillard Reaction. This is the result of a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars. An example of a maillard reaction is when you are cooking and browning foods. The sugar creates that charring effect on our foods at higher heat, like on a grill. This reaction was named after a french chemist – Louis Camille Mallard. It was first described back in the early 1900s, when researchers were trying to recognize the impact of high temperature.
This same chemical change occurs inside of our body. Within every cell, the sugar that the body uses for fuel is busy doing different things. When you have this byproduct of this chemical reaction, you end up with Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). AGEs can be extremely detrimental to the human body. Excess glucose from sugary foods and drinks create these AGEs, damaging many things including your bodies DNA.
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AGEs are directly correlated to oxidative stress and inflammation and they can really harm the function of nerve cells. This is why Diabetic Neuropathy or Diabetic Retinopathy happens in your body – because of excess circulating glucose. This is why the hemaglobin A1C test is so important. AGEs can also deactivate enzymes.
Protecting Your Body Against AGEs with Benfotiamine
The body has its own natural defenses to protect itself against this glycation. One of the most powerful, natural defenses against AGEs happens to be Vitamin B1 (Thiamine). Now, the major issue when dealing with water soluble vitamins is, are we going to have enough or is there going to be a limited supply? If glucose in your system is too high, it is depleting all of that Thiamine and a build up of AGEs occurs.
So, researchers set out to investigate the benefit of fat soluble Vitamin B1. This is something that could stay in the system longer in order to offset and combat this build up of glucose. They found this really unique form of Thiamine called Benfotiamine, a fat soluble Vitamin B1. According to research and testing, using Benfotiamine allows for a 40% higher Thiamine amount that can be incorporated into your heart, liver, brain and muscles to allow for better protection from glycation. Benfotiamine has been shown to block sugar-induced damage in the body. It activates this powerful enzyme called Transketolase, which plays a role in converting toxic glucose-induced metabolites into these harmless compounds. Without it, you will have more AGE build up that causes significant damage within our system.
Benfotiamine has also been shown to ease inflammation by inhibiting the activation of something known as NF Kappa beta, or Nuclear factor kappa beta. This is a trigger for extremely dangerous inflammatory reactions in the human body. So if Benfotiamine can down regulate that and impede the body’s ability to activate NF Kappa beta, then we are able to regulate a more proper inflammatory response.
Recent studies have shown that Benfotiamine can be very beneficial for memory. Researchers found that this fat soluble Vitamin B1 was disrupting the production of amyloid plaques as well as touL proteins in the brain. Right now, Columbia University is studying Benfotiamine for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s. I am very interested to see this outcome!
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Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
