Hormones / Endocrine
Food sources in the human diet can include beef, fish, poultry, pork, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and oils. As such, there is a nearly inexhaustible combination of macronutrients and micronutrients that individuals might choose when consuming food. Such variability is further complicated by lack of generalizability regarding the use of a single dietary…
Nutrigenomics can be defined as the study of the interaction between genes and the nutritional environment.1 Such a field has been proposed as a new model in healthcare in which genotyping (studying the differences in gene make-up of one individual and comparing it to other individuals) can help determine the best choices of foods and…
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a manifestation of metabolic syndrome and has become a prominent public health problem, worldwide.1 Within the last decade, research has suggested vitamin D’s (VDs) effects upon physiological processes extend beyond its most notable roles (i.e., calcification of bone/bone density) to include adiposity, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance…
Zinc (Zn) is a trace mineral and essential cofactor in many enzymatic reactions to include carbonic dehydratase, alkaline phosphatase, and polymerases and is critical for DNA synthesis and cell division.1Deficiencies in Zn can cause several maladies such as increased risk of infections, impaired brain development, infertility, dermatitis, alopecia, impaired smell/taste, and low testosterone.1(1085)2Thus, adequate levels…
Over consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPFDs) continues to be a phenomenon in Westernized countries, and is linked to several conditions to include metabolic syndrome; an aggregate of risk factors (dysregulated glucose metabolism, high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, and abnormal lipid profiles) that lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes (T2D).1 A…
Testosterone is an anabolic steroid synthesized from cholesterol, which is metabolized into pregnenolone and then into androstenediol or androstenedione; precursors to testosterone.1 Testosterone is responsible for maintaining function of several systems to include the immune system (lowers inflammation), neurological system (improves cognitive function), musculoskeletal system (maintains muscle mass), and aspects of the circulatory system (improves…
Hyperpalatable foods and sweetened drinks are heavily overconsumed in industrialized nations, and such manufactured items are thought to contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D).1 Reduction in ultra-processed food and drink (UPFD) consumption is critical in the management of said metabolic disorders, and methods that slowly ween individuals off of such foods/drinks is likely…
Obesity is not only a disease, but an epidemic driven by hormones, behavior, genetics, as well as bacteria, physiology, pathogenic pathways, and culture.1 Obesity has continued to extend its grip reaching Asia, the Near and Middle East, Western Pacific regions, and Sub-Saharan Africa.2 Modern day living is considerably different from Homo sapiens 10,000 years ago,…
Childhood obesity is considered the greatest public health challenge to date, according to Zinn et al.1 Furthermore, obesity in said age group has increased to more than double over a 30-year period, worldwide, and continues to escalate.1(1) Such unsettling truths have placed children at a higher risk of developing metabolic disorders as adults, behooving nutritionists…
In Canada, the fifth highest ranking country for obesity, 1 in 4 adults are now obese; a ratio that constitutes 25% of the population, and one that has doubled since 1978.1,2Such an epidemic and condition is also a known risk factor for some cancers, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and diabetes.2(331)Thus, considering causes of obesity is…