THE FIRST GOOD NEWS:
Scientists have found a key trigger for type 2 Diabetes (a.k.a. adult-onset diabetes): Something happens in your liver as a result of obesity triggers a low-level inflammation that causes the body to develop insulin resistance, leading to type 2 diabetes (in fact, obesity and type 2 diabetes are so closely linked that some have described them as two stages of the same disease).
THE SECOND GOOD NEWS:
They’ve found a way to shut off this phenomenon: Administer aspirin-like drugs called salicylates.
THE FIRST BAD NEWS:
Aspirin itself won’t work for this: You’d have to take more than 20 aspirins a day, which would cause massive internal bleeding. (*DON’T* try this at home!!!)
THE THIRD GOOD NEWS:
We have other salicylates that are likely to fix the problem without the side effects a diabetes-therapeutic dose of aspirin would cause: The prescription drug salsalate, in particular.
THE SECOND BAD NEWS:
Scientists want to test this more before they recommend that people start pestering their doctors for prescriptions for salsalate or other salicylates.
STILL, AT THREE GOOD NEWSES AND ONLY TWO BAD NEWSES, WE’RE ONE UP!
YEE-HAW!
What the best way to prevent type-2 Diabetes?
If I remember correctly, raw tomatoes are very high in salicylates.
What else is high in salicylates?
Cathy, cottonwood and aspen bark.
So, what will the health-nazis do now that they have to confess that obesity is an illness, not a result of daily, continued, over-eating?
Circuit Rider
I don’t see that as what’s being indicated in the article at all. The disease is diabetes, which is triggered by obesity. They did not indicate Obesity is a disease. I am not at all a health nazi (and even struggle with weight myself), and will not deny that underlying hormonal or biological components that make obesity more than just SIMPLY over eating. But I think we should be careful about tossing the word disease around and applying it where it doesnt’t fit.
Steve Galvanek,
From Jimmy’s summary, it doesn’t sound like diabetes is caused by obesity. Rather, both obesity and diabetes are joint effects of a common cause, i.e., low-level liver inflammation leading to insulin resistance. What the cause of this inflammation is isn’t stated.
OTOH, now that I look at the article itself, the cause-and-effect relationship there does seem to be different: It says that the inflammation is triggered by a genetic “master switch” that is “turned on when people become obese.”
So that does make it sound like first you become obese, then you start having medical problems.
Sorry for the confusion. I didn’t mean to imply that obesity is caused by liver inflammation; rather, it is a cause of liver imflammation (as my edited post now correctly states). Whether obesity itself is caused by overeating or by other biological factors is beyond the scope of this post.
The root of the word salicylates, if I’m not mistaken is Salix, which according to CalFlora is a Latin name for the willow, meaning “to leap or spring” in reference to its fast growth (ref. genus Salix)
I’m guessing that Cottonwood and Aspen are part of the willow family …
I am probably running on a tangent here, but since the topic came up, I think one of the more interesting finds recently regarding obesity is the discovery that not getting enough sleep can be a huge factor. The body seems to want to compensate for the lack of energy via higher caloric intake. See the article here…
http://www.detnews.com/2004/health/0411/18/A09-7278.htm
…for more. Anecdotally, I can say at least in my own life that I had noticed the relationship years ago. I generally find that when I am well rested, I feel more balanced and my will is better able to exhibit the virtue of temperance.
While I’m at it, here’s another word that comes into the English language from the Latin word “Saltus” (courtesy of http://www.m-w.com)
Main Entry: som·er·sault
Pronunciation: ‘s&-m&r-“solt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French sombresaut leap, ultimately from Latin super over + saltus leap, from salire to jump: a leap or roll in which a person turns forward or backward in a complete revolution bringing the feet over the head and finally landing on the feet; also : a falling or tumbling head over heels.
Chronic inflammation is argued (controvertially) to be an underlying and independent cause for all sorts of serious chronic diseases. If you ever heard of C-reactive protein, it’s a measure of chronic inflammation and seems to be a predictor of diabetes among many other things. If you haven’t, trust me you will! It’s huge in the literature.
Anyway, my comment is on calling Type 2 DM “adult-onset.” It used to be called that, but no longer. It was also called “Non-Insulin Dependent” diabetes mellitus, but no longer. The reasons are: many patients with the disease need insulin, so it’s not completely insulin-independent, and it’s been seen in children as young as TEN YEARS, since child obesity has increased so dramatically. It’s scary!
Third item: obesity is not only caused by caloric intake, but by the type of calories you eat, and how many calories you spend. But besides obesity, the number one predictor for type 2 DM is *genetics*. Obesity, therefore, will be very UNLIKELY to cause diabetes in someone w/o a family history. It will be extremely likely to cause it in an obese person w/ a family history. Someone with a family history can avoid it, but by being extra special careful about diet and exercise.
Final item of trivia, something I never knew till I got to med school: Type 1 diabetics are usually quite thin.
Noah, yes, they are, and the trade name asprin is probably philologically related to the name aspen for the tree.
The “health-nazis” I was referring to are those who on blogs (not this one that I recall) jump in and immediately state that anyone overweight, (like Mel Gibson, most basketball players, Arnold S. etc.) is continually overeating, and that all they have to do to get in shape is eat normally. They haven’t a clue in their genetic arrogance that obese people may well have been eating several hundred calories a day less than what is supposed to theoretically maintain their weight for -years-.
Noah, does that mean that the Salix law from the Salix lands referred to in the beginning of _Henry V_ refer to the willow-meads of Tasarninan?
There is a strong, strong link between C-Reactive Protein and diabetes. Last year, a new study shown that a good diet could help to lower the crp level in blood. Of course, a good alimentation can only be good for people suffering from diabetes. Since type 2 diabetes can be controlled, it’s only a manner of time before a good medication will be made available for general public (at a “general public” cost).
learn about Diabetes mellitus
Type 2 Diabetes can be helped by exercise, diet, and low stress lifestyle
The chinese use a corn silk infusion and drink it as a tea. Three times per day for 90 days and that is supposed to cure blood sugar problems. They also use a 5-7 inch acupuncture needle (good acupuncturists can put in a needle with out a pricking or pinching sensation!) and go into the pancreas and run electricity (a very small amount) into the organ to balance its function.
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. The author does not promise a cure, or to treat any disease… yadda yadda yadda 🙂