Health for life

When we eat, we make glucose available to our cells for energy and other processes. Insulin helps that glucose enter our cells. But when cells reach a certain satiety point, insulins signaling ability lessens, possibly protecting the cell from an influx of too much glucose. This process may be at the root of insulin resistance.



A study that appeared in the February 21 issue of Nature described a link between the presence of glucose, fats, and other nutrients in the bloodstream ... and the action of an enzyme called O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT). When nutrient levels are high, OGT travels out of the cell nucleus to the cell membrane. There it works to dampen insulin signaling by attaching glucose-containing molecules to key proteins of the intercellular insulin signaling pathway.

Not surprisingly, the particular sugar molecule it attaches is called O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). And the amount of O-GlcNAc is related to how much glucose is in the bloodstream.

Knowing the specific enzymes and sugars involved in insulin resistance can lead to the development of specific drugs that target these molecules. This type of research can also help us to understand how overnutrition can bring about insulin resistance, a condition which often leads to diabetes.

Although drug therapy that targets these molecules may not be available for a while, diet therapy is available today. Learning how to feed our bodies just what they need, but not more than they need, can improve the action of insulin ... reducing the occurrence of insulin resistance and lowering the risk for type 2 diabetes.
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For the study:
Phosphoinositide Signalling Links O-Glcnac Transferase To Insulin Resistance

News article (ScienceDaily):
Novel Link Between Excessive Nutrient Levels And Insulin Resistance Uncovered

A few weeks ago, in a post entitled How to Buy the USDA-Recommended 4.5 Cups of Fruits and Vegetables for $2.50 Per Day, I argued against buying corn, lettuce, and potatoes in favor of other vegetables. Also, I may have written the following:




Several readers called me out on the statements, and rightfully so. Looking back, I gave short shrift to spuds, which are actually quite healthy when not drenched in oil and deep fried. Somewhere, my Irish ancestors are looking down from the heavens, flipping birds and cursing the anti-tater dummy they unknowingly begat – the one who so callously dissed the very calorie-dense food that sustained them through generations of largely absent nutrition. Yep - the very same edible that’s lack drove them clear to another country, if they were lucky enough not to die of starvation first.

In penance, I would like to prove conclusively that potatoes are better than me. Defending spuds will be Liz Conant of the United States Potato Board, a lovely organization dedicated to the advancement of potatoes in American culture. Defending me will be me.

To accomplish this, Ive set up a comparative chart, pitting our most prominent qualities against each other in a tater/blogger battle for the ages. Specific criteria are listed in the first column. Lizs answers are in the second column, and mine are in the third. The winner of each is proclaimed in the fourth and final column, and the quantitative victor is named at the end. You have to click on it to read. (Sorry bout that.)


As you can see, Liz housed me. Potatoes clearly win Battle CHG, and as such, I rescind my former anti-spud statements. In fact, here are 12 potato recipes to make it up to you:

Baked Loaded Potato Skins
Chili-Spiced Potatoes
Chorizo and Potato Fritata
Dijon Roasted Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes with Leeks and Sour Cream
Meatless Shepherds Pie
Miso Mashed Potatoes
Pasta with Lemon, Potatoes, and Cannellini
Potato Gnocchi
Potato Leek Soup with Kale
Potato Salad for Rainy Day People
Roasted Red Potatoes

For more information on the potato and its nutritive qualities (which are manifest, I promise), head over to the U.S. Potato Boards website.

Readers, how do you feel about potatoes? When and where do you buy them on sale? What are your favorite potato recipes? Have you ever gone face to face with a potato and lost? Please fire away in the comment section. Oh, and Happy St. Pattys Day!

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If you enjoyed this, youll also dig:

• "Healthy" Defined! (As Best We Can)
• Rest in Peas: A Working Mothers Guide to Not Making Baby Food
• Winter Squash 101 (Plus 18 Recipes!)

It thought the fundamental purpose of teachers was to teach. Yet, when it considers that the hours that a child spends in school is an opportunity to catch problems that may be missed by parents and docs alike, the idea that schools can be a first line of defense in the early detection of mental illness has some merit.

 For your consideration when youre grappling with your local school taxes:

Tim is the son of Paul Gionfriddo, who is a former Connecticut politician and current mental health advocate.  As the parent of a child with schizophrenia, he knows what hes writing about.

When Mr. Gionfriddo was starting out as a legislator, he was only just becoming aware of Tims difficulties in school. What followed was heartbreaking tale of inflexible school officials arranging for the wrong evaluations, wrong diagnoses, inadequate care and wasted attempts to help a deeply troubled child. Teachers were unable to cope, the parents were often blamed and Tim got shuffled around an unresponsive school system.  Despite "good" insurance, coverage fell short and many services involved onerous co-pays and limitations. And once he reached adulthood, an unwillingness to accept services moved Tim to the margins of society, leading to repeated hospitalizations and incarcerations. He now lives in squalor somewhere in San Francisco.

Tims story is not unique. According to Mr. Gionfriddo, a well meaning policy that moved hundreds of thousands of mentally ill out of decaying inpatient psychiatric hospitals in the 1980s was followed by

1) schools being unable to handle children with mental illness,

2) underfunding of community agencies, and

3) the siloing of the resources that did exist, resulting in little collaboration among physicians, law enforcement, community services or the mental health community.

Among Mr. Gionfriddos recommendations?  In addition to better screening by pediatricians during the well child visit, insurance orm and better housing options, state legislators should support the following:
 
1. The U.S. public school system should be prepared to offer mental health services in addition to basic education;

2. Every teacher should receive training in recognizing mental illness and how to handle it;

4. Once mental illness is  discovered, meaningful support should be included in a childs individualized education planning.

Image from Wikipedia