How Resveratrol Helps Regulate Blood Sugar

One has to be impressed by nature’s power to bolster health.  As drug companies try to document that one of their concoctions can manipulate a single parameter of health while hopefully not causing too much damage, nature provides potent remedies that simultaneously influence multiple aspects of health while being free of adverse side effects.  There simply is no comparison.  The more science looks into the mechanisms of natural remedies the more impressive they become.  Resveratrol is a case in point.

Resveratrol is best known for its activation of the SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. gene that is associated with longevity.  SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. is also activated by dietary restriction, and shut down when a person eats too much, which is why many people are speeding their aging process and shortening their lives.  Resveratrol works best when you aren’t overeating, because it helps rejuvenate your SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. gene fitness.  Once SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. is activated it has powerfully beneficial effects on a wide variety of gene signals associated with healthy metabolism.

Several new resveratrol Natural phenol or type of antioxidant found in red grapes, red wine. Research has shown beneficial effects as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents along with supporting healthy blood sugar and cardiovasculature function. studies add to several previous studies supporting the role of resveratrol Natural phenol or type of antioxidant found in red grapes, red wine. Research has shown beneficial effects as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents along with supporting healthy blood sugar and cardiovasculature function. to help improve blood sugar metabolism.  One of the studies took immune cells from diabetic patients and found they lacked SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. activity compared to immune cells from people with normal blood sugar.  These SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. deficient cells also had increased rates of free radical damage.  The researchers showed that resveratrol Natural phenol or type of antioxidant found in red grapes, red wine. Research has shown beneficial effects as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents along with supporting healthy blood sugar and cardiovasculature function. could boost SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. levels to normal, and stop the free radical damage, as SIRT1 Considered the "longevity protein" known for its life spanning effects. It has been shown to inhibit cancer and promote longevity. activation influenced several other gene signals to improve metabolism.

The next study looked into the impact of resveratrol Natural phenol or type of antioxidant found in red grapes, red wine. Research has shown beneficial effects as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents along with supporting healthy blood sugar and cardiovasculature function. in an animal model of type 2 diabetes.  Resveratrol decreased blood sugar and triglycerides while boosting levels of the all important blood sugar regulating hormone adiponectin Protein hormone that modulates metabolism including glucose and fatty acid catabolism. High levels are associated with low body fat. .  Resveratrol boosted cellular levels of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important cellular signal involved with the biological clock and use of energy within a cell.  In other words, when you feel fatigued or jet-lagged your AMPK is on the blink.  The net result of boosting AMPK was to significantly improve the liver’s ability to metabolize sugar that resulted in lower blood levels of hemoglobin A1c (a key marker of improved glucose metabolism).  Resveratrol even helped the liver and muscles dispose of calories as heat, a natural metabolic boost for improved calorie burning, especially in those who are overweight. 

Yesterday I mentioned how green tea helps protect against high blood sugar.  While both resveratrol Natural phenol or type of antioxidant found in red grapes, red wine. Research has shown beneficial effects as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents along with supporting healthy blood sugar and cardiovasculature function. and green tea help lower free radical damage, much of their metabolic assistance influences different genes, all in support of better metabolism.  Any person with blood sugar concerns should follow the Leptin Diet and employ a variety of natural support that can help guide metabolism into a healthy direction over time. 

Resveratrol continues to build on its image as an anti-aging nutrient.  We know from studies in healthy centenarians that optimal blood sugar metabolism is vital to a long life.  Resveratrol is an important tool in the longevity toolbox.

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How cellular pathways converge to regulate food intake and body weight

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) — In the complex chain of molecular events that underlie eating behaviors and body weight, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) enzyme has proven to be a critical link.

See Also:Health & MedicineObesityDiet and Weight LossFitnessDiseases and ConditionsColon CancerCancerReferenceAppetiteSkeletal muscleBlood sugarInsulin-like growth factor

Now, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have identified the mechanism responsible for inhibition of AMPK activity in the hypothalamus, a discovery that not only provides a deeper understanding of energy balance but also reveals a critical integration point where multiple signaling pathways, including PI3K-AKT and mTOR converge.

Described in the July 3 issue of Cell Metabolism, the findings could yield new opportunities for the development of treatments for both metabolic diseases and cancer.

"AMPK is an evolutionarily conserved 'fuel gauge,'" says senior author Barbara Kahn, MD, a scientist in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at BIDMC and the George Richards Minot Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Activated when cellular energy supplies are low, AMPK also functions at the whole body level to regulate metabolism and energy balance.

The Kahn laboratory was the first to describe AMPK's critical role in mediating the actions of leptin, the hormone produced by fat cells that serves as a master regulator of neuroendocrine, metabolic, vascular, sympathetic and immune function. In 2002, Kahn demonstrated that AMPK is activated by leptin in skeletal muscle, thereby enabling the hormone to metabolize fatty acids. Subsequently, in 2004, her laboratory discovered that an opposing scenario takes place in the brain's hypothalamus, where AMPK is inhibited by leptin.

"Having determined that leptin's effects on food intake and body weight depend on the inhibition of AMPK in the hypothalamus, we wanted to determine the signaling events that were responsible for this effect," she explains.

The PI3K-AKT, mTOR-p70S6 kinase and AMPK pathways play distinct and critical roles in metabolic regulation, and each pathway is necessary for leptin's anorexigenic effects in the hypothalamus, which inhibit food intake. Through a series of experiments led by first author Yossi Dagon, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Kahn lab, the scientific team showed that these pathways converge in an integrated phosphorylation cascade to mediate leptin action on the hypothalamus.

"Our findings identify a novel serine phosphorylation site on the AMPK alpha 2 catalytic subunit that mediates leptin's inhibitory effects and is critical for leptin action on food intake and body weight, and further show that ribosomal p70S6 kinase is an inhibitory AMPK kinase," says Kahn. 'These discoveries unify what were thought to be multiple parallel pathways affecting leptin action including PI3 kinase and AKT into a coordinated phosphorylation cascade."

Adds study coauthor Lewis Cantley, PhD, Director of BIDMC's Cancer Center and a leader in the field of cancer metabolism, "Since PI3K, AKT, mTOR and p70S6K have all been shown to be important in cancer biology, this integration of these pathways may be important for cancer and other human diseases and could lead to improved therapeutic approaches."

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and increases the risk for developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and early mortality. "Maintaining normal body weight requires tight control of energy homeostasis, which necessitates a constant flow of metabolic input to the hypothalamus in the form of nutrients and hormones," says Kahn. "Our new results have broad biologic implications, since mTOR-p70S6 kinase and AMPK have multiple, fundamental and generally opposing cellular effects that regulate metabolism, cell growth and development."

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Belly 'Membrane' May Regulate Immune System, Mouse Study Finds

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Enzyme in saliva helps regulate blood glucose

ScienceDaily (Apr. 4, 2012) — Scientists from the Monell Center report that blood glucose levels following starch ingestion are influenced by genetically-determined differences in salivary amylase, an enzyme that breaks down dietary starches. Specifically, higher salivary amylase activity is related to lower blood glucose.

See Also:Health & MedicineNutritionHypertensionDiabetesCholesterolDiet and Weight LossBlood ClotsReferenceSalivaHigh fructose corn syrupGlycemic indexDigestion

The findings are the first to demonstrate a significant metabolic role for salivary amylase in starch digestion, suggesting that this oral enzyme may contribute significantly to overall metabolic status. Other implications relate to calculating the glycemic index of starch-rich foods and ultimately the risk of developing diabetes.

"Two individuals may have very different glycemic responses to the same starchy food, depending on their amylase levels," said lead author Abigail Mandel, Ph.D., a nutritional scientist at Monell. "Individuals with high amylase levels are better adapted to eat starches, as they rapidly digest the starch while maintaining balanced blood glucose levels. The opposite is true for those with low amylase levels. As such, people may want to take their amylase levels into account if they are paying attention to the glycemic index of the foods they are eating."

Starch from wheat, potatoes, corn, rice, and other grains is a major component of the United States diet, comprising up to 60 percent of our calories. Amylase enzymes secreted in saliva help break down starches into simpler sugar molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. In this way, amylase activity influences blood glucose levels, which need to be maintained within an optimal range for good health.

A previous study had demonstrated that individuals with high salivary amylase activity are able to break down oral starch very rapidly. This finding led the researchers to ask how this 'pre-digestion' contributes to overall starch digestion and glucose metabolism.

In the current study, published online in The Journal of Nutrition, amylase activity was measured in saliva samples obtained from 48 healthy adults. Based on extremes of salivary amylase activity, two groups of seven were formed: high amylase (HA) and low amylase(LA).

Each subject drank a simplified corn starch solution and blood samples were obtained over a two hour period afterwards. The samples were analyzed to determine blood glucose levels and insulin concentrations.

After ingesting the starch, individuals in the HA group had lower blood glucose levels relative to those in the LA group. This appears to be related to an early release of insulin by the HA individuals.

"Not all people are the same in their ability to handle starch," said senior author Paul Breslin, Ph.D., a sensory geneticist at Monell. "People with higher levels of salivary amylase are able to maintain more stable blood glucose levels when consuming starch. This might ultimately lessen their risk for insulin resistance and non-insulin dependent diabetes."

Additional studies will confirm the current findings using more complex starchy foods, such as bread and pasta. Another focus will involve identifying the neuroendocrine mechanisms that connect starch breakdown in the mouth with insulin release.

Funding was provided by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the National Institute on Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases. Breslin also holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University.

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