We have internal rhythms that align with the rotation of the planet. Most famously, there is the rhythmic secretion of melatonin at night and a spike of cortisol in the morning. These and myriad other oscillations are controlled by aptly named clock genes that are present in every cell of the body. Clock genes work…
The diagram below details how overfeeding will lead to the so-called metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that are linked and can lead to vascular disease, stroke and heart attacks. The components of metabolic syndrome are hypertriglyceridemia, truncal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and low HDL. This diagram is a simplification, it elaborates an insulin-centric model, and…
Humans evolved in the setting of periodic food scarcity during which we developed the ability to rapidly switch between different fuel sources. We are designed by evolution to burn fat in our fasting state and to burn primarily carbohydrates in our fed state in order to generate energy in the form of ATP. All of…
The real challenge with weight loss is keeping it off. When you lose a significant amount of weight, the body does what it can to return to its original weight and the further from the original weight you drop, the greater the pressure to rebound. The body seems to have a functional weight set point…
At this point I believe that short of bariatric surgery, most people who have overweight or obesity will need medication to keep the weight off. FDA approved treatments for obesity are indicated when BMI reaches 30 (or over 27 with complications related to obesity). Even before drugs, though, the first step is to make sure you’re…
