C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LINKED TO INSULIN RESISTANCE AND TYPE-2 DIABETES obesity and insulin resistance, the precursor conditions for type-2 diabetes. …
Pitta Pushing Kapha
The following discourse was not developed by its researchers or authors to
provide understanding of Ayurvedic theory, but, interestingly, it does
illuminate the application of Ayurvedic principles and Ayurvedic
reasoning Doshic interactions are complex physiological relationships,
which can causally link a complex set of imbalances / functional disorders
The understanding of causality is crucial to diagnosis and effective
treatment and in this scenario we can view a mechanism of causation which
treats fundamental forces, not reactionary ones
- C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LINKED TO INSULIN RESISTANCE AND TYPE-2 DIABETES
- OBESITY AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION: A DANGEROUS COMBO
Fat fuels the fire But can fire fuel the fat? In the metabolic workings of
the human body, it may work both ways And this paradox may underlie two of
the most prevalent and deadly degenerative diseases of modern times
Its been postulated for some time that when the bodys inflammatory cells
become overactive for too long, it can eventually damage blood vessels
Chronic swelling may loosen and disrupt fatty plaque, which can then lodge
in arteries and obstruct blood
flow Higher levels of the acute phase C-
reactive protein CRP have been shown to provide early warning of this
damaging inflammatory process and serve as an independent marker for
cardiac risk
Mounting evidence also suggests, however, that higher levels of CRP may
also signal potentially dangerous metabolic imbalances that fuel central
obesity and insulin resistance, the precursor conditions for type-2
diabetes
UK researchers recently correlated higher levels of CRP with central
obesity weight gain around the mid-section and with signs of insulin
resistance in the Indian Asian population High CRP levels, the researchers
estimated, could account for as much as 14 of the increased risk for
coronary disease that Indian Asians face compared to Europeans
Another recent controlled study of 159 men aged 22 to 63 also found that
as body fat increased, CRP levels rose Researchers discovered a
significant relationship between CRP levels and all indices of body fat,
including body mass index, waist girth, and visceral adipose fat fat
detected by a type of body scan called tomography They also found that
CRP levels were higher in men with clinical evidence of insulin resistance,
such as
elevated insulin levels at fasting or after a glucose challenge
What ties these metabolic disturbances together? Fat tissue in the abdomen
may be a major source of inflammatory cells called cytokines, researchers
pointed out As the fat piles up, cytokines may multiply and become more
activated, causing CRP levels to creep upward
This chronic, low-grade cytokine flux can also be triggered by higher
insulin levels Cytokines, in turn, encourage the liver to release more
stored fat and sugar into the bloodstream, causing additional body fat to
form and further aggravating insulin resistance In this way, the body can
get stuck in a vicious cycle of self-perpetuating imbalances
But the evidence is not always obvious to see In a recent editorial,
Russell Tracy, PhD, of the University of Vermonts Laboratory for
Clinical Biochemistry Research, points to evidence that even people who
are not obviously overweight may still have disproportionately too much
visceral fat, with the result of a predisposition toward insulin resistance
and atherosclerotic disease, possibly through inappropriate cytokine
secretion
In particular, abdominal fat - that extra flab hanging over the belt -
appears to
be a key regulatory site for the general processes of
inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis - the primary mechanisms
linked to both heart disease and dysglycemia
Sustained weight loss may be one way out of this dire scenario Based on a
study of 83 healthy, obese women, Australian investigators also recently
found that baseline CRP levels corresponded with body mass and waist girth
However, after the women completed a 12-week low-fat, energy-restricted
diet, losing an average of 79 kg 174 lbs, their CRP levels dropped by
26 Exercise, statins, and possibly aspirin, may also lower CRP levels,
other research suggests
Without such interventions, this inflammatory-driven medley of metabolic
dysfunctions could very easily spiral into adult-onset diabetes
As recently reported in JAMA, data from the Womens Health Study indicates
that women with the highest serum CRP levels are 157 times more likely to
develop type-2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest levels Even
after adjustment for other variables such as obesity, glycemic control, and
smoking, the risk of future diabetes appears to increase 64 with each
quartile increase in CRP levels
NOTE: The chronic, low-grade
inflammation linked to diabetes and
cardiovascular disease risk can only be detected using a high-sensitivity
assay for CRP This assay, hs-CRP, is an integral component of the advanced
Comprehensive Cardiovascular Assessment Learn more about CRP and other
cardiac test markers by accessing the Application Guide online at:
http://wwwgsdlcom/assessments/cardio/appguide/
