Sweet tooth's Liver Culprit

Sweet tooth's Liver Culprit

By: Arlene Gentallan

Sweet tooth's Liver Culprit

        Are ice cream, cakes, chocolate, and candies part of your to do list? Perhaps not...?

        Let's take a peek into your liver. Did you know there's a hormone secreted by the liver that makes one vulnerable to the allure of those sweet goodness--it's the FGF21.

        A study led by M. Gillum discovered that study participants with gene FGF21 variants are 20% more likely to be top consumers of sweets.

        Do remember that too much isn't always good.

        The study also revealed that people with variants of FGF21 gene not only has an increased likelihood of being sweet lover, they also have a higher tendency to drink more alcohol and smoke.

        Though the study was not able to find a link that FGF21 can predispose an individual to diabetes type 2 and obesity.


Resouces:

Cell Press. (2017, May 2). Got a sweet tooth? Blame your liver. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 8, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170502142036.htm

Anti-diabetic Facts: Oleuropein in Olive stimulates Insulin production

Anti-diabetic Facts: Oleuropein in Olive stimulates Insulin production

By: Arlene Gentallan

Anti-diabetic Facts: Oleuropein in Olive stimulates Insulin production

Here's a good reason to add olive oil in your diet.

A research led by Bin Xu, Ph.D found an important compound in olive that's key in it's anti-diabetic property. Oleuropein in olive leaves stimulates the beta cells of pancreas to produce insulin. Our body needs insulin to transport glucose into cells which in turn will be used as an energy source. This in turn, will lower blood sugar level.

Here's another advantage of olive that works in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Did you know that amylin amyloids (protein aggregates) can build up in your pancreas with damaging consequence to insulin-producing beta cells. Oleuropein inhibits amylin amyloids deposition in the pancreas.



Facts:

The beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas procude and store insulin.

Resources:

Bin Xu, Ling Wu, Paul Velander, Dongmin Liu. Olive component oleuropein promotes ß-cell insulin secretion and protects ß-cells from amylin amyloid induced cytotoxicity. Biochemistry, 2017, 56 (38), pp 5035–5039; DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00199.