Are you ready? with Leigh Elder

My last column looked at some of the complex metabolic issues associated with weight and diabetes issues – as well as the all too common problem of people being unable to lose weight despite their best efforts at getting their nutrition and lifestyle together.

A blood-test can check out issues like thyroid function, stress hormones, estrogen and progesterone balance and triglycerides to see if they are in the normal range. Large waists and high blood pressure are also indicators of metabolic problems, which will make weight-loss difficult.

We have recently turned our attention to what part fat deposits in the liver and pancreas may play in solving this jig-saw. While we are certainly not keen on long-term calorie restriction diets, the actual success achieved by Michael Mosley with his ‘8 Week Blood-Sugar Diet' is quite phenomenal in helping type 2 diabetics reverse their condition and lose impressive amounts of weight.

This phenomenon first came to our attention a few years ago when people who had undertaken bariatric (stomach reduction) surgery experienced the same thing. UK Professor Roy Taylor is a prime mover in this area, and a major study on this subject, funded by Diabetes UK, will be completed in 2018.

Your pancreas and liver are the twin factories which work together to control many metabolic processes. If they are fatty, they are not as effective and stop talking to each other. A good example, is a fatty pancreas can lose its ability to make insulin, the processing of glucose becomes impaired and type 2 diabetes is the result.

EFK is now focusing on this key issue and helping some of our people to seek a diagnosis, and take action in this area if there is a problem.

Contact: leigh@eatforkeep.com or 027 294 1980