Did you hear about renowned Harvard scientist Barbara Kahn's latest published research? I blogged about it recently. Kahn and colleagues state, in a report published in Cell Metabolism (July 2007), that it's possible to use a simple blood test to detect the presence of a specific protein called RBP4. Kahn et al say the presence of RBP4 can be used to measure accumulations of deep belly fat. Underpinning this research is a belief that such accumulations of belly fat increase risk for metabolic syndrome, leading to various maladies including heart disease and diabetes.

However, not everyone accepts this point of view. A Yale research team says that deep belly fat may not be so evil after all. The researchers, who are based at Yale University School of Medicine in Chevy Chase, Maryland, assert that metabolic syndrome is caused not by belly fat but by insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. This resistance, they state, makes it tough for the body to manufacture glycogen, so - in people who are insulin resistant - energy that cannot be stored as glycogen gets diverted into fatty acid production, which then contributes to metabolic syndrome.

The team compared abdominal fat levels in young and healthy individuals, some of whom were insulin sensitive and some of whom were insulin resistant. The result? "There is absolutely no difference in the volume of abdominal fat," states Yale's Gerald I. Shulman, who was lead author of the study. Abdominal fat, says Dr. Shulman, "may come later in the course of the disease [metabolic syndrome], but it's not a primary, underlying factor."

Researchers found that the type of body fat an individual has -- - white and brown-- may explain why one person gains weight easier than another.

White fat is the more familiar form of fat that accumulates in the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks. Brown fat burns energy and generates heat. White fat is deposited around internal organs and as visceral fat - the most harmful form of abdominal fat. Brown fat contains small lipid droplets tucked behind tiny energy factories called mitochondria. These cells are most prevalent in cute, little chubby babies, but tend to mostly disappear by adulthood. A 2005 Joslin study discovered genes that control the creation of the precursor cells that give rise to brown fat cells. This latest study shows that brown fat may not disappear in all adult animals and that little collections of brown fat may account for why some mice are protected from obesity and diabetes and others are not.

This study compared the difference in fat metabolism between the B6 mouse and the 129 mouse. The B6 mouse is one of the most commonly used strains in metabolic research and an established model for diet-induced obesity. When placed on a high-fat diet, the B6 mouse develops severe obesity, high blood glucose and insulin resistance with extremely high insulin levels. By contrast, the 129 mouse gains 30% to 50% less weight than the B6 mouse and is resistant to dietary induced obesity and glucose intolerance.

The only difference between the B6 and 129 mice is the type of body fat. The B6 mice had a majority of white fat cells, whereas the 129 mice had over 100 times the number of brown fat cells than the B6 mice. The mice with more white fat cells had a tendency to gain weight and develop diabetes on a high-fat diet. The study showed that the 129 mice had higher basal energy expenditure than the B6 mouse, resulting in a mitigated response to dietary effects. So I guess this begs the question -- how does one turn white fat into brown fat?

A diet rich in black soya beans (UK) or soybeans (US) could help control weight and even prevent diabetes. The laboratory research on rats found the beans could also lower cholesterol levels.

Four groups of 32 male rats consumed a fatty diet for 28 days. Each group was given different amounts of black soya beans, with one group receiving none and acting as a control. The rats eating 10% of their energy from black soya beans gained about half as much weight as those in the control group. Total blood cholesterol also fell by 25% and LDL levels ("bad" cholesterol) fell by 60%. Soya protein may have an effect on fat metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue, reducing synthesis of new fatty acids and cholesterol. It is this metabolic effect that may explain the traditional Asian use of black soya in the treatment of diabetes. 'The key problem in type 2 diabetes is impairment of insulin action due to excess abdominal fat tissue. Any loss of weight often improves glycaemic control.

The research is preliminary but the popularity of soya foods has been increasing over the past few years. You've got to cook something for dinner tonight. Why not give black soya beans a try? Cooks.com offers a few recipes to put your soya beans to good use. Anybody up for soya bean burgers or baked soya beans? The Diabetic soya bean cookies caught my attention. Watch-out, Betty Crocker!!

Chromium picolinate is one of the most widely debated supplements in diabetes health. A study has shown that it improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes not adequately controlled while taking sulfonylurea, a drug that increases insulin release from the beta cells in the pancreas.

A 40-week study was designed to examine the effect of adding daily chromium picolinate supplementation to an antidiabetic medication, sulfonylurea. A commonly prescribed treatment for type 2 diabetes was given to 29 subjects for 24 weeks, in conjunction with either chromium picolinate or a placebo. Blood sugar levels of study participants taking chromium picolinate dropped significantly compared to the placebo group. In addition, insulin sensitivity for participants taking the chromium picolinate was increased when compared to those in the placebo group. Study participants taking chromium picolinate also experienced significantly lower abdominal body fat accumulation than the placebo group, and experienced less overall weight gain.

This study demonstrates that chromium picolinate supplementation for type 2 diabetes who are taking sulfonylurea agents significantly improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control. In addition, chromium picolinate was shown to reduce weight gain and fat accumulation compared with the placebo group. The results of this study were first published in August 2006 - but knowing about chromium picolinate today leaves you with ample time to adjust for greater insulin sensitivity and less fattening days to come!

Researchers say a new method of replacing unhealthy trans fats by modifying fat in commercial products has been found to raise blood glucose and depress insulin in humans -- both common precursors to diabetes. If that wasn't bad enough -- it still adversely affects the beneficial HDL-cholesterol.

The study demonstrates the process of rearranging molecules in the fat adversely affect human metabolism of fats and glucose. The metabolism of unmodified natural saturated fat is healthier, in comparison. The trans fats are replaced with interesterified fat, which is a modified fat that includes hydrogenation followed by rearrangement of fat molecules by the process called interesterification. The rearranged fats are then enriched with saturated stearic acid. Experts on human lipid metabolism noted this study shows the specific location of individual fatty acids, particularly saturated fatty acids, seems to make a difference on fat and glucose metabolism.

New York City has already outlawed the use of trans fats in restaurants. Several U.S. cities have or are considering banning them as well. However a safe replacement for these fats has not yet been agreed upon. Looks like the Micronutrient Monitors will have to congregate at the kitchen table to chew the fat on this one a little more.