Nutrigenetics is the study of the interaction of genes and diet. The Diet Channel has published an article explaining what nutrigenetics is and how it will revolutionize the world of diabetes.

Researchers believe elevated blood sugar can be mapped back to a genetic reaction. Drugs are only overriding the cause of elevated blood sugar and forcing the sugar into the cells, causing damage over time. Nutrigenetics is addressing the cause of the elevated blood sugar and may suggest a better diet to control your diabetes. Genes control how you metabolize certain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. These genes can vary from one individual to the next. See what happens to Buddy the Elf when he consumes way too much coffee? Yes, I know - that's Hollywood. Nevertheless - a comical example of what nutrigenetics explores.

Consumer-friendly tests are available for these gene and diet interactions. The tests are done with a cheek swab. You send your swab off to a specialized lab, which analyzes DNA from the cheek cells. You receive a report identifying your gene variations. A qualified health professional can explain the test results, and make specific diet and supplement recommendations to optimize your health. If this is a test you're interested in taking, Sciona's Mycellf Program will be happy to prepare your profile. Open up and say Ahhhh.

Diabetics who are familiar with the glycemic index have an easier time discerning how certain foods will affect their blood sugar. The principle of the glycemic index is based on a 1 to 100 scale, with pure glucose being 100. A food GI is measured by how much it will raise blood sugar in a 2 hour span.

The glycemic index (GI) underlying theme is a low-sugar, high-fiber, plant-based diet. Most GI lists categorize foods into three groups: Low (less than 55), Medium (55-69), and High (over 70) GI foods. Low GI foods will stimulate the least blood glucose and are presumably better to eat. Vegetables generally are low GI. Foods with lots of sugar have higher values. The GI theory is not cut and dry. Certain factors will skew results, for example: eating protein. Protein will slow the abortion of glucose into the blood. This rule also holds true for fat.

Curious how a low glycemic diet might work for you? Fifty50 wants to help you achieve optimal blood sugar control. They have created a step-by-step experiment that shows how a high glycemic meal will affect a blood sugar, in relation to a low glycemic meal. Check it out and see for yourself is this GI thing is worth mastering.

The US weight-loss supplement industry made $3.9 billion in sales last year. With this information The Diet Channel took a good, hard look at the safety and efficacy of diet pills, both over the counter and prescription.

Prescription weight loss pills are heavily regulated and over the counter are not. Some of the prescriptions meds reviewed include: fen-phen, Meridia, and Orlistat. Prescription meds are qualified by their ability to induce 10-20% weight loss in a year. However, both prescription and over-the-counter provisions state you must follow a healthy diet and exercise. To expect a change in your body without changing your lifestyle is nearly irrational.

Over the counter products tend to evade heavy regulation. However this lack of regulation comes at the cost of potentially harmful side effects. The article continues to mention other over the counter weight loss supplements including: green tea, caffeine, hoodia and alli. The billion dollar question is: if any of these pills truly worked, why is the obesity epidemic getting worse? Stay tuned for an upcoming article on the newest supplement alli. No, it wasn't named after me.

When The Diet Channel reviewed Fiber 35, they took the diplomatic approach, citing good and not so good advice. Good advice including: get plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, eat reasonable portions, and exercise. The problem is that this excellent, evidence-based message is buried in hyperbolic language and some superfluous advice.

Fiber 35 emphasizes the mechanisms by which fiber and fiber-containing foods can help improve disease markers (cholesterol, blood sugar, and immunity), while helping to control weight and appetite. A concept enjoying heavy rotation and loose interpretations nowadays is the subject of toxins. Fiber 35 claims that toxins are relieved by eating fiber -- 35 grams a day or more. Fat is addressed as being relatively inactive from a metabolic standpoint. However there is emerging research (not addressed in Fiber 35) demonstrating that fat is active to the point of a separate hormone targeting the metabolic response. As the diabetic community grows, the day will soon arrive when local CVS and Walgreens pharmacies carry the next endocrine simulating prescription.

Until that day arrives (and I continue to pray that capitalistic affairs of Big Pharma slow down like the alimentary canal without a trace of fiber) - look toward Mother Nature for the most organic answer to our metabolic quagmire. Thanks to Brenda Watson for Fiber 35 and The Diet Channel for their comprehensive review. To read the full article, click here.