Author Archives: Sarenka Smith

Biomarkers Could Predict Best Diets

December 7, 2017

A new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has indicated two biomarkers that can predict the efficacy of certain diets for weight loss: specifically, for people with prediabetes or diabetes.

Through an analysis of over 1,200 adults, researchers discovered that a person’s fasting blood glucose levels, fasting insulin levels, or both, could pinpoint which diets would most likely lead to weight loss. These biomarkers were particularly effective in determining which diets were best for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Each year, millions of us attempt to lose weight through diets, but not all of us succeed. A new study has uncovered two biomarkers that could predict how effective certain diets will be for weight loss, particularly for people with prediabetes or diabetes.

Statistics from the American Diabetes Association indicate that approximately 29.1 million people in the Untied States have diabetes; estimates show that around 75 million people have pre-diabetes, yet almost 90% remain unaware. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the condition: the body is unable to effectively use the hormone insulin, which causes high blood glucose levels. For people with prediabetes, blood glucose levels remain higher than normal—yet not high enough to lead to a diagnosis of diabetes.

The researchers in the study believe that a person’s fasting blood glucose and insulin levels could be utilized to help identify the most effective diet for weight loss, after analyzing the data of three dietary clinical trials: the Diet, Obesity, and Genes trial, the OPUS Supermarket intervention (SHOPUS), and the Nutrient-gene interactions in human obesity (NUGENOB) trial. The subjects were all overweight; the researchers evaluated and assessed their fasting blood glucose levels, and fasting insulin levels, in order to determine whether the levels were associated with weight loss in response to certain diets.

These results symbolize a kind of breakthrough in personalized nutrition: among adults with prediabetes, the team found that a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits was the most effective for weight loss. For example, in the SHOPUS trial, adults with prediabetes who followed a diet high in the aforementioned foods lost more weight than those who followed a controlled diet. For people with type 2 diabetes, the researchers found that a diet rich in plant-based, “healthy” fats, and low in carbohydrates, was most effective for weight loss.

The team reported that adding participants’ fasting insulin levels to the analysis further strengthened the identified correlations between diet and weight loss, confirming the hypothesis that fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin levels may be biomarkers for weight loss.

Type 2 Diabetes & A Rigorous Diet

Some people with Type 2 diabetes were able to put the disease in remission without medication by following a rigorous diet plan, according to a study published today in The Lancet medical journal.

“Our findings suggest that even if you have had Type 2 diabetes for six years, putting the disease into remission is feasible,” Michael Lean, a professor from the University of Glasgow in Scotland who co-led the study, said in a statement.

The researchers looked at 149 participants who have had Type 2 diabetes for up to six years and monitored them closely as they underwent a liquid diet that provided only 825 to 853 calories per day for three to five months. The participants were then reintroduced to solid food and maintained a structured diet until the end of the yearlong study.

The researchers found that almost half of the participants (68 total) were able to put their diabetes in remission without the use of medication after one year. In addition, those who undertook the study also lost an average of more than 20 pounds. Thirty-two of the 149 participants in the study, however, dropped out of the program.

The study comes at a time when more than 100 million American adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a report released earlier this year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prediabetes was defined by the CDC as a condition that if not treated often leads to Type 2 diabetes within five years. In addition, approximately 90 to 95 percent of the more than 30 million Americans living with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC.

Roy Taylor, a professor at Newcastle University in the U.K. who co-led the study said in a statement announcing the findings that the impact that diet and lifestyle has on diabetes are “rarely discussed.”

“Rather than addressing the root cause, management guidelines for Type 2 diabetes focus on reducing blood sugar levels through drug treatments. Diet and lifestyle are touched upon but diabetes remission by cutting calories is rarely discussed,” Taylor said. He added that the participants were not asked to increase their physical activity at all, but only asked to modify their diet.

“A major difference from other studies is that we advised a period of dietary weight loss with no increase in physical activity, but during the long-term follow up increased daily activity is important,” Taylor said.

Taylor also wrote that the study offered a more universal approach to reversing diabetes compared to undergoing bariatric surgery, which can achieve Type 2 diabetes remission for some people, but “is more expensive and risky, and is only available to a small number of patients.”

Member of the Month: Donna Barsky

December 5, 2017

A4M valued member Donna Barsky shares insight from her professional experience in this Member of the Month feature.

Dr. Donna Barsky, born and raised in Oklahoma, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education, from East Central State, in 1972, her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1979 and completed her Doctorate of Pharmacy in 1999.

She ran her own pharmacy relief service for independent compounding pharmacies and nursing home consulting practice from 1980 until April 2006. She has been compounding for over 30 years and has developed many of her own formulas to address specific patient needs. In June 2006 she opened Texas Star Pharmacy, a full-service independent compounding pharmacy in Plano, TX. Dr. Barsky is also the owner of Dr. Donna’s SilverSkin, a cosmetic company, in which she developed all the cosmetic products.

Donna is a preceptor, IV and Immunization Certified, MTM provider, and Certified Diabetic trainer and Travel-Health Service Provider and a speaker for multiple organizations including NCPA (National Community Pharmacy Association) and Richland College. She is also a regular contributing author for Living Well magazine, Le Femme FOCUS International, an online magazine and has been on Good Morning Texas, NBC 8 and several other local stations.

Texas Star Pharmacy has received Plano Star Courier Reader’s Choice Best Pharmacy in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 and received the Fred Moses Minority Business Development Award in 2011. Dr. Barsky is also an active member of the National Community Pharmacist Association and also holds active memberships with the Pharmacy Compounding Centers of America, Texas Pharmacy Association, APHA (American Pharmacy Association), IACP (International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists) and A4M (American Academy of Anti-Aging).

Q1: Before joining A4M, what was your medical background?

Pharmacy was my livelihood, but I always pushed toward a more holistic approach toward aging. Nutrition was a big part of pharmacy as well, because there are numerous pharmaceuticals that can cause nutritional depletions that need to be addressed for better health.

Q2: What anti-aging techniques have you incorporated into your practice? And how did you so?

We have a Certified Clinical Nutritionist on staff and have started to work with physicians in our area to help their offices become more efficient in nutritional guidance. Then, we also help the physicians, in a collaborative effort, determine the best pathway for new hormone/thyroid patients to follow. With this Texas Health Initiative, we have helped hundreds of patients find their pathway to better aging.

Q3: What are the benefits of practicing anti-aging medicine: as a professional, and for your practice?

The patients achieve a new perspective on healthy eating, as well as nutritionals for any deficiencies that may be occurring from medications. Hormone and thyroid changes can be a problem as we age and when the hormones are balanced, the patients feel like their old self again and they come into the pharmacy feeling wonderful.

Personally, I also practice what I preach and feel better now than I did in my 40’s. But, secondly, I have found that moving patients toward more natural solutions have added to my bottom line. The benefit is the fact that I am not fighting with insurance companies as much as I was prior to the natural movement on a daily basis.

Q4: What are the changes you see in your patients?

Happier, healthier individuals who have lower Ha1c levels, lower LDL levels, more energy and more efficient thyroid function. It’s great to see the husband of one of my patients and hear him tell me that I saved his marriage because he now can do something right for a change, or to hear another one walk through the door, throw her hands in the air and say, “I’ve lost 17 pounds, just by taking my hormones!”

Q5: Why would you recommend Anti-Aging Medicine to your peers?

Just because you were taught traditional medicine only in med school, doesn’t mean that there is no other way to practice. The only reasons why there are no natural products tested in this country is because companies cannot patent a natural product. Go beyond your schooling, look at the studies that have been done in other countries and see what might help your own clientele. With an open mind, who knows, you might find the right answer to some of the questions that have plagued you for years.

Q6: Where do you see the future of Anti-Aging medicine 20 years from now?

I truly believe that with healthcare as expensive as it is today, patients are trying to find a better, more effective and less expensive way to live a longer, healthier, active life. We are more active than we were 20 years ago and have more options for retirement than we have ever had before. I firmly believe that the functional/anti-aging approach will become a major factor in patients’ health for now and in the future. Certainly, if we are living longer, why wouldn’t anyone want to live better?