Blog — Obesity

By Dr. Alison McAllister, ZRT Laboratory Many times when I am talking to a practitioner about a patient with PCOS and/or weight issues, I commonly get the response – "His/her blood sugar is normal." However, when we are looking at the health of PCOS and weight-challenged patients, their insulin response is of primary importance, and not just their blood sugar. When we are fasting, both blood sugar and insulin levels should be at a steady state. Blood sugar is generally between 70-90 mg/dL and insulin levels between 1-8 µIU/mL. When we eat a meal, blood sugar increases. In response, insulin...

Practical Takeaway: Imbalances in estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and cortisol, brought on by such factors as aging, diet and the stresses of modern life, have contributed to the obesity epidemic.  Our bodies have also not adapted hormonally to the challenges of regulating fat stores when presented with excessive levels of highly refined foods found in the Western diet. Are Hormones Making Us Fat? As the incidence of obesity climbs ever higher in the United States and other industrialized countries around the world, so does the number of theories on what are the causes and solutions to the problem. The science on hormones and obesity becomes...