/oss/taxonomy/term/376/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/taste-bitter-melon <p>Bitter melon, also known as Momordica charantia, is a peculiar-looking vegetable that has piqued the interest of many for its potential health benefits, particularly in managing diabetes. Native to Asia, East Africa, India, and South America, this plant has various other names such as bitter gourd, balsam pear, and karela, depending on the region. The name Momordica, derived from the Latin word meaning "to bite," refers to the jagged edges of its leaves, which look as though they've been nibbled.</p> Fri, 28 Jun 2024 01:41:06 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 9990 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/leptin-hormone-regulate-appetite <p>The implementation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based drugs for the treatment of obesity has been an incredible advance in the field, enabling up to 25% decreases in body weight in many patients. However, GLP-1 is only one of many factors in the body that regulate appetite. So why are some of these other hormones not also being used to treat overweight and obesity? The answers are sometimes surprising, as exemplified by the focus today on leptin.</p> Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:11:35 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9859 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/what-next-evolution-glp-1-based-therapies-diabetes-and-obesity <p>The first glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapeutic was approved by Health Canada in 2011 for the treatment of hyperglycemia in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Little was it suspected at that time that this class of drugs would go on to become a global success not only for Type 2 diabetes but, now, also for people living with overweight/obesity. Since that time, numerous variants of GLP-1 have been developed, with at least 7 different forms in trials or available today.</p> Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:17:14 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9763 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history/hundred-years-ago-life-changed-diabetics <p>November 26th marks the 100th anniversary of a splendid dinner held at the University of Toronto to recognize perhaps the greatest Canadian achievement in science. A few weeks earlier, the Nobel committee had announced the awarding of the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine to Drs. Frederick Banting and John Macleod of the University of Toronto for their discovery of insulin.  </p> Wed, 22 Nov 2023 18:54:28 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9737 at /oss /oss/article/medical/type-2-diabetes-what-why-and-how <p>November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. It therefore timely to consider what diabetes actually is, why we should care, and how it can be treated. Diabetes, or more technically, diabetes mellitus, now affects 10% of Canadians, with the numbers increasing annually, not only in Canada but worldwide.</p> Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:22:11 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9730 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/berberine-dont-swallow-hype-or-pill <p>Are you kidding me? “Nature’s Ozempic"? Really? That message is spreading like wildfire on TikTok about berberine, a compound found in plants such as barberry, golden seal and meadow rue that have a long history of use in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Why the comparison with Ozempic, Novo Nordisk’s brand name for its anti-diabetes drug, semaglutide? Because semaglutide has turned out to have an unanticipated side effect. Weight loss!</p> Thu, 22 Jun 2023 18:13:42 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9554 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/jumping-gun <p>Ready, Set, Go…. for Ozempic. That’s what the incessant television ads suggest. “Ask your doctor about Ozempic,” the ads advise, without mentioning what the drug is for. The marketer’s hope is that the doc, on seeing the few extra pounds on the questioner, will reach for the prescription pad. There is a good chance of that since the weight control effects of GLP-1 agonists, the class of drugs to which semaglutide belongs, have been a hot topic in the medical literature and are enthusiastically pointed out by pharmaceutical reps.</p> Wed, 17 May 2023 14:30:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9512 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-environment/one-birds <p>Pet birds are very popular and loads of people have bird feeders in their back yards. That makes for birdseed being a huge business! Most people of course don’t give much thought to what it actually is, other than that it’s the stuff you put in your birdfeeder. And I would venture to say that the existence of a major crop called canary grass, grown on close to a third of a million acres in Saskatchewan, would be a surprise to almost everyone. Canary grass looks something like wheat and comes in two major varieties that are described as “itchy” and “itchless.” It isn’t hard to guess why.</p> Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:43:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9437 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition-pseudoscience/fountain-youth-and-alligators <p>Funny the things one remembers. Like “Don’s Fountain of Youth,” a short cartoon I saw some time back in the 60s. “Don” was Donald Duck and the story was all about taking his nephews on a Florida vacation. The “kids” are more interested in reading comics than the sights that Donald is pointing out, at least until they chance upon a pond with a sign "Mistaken for the Fountain of Youth by Ponce de Leon 1512." Donald decides to have a little fun with his nephews and removes the “mistaken for” part of the sign.</p> Tue, 15 Oct 2019 17:06:33 +0000 Joe Scwarcz PhD 7962 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-videos/right-chemistry-known-benefits-low-carb-keto-diets <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"></div> Mon, 18 Feb 2019 17:16:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7596 at /oss /oss/article/health/heres-how-some-diabetics-can-save-their-money <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-heres-how-some-diabetics-can-save-their-money">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Tue, 05 Feb 2019 15:48:42 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7572 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology/fingerprick-blood-sugar-tests-how-they-work-and-why-we-still-use-them <p>We are living in the future. We have <a href="https://store.google.com/product/google_home">robotic personal assistants</a>, <a href="https://www.apple.com/ca/watch/">watches</a> that replace credit cards, <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-ca/ht208108">phones</a> that recognize our faces, and <a href="https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/autopilot">self driving cars</a> are just around the corner. But for all our advancement, patients with diabetes still need to stab themselves multiple times a day to check their blood glucose levels. There has to be a better way, right?</p> Tue, 17 Jul 2018 16:09:16 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7172 at /oss /oss/article/health-quackery/can-bitter-melon-treat-type-2-diabetes <p><span><span>What on Earth is bitter melon?</span></span></p> <p><span>Good question. I certainly didn’t know before researching this article. Let’s start with some basics.</span></p> Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:00:30 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7147 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/electrifying-experience <p>A diabetic patient complained of feeling a tingling in his feet and hands, which to his physician sounded like the beginnings of diabetic nerve damage. Paradoxically, though, he only got this sensation in the shower when adjusting the showerhead. The man was accompanied to the physician’s office by his wife who overheard his comments about the shower. She immediately volunteered the information that she had experienced the same tingling when she touched the showerhead.</p> Tue, 25 Apr 2017 18:30:09 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2416 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-health-news-toxicity/phthalates-and-microwave-ovens <p>It always pays to read the study! It really does, because popular accounts often misinterpret what researchers actually found and end up raising undue alarm. Of course it is raising the red flag of alarm that gets attention, and these days, with all sorts of bloggers scooting around to popularize their websites hoping to recruit advertisers, getting attention is what it is all about.</p> Sun, 20 Sep 2015 11:48:18 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2284 at /oss