Sugar alters the level of serum insulin and plasma glucose and the serum cortisol: DHEAS ratio in female migraine sufferers
Early work has highlighted that a large percentage of migraineurs may have an altered glucidic methabolis due to carbohydrate-induced hyperinsulinism. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of sucrose on biomarkers of energy metabolism and utilization in migraineous females. A total of 16 participants (8 = Migraine, 8 = Non-migraine) at the mid-point of their menstrual cycle underwent a 15-h fast prior to ingesting 75 g sucrose dissolved in 175 g water. Blood sampling for the assessment of serum insulin, serum cortisol and serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and plasma glucose was conducted upon arrival at 09:00 h and then at regular 15-min intervals across a 150-min experimental period. The results showed a significant alteration in serum insulin and plasma glucose following sucrose ingestion in the migraine and non-migraine groups. In addition, significant group differences were observed in the level of serum insulin, serum DHEAS, and the cortisol:DHEAS ratio with migraine participants on average recording a higher sucrose-induced serum insulin level and lower DHEAS level and cortisol:DHEAS ratio when group data was compared. It was concluded that while sucrose consumption may potentiate serum insulin in migraineurs this does not result in the development of sucrose-induced hypoglycemia in migraine or non-migraine participants.
Salivary or Serum Cortisol: Possible Implications for Alcohol Research
Alcohol consumption can induce the development of nutritional disorders as alcohol ingestion often replaces food intake [1]. The long-term intake of alcohol decreases the amount of food consumed when food is freely available [2], and the degree of malnutrition may be related to the irregularity of feeding habits and intensity of alcohol intake [3]. The repercussions of alcohol abuse (over time) can involve damage to most of the major organs and systems in the body [4]. However, despite the overwhelming evidence linking alcohol to ill health the role (if any) alcohol plays in the development of disease remains uncertain. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is responsible for the synthesis and release of steroid hormones, the most abundant being dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA sulfate (DHEAS), cortisol, and aldosterone [e.g. 5]. The release of either corticotropin-releasing factor or arguinine vasopressin by the hypothalamus stimulates the anterior pituitary to release adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which promotes the synthesis and release of steroid hormones that have glucocorticoid (i.e. cortisol), mineralocorticoid (i.e. aldosterone), and androgenic (i.e. DHEA, DHEAS) functions [6]. Steroid hormones have a diverse and highly important role in the body and any dysregulation in steroid activity can lead to the development of disease. The adrenocortical system is markedly altered by food availability and an elevation in cortisol is commonly observed under fasting conditions [7-9]. Cortisol plays a major role in the regulation of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism [10,11] and during prolonged fasting by stimulating gluconeogenesis acts to protect the body from cellular damage until food once again becomes available [7,8,10-14]. ... The aim of this study was to clarify the effect (if any) of consuming a small-moderate amount of white wine on cortisol by comparing the effect (if any) of consuming a small-moderate amount of white wine on salivary cortisol and serum cortisol, and salivary cortisol alone.
Effect of Wine on Energy Metabolism and Utilisation
The present study aims to investigate the contribution of alcohol toxicity to the development of disease by assessing the effect of consuming a moderate amount of wine immediately following a high-carbohydrate meal on plasma glucose, serum insulin, and serum IgA.
Effect of sucrose consumption on serum insulin, serum cortisol and insulin sensitivity in migraine: Evidence of sex differences
The aim of this study was to compare the effect of sucrose on biomarkers of energy metabolismand utilization in migrainous men and women. A total of 20 participants (7=Migraine (female), 5=Migraine (male), 8=Non-migraine control) submitted to an oral sucrose tolerance test (OSTT), which required them to fast for 15 h overnight and then ingest 75 g sucrose dissolved in 175 g water at 9 AM the next morning. Blood sampling for the assessment of serum insulin, serum cortisol and plasma glucose was conducted upon arrival at 0900 h and then at regular 15-min intervals across a 150-min period. Comparison of insulin sensitivity indexes that rely on fasting glucose and insulin data failed to find evidence of insulin resistance in migraineurs or controls. Prior to sucrose consumption the level of fasting serum cortisol at 0-min on average was significantly higher in migraineurs. However, no significant group differences in the level of fasting serum insulin and plasma glucose at 0-min were noted. Following sucrose consumption: the level of serum insulin was significantly higher in female migraineurs; the level of serum cortisol was significantly higher in male migraineurs; glucose/insulin (G/ I) ratio was significantly higher in male migraineurs at 135-min and 150-min; insulin/cortisol (I/C) ratio was significantly differentwith the I/C ratio lower in male migraineurs and higher in female migraineurs; area under the curve (AUC) insulin was significantly different across groups with AUC insulin lower in male migraineurs and higher in female migraineurs; and AUC cortisol was significantly higher in male migraineurs. It was concluded that the effect of sucrose on biomarkers of energy metabolism and utilization in male and female migraineurs is not the same. Therefore, the factors underlying migraine pathogenesis in men and women may also be different.
Red wine alters the glucose-insulin relationship when consumed alone after a meal
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a small-moderate dose of red wine on the level of serum insulin and plasma glucose before and after a meal. A total of 18 non-diabetic males aged between 19-22 years participated in the current investigation. In the fasting trial participants underwent a 6 hour fast before consuming 4 standard units of red wine (40g alcohol) or the equivalent amount of placebo over a period of 135-min. Food was then presented alone for 45-min. Alternatively, in the feeding trial food was consumed for 45-min prior to participants ingesting 4 standard units of red wine (40g alcohol) or the equivalent amount of placebo over a 135-min period. The serum insulin and plasma glucose level was assessed at regular 45-min intervals across the four 180-min experimental periods. The results showed a significant alcohol-induced decrease in postprandial glucose and no significant change in serum insulin concentration when red wine is consumed alone following a meal. Alternatively, the ingestion of red wine alone prior to food promoted a significant reduction in serum insulin concentration despite preprandial glucose remaining unchanged. It was concluded that red wine may promote an alteration in the feedback mechanism by which plasma glucose controls the insulin rate, which under specific conditions could potentially provide some health benefits to diabetic individuals.
Decreased Appetite for Food in Alcoholism
Long-term alcohol intake can decrease the total amount of food consumed when food is freely available and over time this can promote the development of a severely malnourished state. Alcoholic beverages are high in calories but low in nutrients and how the body uses the energy contained in alcohol is complex and not well understood. Assessment of meal composition has highlighted that the alcohol-induced alteration in food intake may be highly specific and linked to impaired appetite for carbohydrate (in particular). The aim of this chapter is to explore this very specific alcohol effect (i.e. decrease in appetite for carbohydrate). We will begin by investigating whether alcohol is a food for the human body and then briefly look at the biochemical processes associated with regulation of appetite for carbohydrate. It is well accepted that appetite for carbohydrate is largely dependent on the efficient performance of cortisol, a steroid under the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and insulin a pancreatic peptide hormone. In the last section we will look at data from a number of studies aimed at assessing the effect of alcohol on cortisol and insulin under variable nutritional conditions in order to conclude that a decreased appetite for carbohydrate may be a physiological consequence of alcohol consumption.
Migraine: A disorder of metabolism?
The treatment and prevention of migraine within the last decade has become largely pharmacological. While there is little doubt that the advent of drugs (e.g. triptans) has helped many migraine sufferers to lead a normal life, there is still little knowledge with respect to the factors responsible for precipitating a migraine attack. Evidence from biochemical and behavioural studies from a number of disciplines is integrated to put forward the proposal that migraine is part of a cascade of events, which together act to protect the organism when confronted by a metabolic challenge.