Family ties

Photo by Robert BostonChristine Yokoyama (left), a first-year medical student, receives a white coat from her father, Wayne Yokoyama, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, at the Class of 2013 White Coat Ceremony Aug. 14 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center.

Fat in the liver — not the belly — is a better marker for disease risk

New findings from nutrition researchers at the School of Medicine suggest that it’s not whether body fat is stored in the belly that affects metabolic risk factors for diabetes, high blood triglycerides and cardiovascular disease, but whether it collects in the liver. They report online in the journal PNAS Early Edition that when fat collects in the liver, people experience serious metabolic problems such as insulin resistance, which affects the body’s ability to metabolize sugar.

Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics

Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and now researchers at the School of Medicine think they know why. They have found that diabetics deficient in vitamin D can’t process cholesterol normally, so it builds up in their blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
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