Credit: iStock/Rizwan Mehmood People who have diabetes have a higher risk of kidney disease. When you hear those words, you might imagine kidneys that don’t work well enough. But in the early stages of diabetes, something surprising can happen: The kidneys may filter too much. In other words, they’re working more than they should. This … Continue reading Why Diabetes Can Make Your Kidneys Work Overtime
Diabetes
Rethinking Metformin: Can It Really Turn Back the Clock?
Credit: iStock/tolgart Have you ever heard the saying “Inside every old person is a young person wondering ‘what happened?’” There may be a huge number of people around the world having the same thought—the World Health Organization estimates roughly 1.4 billion adults will be at least 60 years old by 2030. As the global population … Continue reading Rethinking Metformin: Can It Really Turn Back the Clock?
Can The Body’s Natural Signals Help Wounds Heal Better With Diabetes?
Credit: iStock/Pekic Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, can make it harder for wounds to heal. Researchers are exploring why, and how the body’s natural healing processes could be improved. Pedro Geralde, PD, a professor at the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada, shared his team’s work at … Continue reading Can The Body’s Natural Signals Help Wounds Heal Better With Diabetes?
Can Beetroot Juice Help Your Blood Vessels Stay Healthy?
Credit: iStock Have you ever wondered why some days climbing a flight of stairs feels easy, while other days it leaves you out of breath? Your muscles matter, but so do your blood vessels. Think of your blood vessels as highways that carry oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Blood vessels need to be able … Continue reading Can Beetroot Juice Help Your Blood Vessels Stay Healthy?
What Your A1c Doesn’t Tell You
Credit: iStock/Md Saiful Islam Khan Imagine you’ve got diabetes and are at the doctor’s office. You leave your appointment reassured; your A1c is “good,” neatly packaged into a single number that suggests control, stability and safety. It feels definitive. But physiology rarely speaks in averages. A1c measures how much glucose has been sticking to the … Continue reading What Your A1c Doesn’t Tell You
Spotlight On: Gestational Diabetes
Credit: iStock/lostinbids A person’s body changes in many ways during pregnancy to support a growing baby. One change involves how the body controls blood sugar. Insulin is a hormone that helps transport sugar from the blood into cells so it can be used for energy. During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones that make the pregnant … Continue reading Spotlight On: Gestational Diabetes
GLP-1 Agonists: More Than Just Weight Loss
Conference attendees listen to a scientific session at the 2025 American Physiology Summit. Originally developed to treat diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists have recently dominated media coverage due to their potent effects on weight loss. Preliminary research has also suggested that these drugs may also have a protective role in other body systems and improve … Continue reading GLP-1 Agonists: More Than Just Weight Loss
GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss: From Science Fiction to Reality
Credit: iStock/zimmytws Obesity affects more than one billion people around the world. Historically, the genetic ability to store body fat is an evolutionary conserved adaptation to stave off starvation. The combination of the superb ability to store body fat, a high rate of sedentary lifestyle and an abundance of ultra-processed foods—a food landscape our great-grandparents … Continue reading GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss: From Science Fiction to Reality
How to Turn Your Fitness Resolution into a Lasting Habit
Credit: iStock/Fokusiert If getting more exercise is on your New Year’s resolution list, you’re not alone. While becoming more active is one of the most common resolutions, only about 25% of adults meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. How can you beat the odds and make sure your resolution becomes more than just a … Continue reading How to Turn Your Fitness Resolution into a Lasting Habit
The Top 10 Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts of 2024
Credit: iStock/gustavofrazao It’s been another “ph-un” filled year of physiology on the I Spy Physiology blog! We’ve featured posts ranging from marijuana research and bone cancer in children to how many steps do we really need to take per day and if alkaline water lives up to the hype. To complement our Women’s Health Research … Continue reading The Top 10 Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts of 2024