#3-01 - Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolic Dysfunction - ft. Prof. Jens Brüning

In the first episode of season 3, Bea talks about diabetes and obesity to Professor Jens Brüning, a Director of the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research in Cologne, as well as head of the clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Preventive Medicine at the University Hospital in Cologne.

About 10% of the people worldwide have diabetes and it is one of the leading causes of death in the world, with its prevalence steadily increasing over the past few decades.

Bea and Jens talk about the diabetes epidemic and the link between diabetes and obesity. Jens explains the two types of diabetes, the function of insulin, ghrelin, and leptin, and the role genetics and lifestyle play in diabetes and obesity. He also clarifies pre-diabetes and gestational diabetes, and sheds some light onto the connection between diabetes and COVID-19.

Jens emphasises the importance of sports for metabolism, in general, and in diabetes, in particular. The two also discuss how realistic the plans for a miracle pill that could replace sports are and the importance of eating with your circadian rhythm.

Professor Brüning’s lab: https://www.sf.mpg.de/research/bruening

Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research: https://www.sf.mpg.de/en

Facts in the description from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Episode Art: Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya (https://unsplash.com/@towfiqu999999) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/)

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Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar 

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