Why exercise?

It seems that no matter what's wrong with you, a doctor will recommend exercise as part of the cure. I always thought this made sense in that exercise --> weight loss --> better health. But then I learned that exercise helps independently of weight loss! For cardiovascular disease this makes sense, but why would it be the case for diabetes?

To set the scene: in type 2 diabetes, patients develop insulin resistance: they still make insulin, but cells stop responding to it. After a meal, instead of transporting glucose into cells, glucose remains in the blood. Patients become hyperglycemic, which over time damages organs.

It turns out that everyone has "non-insulin-mediated glucose uptake" transporters that take up glucose from blood regardless of insulin. Because many of these transporters are in skeletal muscle, working that muscle (i.e. exercising) improves the number and efficacy of these transporters. This provides an alternate way to take up glucose even in patients with insulin resistance.

Pretty neat, huh?

This salad is the edible equivalent of the neon gear that runners love so much, and I bet it has a low glycemic index to boot. It's vaguely reminiscent of an "Asian chopped salad." Simply mix together:

• 1 clementine, sectioned
• 2-3 radishes, sliced or chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• handful of roasted almonds, chopped
• sliced grilled chicken, optional
• romaine or butter lettuce
• balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Sunny salad for a Sunday morning

This week has been stressful in an unusual sort of way: there's no time crunch, we're not studying any tragic diseases or injuries, and yet preparing to dissect genitalia is stressful. It's unpleasant, and it can't be avoided. Friday evening we unwound a bit by attending "Grand Rounds," a parody show put together by the fourth-years celebrating their four years of med school, with all its pros and cons. The most notable feature was a long, long slide show of students napping at all times in all places: definitely humorous, but a little sad if you think about it. It's daunting to imagine what we have ahead of us, even if much of it is exciting and will bring our class closer together.

Another way to unwind, other than eating high-fat food and drinking and dancing, is to eat fresh and delicious food. Chopping vegetables is cathartic. I hated fennel as a kid, but now I've rediscovered it with a vengeance.

Mario Batali's recipe for fennel and citrus salad (Vitamin C, I just learned, enhances iron absorption in the gut, which is great for preventing anemia!):

• 1 fennel bulb (sold at Trader Joe's in packs of two)
• 1 orange or small grapefruit, or 2 clementines
• juice of 1 lemon
• olive oil
• pepper

Slice the fennel as thin as possible, cutting around the solid white stalk in the middle. Discard the center stalk. Section the citrus: for the orange or grapefruit, you'll have to remove the segments from their casings; clementines are fine as they are. Toss with lemon juice, a drop of oil (too much doesn't taste as good), and pepper.