Anyone who's seen the recent film "Super Size Me" knows too much fat in the diet can lead to an amazing array of health problems, the least of which is weight gain. In healthy people, about half of the fat derived from food is used for energy, while the remainder is stored in adipose tissue for future use.According to a new study, however, eating too much fat can accumulate in the liver and cause "fatty liver," which can lead to metabolic syndrome, cirrhosis and other, more sinister disorders.
In this study, researchers sought to determine the accumulation of fat in the liver in a group of clinically obese people, all of whom had been diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Five days before having a liver biopsy, study participants were given food containing fats laced with deuterium, a rare form of hydrogen, in order to trace the location of the fat as it coursed through the person's body.
Analysis of liver tissue revealed that it contained significant amounts of fat, approximately 15 percent of which came from the diet. In addition, the conversion of dietary carbohydrates to fatty acids occurred at a rate nearly five times higher than in healthy people.
References
Donnelly KL, Smith CI, Schwarzenberg SJ, et al. Sources of fatty acids stored in liver and secreted via lipoproteins in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, May 2005;115(5):1343-1351.
Recent laws in New Jersey and California represent a disturbing trend that will negatively impact a practice’s ability to collect monies from patients, as well as expose them to significant penalties if the practice does not follow the mandatory guidelines to a T. Please be aware that a similar law may be coming to your state. The time to act is before the law is passed.
Each year, ICD-10-CM is updated on Oct. 1. For 2026, there are 74,179 total codes, with 487 additions, 28 deletions and 38 revisions. Code changes are based on date of service, not the claim submission date. Services performed on/after Oct. 1 must use the new codes. While no changes affect the common spinal or extraspinal codes most frequently used by DCs, several updates may still affect your claims – particularly for comorbidities, referred pain, or trauma cases.
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Southern California University of Health Sciences has entered into an agreement with Pacific College of Health and Science whereby PCHS’ San Diego and Chicago campuses – including students, faculty, staff, and academic programs – will join SCU effective May 2026, pending regulatory approval. Founded in 1986 as Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, PCHS is not only the largest acupuncture / herbal medicine school in the U.S., but also offers integrative health curriculum in holistic nursing and massage therapy.
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