University of Granada researchers have shown that melatonin -- a natural hormone produced by the body -- helps in controlling weight gain, even without reducing the intake of food. Melatonin also improves blood lipid profile, as it reduces triglicerids, and also increases HDL cholesterol and reduces LDL cholesterol.
Melatonin is found in small quantities in some fruits and vegetables as mustard, Goji berries, almonds, sunflower seeds, cardamom, fennel, coriander and cherries. Thus, the intake of this kind of food might help in controlling weight gain and preventing heart diseases associated to obesity and dyslipidemia.
Trials with rats
University of Granada researchers have analyzed in young Zucker diabetic obese rats the effects of melatonin on obesity, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure associated with obesity. Melatonin was found to be beneficial for young rats that had not still developed any metabolic or heart disease. Researchers think that melatonin might help prevent heart disease associated with obesity and dyslipidemia...
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Type 2 diabetes, like Type 1, may be an autoimmune disease, researchers say
Type 2 diabetes, like Type 1, may be an autoimmune disease, but the immune system's target cells are different, Stanford researchers said Sunday. The discovery sheds new light on how obesity contributes to the onset of Type 2 diabetes and could lead to new types of treatment for the disorder, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Medicine.
Diabetes is a growing problem in the United States, triggered in large part by the obesity epidemic. An estimated 27 million Americans are now thought to have diabetes, with the vast majority of them -- all but about a million -- afflicted with Type 2 diabetes. That disorder strikes in adulthood and is marked by a growing inability of cells to respond to insulin in the bloodstream, which necessitates using drugs to increase the output of the hormone by the pancreas. Intriguingly, not everyone who becomes obese develops diabetes, however, and researchers have never been sure why.
Dr. Daniel Winer, an endocrine pathologist now at the University of Toronto, and his twin, Dr. Shawn Winer of the University of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, reasoned that the death of excess fat cells might trigger an autoimmune reaction. In an earlier study with senior author Dr. Edgar Engleman of the Stanford University School of Medicine, they demonstrated in mice that, as fat accumulates in the tissues surrounding organs, it outstrips its blood supply, leading to the death of cells on the periphery of the fat deposits. When that occurs, the body mobilizes its immune system to break down and carry off the dead cells. But that produces antibodies against the cells and many of the proteins normally found only inside the cells.
In the new study, the team turned its attention to B cells, the lymphocytes or white blood cells that manufacture antibodies against foreign invaders. They genetically engineered mice so that they could not produce B cells and found that the rodents never became diabetic, no matter how fat they became. They next looked at normal mice that were prone to becoming diabetic when they became obese. One group they treated with a biological drug called anti-CD20 that binds to B cells and blocks their activity. The second group received no treatment. The mice that received the drug did not become diabetic when they became obese, while those that did not receive it did become diabetic. The effect lasted only about 40 days, however, and then needed to be repeated...
Diabetes is a growing problem in the United States, triggered in large part by the obesity epidemic. An estimated 27 million Americans are now thought to have diabetes, with the vast majority of them -- all but about a million -- afflicted with Type 2 diabetes. That disorder strikes in adulthood and is marked by a growing inability of cells to respond to insulin in the bloodstream, which necessitates using drugs to increase the output of the hormone by the pancreas. Intriguingly, not everyone who becomes obese develops diabetes, however, and researchers have never been sure why.
Dr. Daniel Winer, an endocrine pathologist now at the University of Toronto, and his twin, Dr. Shawn Winer of the University of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, reasoned that the death of excess fat cells might trigger an autoimmune reaction. In an earlier study with senior author Dr. Edgar Engleman of the Stanford University School of Medicine, they demonstrated in mice that, as fat accumulates in the tissues surrounding organs, it outstrips its blood supply, leading to the death of cells on the periphery of the fat deposits. When that occurs, the body mobilizes its immune system to break down and carry off the dead cells. But that produces antibodies against the cells and many of the proteins normally found only inside the cells.
In the new study, the team turned its attention to B cells, the lymphocytes or white blood cells that manufacture antibodies against foreign invaders. They genetically engineered mice so that they could not produce B cells and found that the rodents never became diabetic, no matter how fat they became. They next looked at normal mice that were prone to becoming diabetic when they became obese. One group they treated with a biological drug called anti-CD20 that binds to B cells and blocks their activity. The second group received no treatment. The mice that received the drug did not become diabetic when they became obese, while those that did not receive it did become diabetic. The effect lasted only about 40 days, however, and then needed to be repeated...
Scientists find treatment for hypertension, obesity
South Korean scientists said Thursday they have found a treatment material that may help people to better deal with hypertension, obesity, and high blood fat.
Researchers led by Lee Chul-ho at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) claimed they isolated a new material called MB12066 that showed promising results in animal tests.
Hypertension currently affects 30 percent of South Korea’s population with the local drug market standing at 1.4 trillion won ($1.3 billion).
“Mice engineered to have high blood pressure and given the MB12066 for six straight weeks showed marked improvements compared to other animals not administered with the new target material,” Lee said...
Researchers led by Lee Chul-ho at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) claimed they isolated a new material called MB12066 that showed promising results in animal tests.
Hypertension currently affects 30 percent of South Korea’s population with the local drug market standing at 1.4 trillion won ($1.3 billion).
“Mice engineered to have high blood pressure and given the MB12066 for six straight weeks showed marked improvements compared to other animals not administered with the new target material,” Lee said...
Friday, April 22, 2011
Nobiletin in Tangerines: Better Solution to Obesity and Heart Diseases, Study
Scientists have identified one more superfood. They argue that the fruit like tangerine, which is quite popular among kids, can be very useful and healthy for adults. Especially for those who have diseases related to heart and obesity.
Researchers from the University of Western Ontario, maintain that nobiletin - a substance contained in tangerine peel is ten times potent than the one found in pigment found in the peel of grapefruit. And although the therapeutic effect of citrus has only been proved in mice...
Researchers from the University of Western Ontario, maintain that nobiletin - a substance contained in tangerine peel is ten times potent than the one found in pigment found in the peel of grapefruit. And although the therapeutic effect of citrus has only been proved in mice...
MU professor finds plant oil could help to combat obesity
Jim Perfield has scattered Post-it notes around his desk with scientific health questions he'd like to tackle. He's starting with obesity.
An MU assistant professor in the departments of nutrition and exercise physiology and food science, Perfield, 33, said he is trying to better understand the relationship between nutrition and obesity.
He has conducted research on a plant oil with the potential to reduce stomach fat by inhibiting an enzyme involved in the metabolism of fatty acids.
It could be used not only to achieve a tighter stomach but also to avoid a number of health issues associated with obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease and liver problems.
Sterculic oil was fed to rats as part of their diet, and Perfield found rats who consumed the oil ended up with less belly or "intra-abdominal" fat than rats who weren't given the oil.
Perfield and his lab conducted the experiments with a breed of Japanese rats prone to obesity...
An MU assistant professor in the departments of nutrition and exercise physiology and food science, Perfield, 33, said he is trying to better understand the relationship between nutrition and obesity.
He has conducted research on a plant oil with the potential to reduce stomach fat by inhibiting an enzyme involved in the metabolism of fatty acids.
It could be used not only to achieve a tighter stomach but also to avoid a number of health issues associated with obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease and liver problems.
Sterculic oil was fed to rats as part of their diet, and Perfield found rats who consumed the oil ended up with less belly or "intra-abdominal" fat than rats who weren't given the oil.
Perfield and his lab conducted the experiments with a breed of Japanese rats prone to obesity...
Blueberries May Help Fight Obesity, Study Finds
Blueberries have been shown to have a positive effect on everything from cardiovascular health to aging, and now it seems that eating these berries could help you slim down as well.
Shiwani Moghe, a researcher from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, looked at whether blueberries and their high polyphenol content could play a role in fighting obesity.
In a study of tissue cultures taken from mice, Moghe examined what effect the polyphenols in the berries have in fighting the development of fats cells, and what she found was the highest dose of polyphenols cut the number of fat cells by 73 percent, while the smallest dose showed a 27 percent decrease...
Shiwani Moghe, a researcher from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, looked at whether blueberries and their high polyphenol content could play a role in fighting obesity.
In a study of tissue cultures taken from mice, Moghe examined what effect the polyphenols in the berries have in fighting the development of fats cells, and what she found was the highest dose of polyphenols cut the number of fat cells by 73 percent, while the smallest dose showed a 27 percent decrease...
Monday, April 11, 2011
Dyslipidemia Metabolic Signaling Pathway Identified By Researchers
Dyslipidemia's metabolic signaling pathway, a nutrient sensing pathway which is involved in the disruption of cellular lipid homeostasis, has been identified by researchers.
The researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), including Yu Li, PhD, and other colleagues, used obese and insulin-resistant mice who were fed a diet high in fat and sucrose, reports PhysOrg.com.
This pathway may also have implications for the health benefits of polyphenols-containing foods against fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes...
The researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), including Yu Li, PhD, and other colleagues, used obese and insulin-resistant mice who were fed a diet high in fat and sucrose, reports PhysOrg.com.
This pathway may also have implications for the health benefits of polyphenols-containing foods against fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes...
Researchers Identify Micro-RNA That Regulates Insulin in Obesity
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne and the Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD) discovered that obese mice form increased levels of the regulatory RNA molecule miRNA-143.miRNA-143 inhibits the insulin-stimulated activation of the enzyme AKT.
Without active AKT, insulin cannot unfold its blood-sugar-reducing effect and the blood sugar level is thrown out of kilter...
Without active AKT, insulin cannot unfold its blood-sugar-reducing effect and the blood sugar level is thrown out of kilter...
Tangerines May Prevent Obesity, Diabetes
Tangerines may prevent obesity and protect against heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic conditions, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes.
A flavinoid in tangerines called Nobiletin was found to be specifically linked to the effects.
The researchers studied mice that were fed a high fat, high-sugar diet. The control group suffered from elevated cholesterol, high and glucose levels, fatty liver, and other signs of metabolic syndrome. These conditions cause a greater risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Meanwhile the mice who received the Nobiletin did not suffer from these conditions. The substance was shown to prevent fat buildup in the liver by stimulating the gene expression involved in burning extra fat, meanwhile inhibiting genes that create fat.
"The Nobiletin-treated mice were basically protected from obesity," said Murray Huff, the Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts...
A flavinoid in tangerines called Nobiletin was found to be specifically linked to the effects.
The researchers studied mice that were fed a high fat, high-sugar diet. The control group suffered from elevated cholesterol, high and glucose levels, fatty liver, and other signs of metabolic syndrome. These conditions cause a greater risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Meanwhile the mice who received the Nobiletin did not suffer from these conditions. The substance was shown to prevent fat buildup in the liver by stimulating the gene expression involved in burning extra fat, meanwhile inhibiting genes that create fat.
"The Nobiletin-treated mice were basically protected from obesity," said Murray Huff, the Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts...
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Micro-RNA Blocks The Effect Of Insulin In Obesity
Max Planck researchers have discovered a new mechanism that leads to the development of type 2 diabetes in obesity. Body weight influences the risk of developing diabetes: between 80 and 90 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. According to scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne and the Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), short ribonucleic acid molecules, known as micro-RNAs, appear to play an important role in this mechanism.
The researchers discovered that the obese mice form increased levels of the regulatory RNA molecule miRNA-143. miRNA-143 inhibits the insulin-stimulated activation of the enzyme AKT. Without active AKT, insulin cannot unfold its blood-sugar-reducing effect and the blood sugar level is thrown out of kilter. This newly discovered mechanism could provide the starting point for the development of new drugs for the treatment of diabetes...
The researchers discovered that the obese mice form increased levels of the regulatory RNA molecule miRNA-143. miRNA-143 inhibits the insulin-stimulated activation of the enzyme AKT. Without active AKT, insulin cannot unfold its blood-sugar-reducing effect and the blood sugar level is thrown out of kilter. This newly discovered mechanism could provide the starting point for the development of new drugs for the treatment of diabetes...
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