By Julie Steenhuysen Julie Steenhuysen – Tue Jan 6, 7:11 pm ET
Reuters – A woman walks along the boardwalk while leaving the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York September …
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CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. researchers may have found an obesity treatment that unlocks the fat-fighting promise of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone once hailed as the answer to the battle of the bulge.
The problem with leptin is that it loses its power in obese people, but a team at Harvard Medical School may have found a way around that problem, they reported on Tuesday.
They said fat mice treated with two drugs already approved for use in humans overcame leptin resistance, raising hopes once again for leptin as a treatment for obesity.
"We are very excited to see what will happen in humans," said Dr. Umut Ozcan of Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, whose study appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.
"If it works, this can be a treatment for obesity," Ozcan said in a telephone interview.
The discovery of leptin in 1995 raised hopes for a natural weight loss tonic. Obese mice that lacked leptin lost weight on the stuff. But in obese humans, leptin only brought temporary success.
Ozcan said most people who are obese develop leptin resistance, in which the brain stops responding to the hormone's message to stop eating.
His team found that brain cells of obese mice have increased stress in the endoplasmic reticulum or ER -- a structure within the cells where proteins are assembled.
In obesity, this structure becomes overwhelmed and stops working properly, and begins to block incoming chemical signals.
"This organelle gets stressed or angry. It starts to send signals to say, 'Look, I'm exhausted.' These signals are called unfolded protein response," Ozcan said.
After showing that this stress blocks the leptin response, Ozcan's team set about trying re-sensitize the brain to leptin by reducing the ER stress.
The researchers tried two existing drugs -- 4-phenyl butyric acid or PBA, which treats cystic fibrosis, and tauroursodeoxycholic acid or TUDCA, which treats a liver disease. Both act as ER stress reducers.
First they gave either of the two drugs to obese mice fed a high-fat diet, then injected them with leptin. "We have seen significant weight loss in these mice," Ozcan said.
"Reduction of ER stress makes the mice sensitive to the leptin, which is bringing new hope for the treatment of obesity," he said.
The next step is to try the drugs in humans.
"We hope it will work," he said.
Obesity is a growing global problem, with 1.8 billion people estimated to be overweight or obese in 2007. Drugs marketed so far to fight obesity have
Friday, 9 January 2009
Healthy start to the new year
Friday, January 09, 2009
The American Cancer Society is kicking off a healthy new year with the Great American Health Check Jan.15 by urging Americans to remember one important message: getting the appropriate cancer screening tests that can detect the disease at its earliest, most treatable stage, can save lives. The Great American Health Check focuses on the importance of prevention and early detection by helping people understand what cancer tests are right for them and how to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors throughout the year that may reduce their risk of the disease.
The Great American Health Check health tool is available online. Users can access a personalized guide on which cancer screening tests are appropriate, as well as healthy behavior recommendations based on their responses. It gives people the opportunity to take charge of their health, including making lifestyle changes that can make a big difference and possibly reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases. For information call (800) ACS-2345 or email cancer.org/greatamericans.
The American Cancer Society is kicking off a healthy new year with the Great American Health Check Jan.15 by urging Americans to remember one important message: getting the appropriate cancer screening tests that can detect the disease at its earliest, most treatable stage, can save lives. The Great American Health Check focuses on the importance of prevention and early detection by helping people understand what cancer tests are right for them and how to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors throughout the year that may reduce their risk of the disease.
The Great American Health Check health tool is available online. Users can access a personalized guide on which cancer screening tests are appropriate, as well as healthy behavior recommendations based on their responses. It gives people the opportunity to take charge of their health, including making lifestyle changes that can make a big difference and possibly reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases. For information call (800) ACS-2345 or email cancer.org/greatamericans.
Friday, 19 December 2008
Children urged to adopt healthy lifestyle
Article published December 19. 2008 01:29PMChildren urged to adopt healthy lifestyle By Robyn Skinner
Children are being encouraged to take part in a health challenge to encourage good habits from an early age.
Yesterday organisers of the second Live Health Bermuda 100 Day Challenge — a community programme encouraging wellness — said children would be able to take part when it launches next month.
The first challenge was started by the Bermuda Diabetes Association, Aspen Insurance, Lindo's Supermarket, the Department of Health and Quaker Oats in January this year.
Participants formed teams and competed with other teams' in physical activity and weight loss on the Live Health Bermuda website.
Yesterday, Terry Faulkenberry, one of the organisers for Aspen Insurance, said they hoped involving children would encourage wellness from a young age.
He said: "As a result of the success of the first 100 Day Challenge we wanted to extend it to get children involved.
"There will be no weight loss component, it will be only physical activity. I think we recognise that we are spending a lot of money on health issues as adults and many of these are preventable.
"Rather than treat people after they are sick we need to treat people before they get sick and get people to change their lifestyles and make wellness part of the cure."
The next challenge will start in the first week of January and those wanting to take part in the second round can sign-up at www.livehealthybermuda.org.
Adults will begin recording their activity and weight loss on January 23 and will finish at the Caitlin End-to-End event on May 2.
Children will begin their programme on February 1, but will also end on May 2.
There will, however, be no sign-up fee for children thanks to a $15,000 donation organisers received from the Bermuda End-to-End Charitable Trust.
Yesterday the Trust's chairman Anne Mello said the donation was part of their vision to ensure an entire life of healthy living.
She said: "Everyone behind the Catlin End-to-End event believes in health for the entire community. Our donation of $15,000 to this programme was made because we believe children's health and fitness is important, and this is a wonderful way to encourage this."
An adult team captain will form a team of five to 30 members to include children from areas such as a school class, school club, church group or other youth organisation. Children of any age from preschool through to high school can take part.
Mr. Faulkenberry added: "We wanted to remove as many barriers as possible for children to sign up for this great event. With a tremendous donation from the Bermuda End-to-End charity, we will be able to offer participation to any child free of charge.
"The Bermuda End-to-End is providing the funding necessary to build the website and provide the web hosting for 2009 — which has really made the programme possible."
Children are being encouraged to take part in a health challenge to encourage good habits from an early age.
Yesterday organisers of the second Live Health Bermuda 100 Day Challenge — a community programme encouraging wellness — said children would be able to take part when it launches next month.
The first challenge was started by the Bermuda Diabetes Association, Aspen Insurance, Lindo's Supermarket, the Department of Health and Quaker Oats in January this year.
Participants formed teams and competed with other teams' in physical activity and weight loss on the Live Health Bermuda website.
Yesterday, Terry Faulkenberry, one of the organisers for Aspen Insurance, said they hoped involving children would encourage wellness from a young age.
He said: "As a result of the success of the first 100 Day Challenge we wanted to extend it to get children involved.
"There will be no weight loss component, it will be only physical activity. I think we recognise that we are spending a lot of money on health issues as adults and many of these are preventable.
"Rather than treat people after they are sick we need to treat people before they get sick and get people to change their lifestyles and make wellness part of the cure."
The next challenge will start in the first week of January and those wanting to take part in the second round can sign-up at www.livehealthybermuda.org.
Adults will begin recording their activity and weight loss on January 23 and will finish at the Caitlin End-to-End event on May 2.
Children will begin their programme on February 1, but will also end on May 2.
There will, however, be no sign-up fee for children thanks to a $15,000 donation organisers received from the Bermuda End-to-End Charitable Trust.
Yesterday the Trust's chairman Anne Mello said the donation was part of their vision to ensure an entire life of healthy living.
She said: "Everyone behind the Catlin End-to-End event believes in health for the entire community. Our donation of $15,000 to this programme was made because we believe children's health and fitness is important, and this is a wonderful way to encourage this."
An adult team captain will form a team of five to 30 members to include children from areas such as a school class, school club, church group or other youth organisation. Children of any age from preschool through to high school can take part.
Mr. Faulkenberry added: "We wanted to remove as many barriers as possible for children to sign up for this great event. With a tremendous donation from the Bermuda End-to-End charity, we will be able to offer participation to any child free of charge.
"The Bermuda End-to-End is providing the funding necessary to build the website and provide the web hosting for 2009 — which has really made the programme possible."
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