Morgan BellTackling obesity
May 9th 2006 13:09
The World Health Organisation estimates there are more than 300 million people worldwide who are obese. Rates of obesity vary greatly from country to country, ranging from an estimated 5% in Japan to about 75% in urban areas of Samoa. Predictably, obesity tends to be more of a problem in highly developed first world countries. Statistics show that about a third of the American population is obese, though this may turn out to be a gross understatement.
A region of DNA near gene named “INSIG2” has been found to significantly affect the risk of obesity in individuals. DNA code is made up of four bases, generally represented by letters. According to a study led by Alan Herbert of the Boston University Medical School, changing a single letter in this region makes a person about 22% more prone to obesity.
A separate study blames obesity on an attraction between the hormone leptin, which tells the brain when to stop eating, and C-reactive proteins, which have recently been linked to heart disease. When bound to these proteins, leptin is less effective at controlling appetite.
“There’s been a lot of interest in leptin as a means to curb appetite and reduce weight but clinical trials have had disappointing results. Our studies suggest an approach that should be further studied is one that disrupts the interaction between leptin and CRP, thereby restoring leptin’s ability for signalling,” said Researcher Allan Z. Zhao of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said on the University’s April 10 media release.
Why all this concern about obesity, you ask? Well besides cosmetic reasons, being overweight comes with a number of health issues, including high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, heart disease and breathing problems. According to WebMD, “someone who is 40% overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as is an average-weight person.”
Cutting down on your calorie intake may also slow down the aging process. Research on rats at the University of Florida’s Institute on Aging have found that a healthier lifestyle involving less food and more exercise can reduce, and even reverse, aging-related cell and organ damage.
So, eat better, exercise more, and chill out! Stress can sometimes lead to overeating, which of course in turn leads to obesity. Stress-related obesity has even been observed in hamsters. Researchers are now studying hamsters in situations of “social defeat” in attempt to tackle the issue in humans.
(image from anarchygolfballs.com)
A separate study blames obesity on an attraction between the hormone leptin, which tells the brain when to stop eating, and C-reactive proteins, which have recently been linked to heart disease. When bound to these proteins, leptin is less effective at controlling appetite.
“There’s been a lot of interest in leptin as a means to curb appetite and reduce weight but clinical trials have had disappointing results. Our studies suggest an approach that should be further studied is one that disrupts the interaction between leptin and CRP, thereby restoring leptin’s ability for signalling,” said Researcher Allan Z. Zhao of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said on the University’s April 10 media release.
Why all this concern about obesity, you ask? Well besides cosmetic reasons, being overweight comes with a number of health issues, including high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, heart disease and breathing problems. According to WebMD, “someone who is 40% overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as is an average-weight person.”
Cutting down on your calorie intake may also slow down the aging process. Research on rats at the University of Florida’s Institute on Aging have found that a healthier lifestyle involving less food and more exercise can reduce, and even reverse, aging-related cell and organ damage.
So, eat better, exercise more, and chill out! Stress can sometimes lead to overeating, which of course in turn leads to obesity. Stress-related obesity has even been observed in hamsters. Researchers are now studying hamsters in situations of “social defeat” in attempt to tackle the issue in humans.
(image from anarchygolfballs.com)
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