Australian scientists say they may have found a way to help people lose weight without cutting back on food.
A breakthrough that could pave the way for fat-burning drugs has been found which, by manipulating fat cells in mice, is able to speed up their metabolism.
Researchers found that when they took out an enzyme - angiogenesis converting enzyme (ACE) - the mice could eat the same amount as other mice but burn more calories and therefore gain less weight.
Animals without the enzyme were, on average, 20% lighter than normal mice and had between 50% and 60% less body fat, said senior researcher Michael Matthai.
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"It is very clear that they do have less body fat," he said.
The slimmer mice also appeared to have less chance of developing diabetes because they processed sugar faster than normal mice, Mr Matthai said.
The research could be used to develop drugs to help weight loss, he added.
Drugs which impair the action of ACE already exist and are mostly used to control high blood pressure.
"The drugs are out there because they are used for hypertension," he said.
"So we know their safety and their tolerability. What we don't know is whether or not they will work in humans.
"And we don't know whether it will work in all obese humans."
Mr Matthai said it could be a question of finding the right dosage of hypertension medication, or developing a new type of drug of the same class, to be used as weight-loss pills.
"This might be one way in which you can increase metabolic rate in combination with managing nutrition to limit the intake of calories," he said.
The research has yet to pinpoint why the genetic manipulation led to weight loss.
http://news.sky.com
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Showing posts with label new weight loss pill. Show all posts
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
'Skinny gene' could lead to weight loss pill
A skinny gene that may pave the way for a fat burning pill has been pinpointed by scientists.
The gene governs whether the body piles on pounds or burns them off, researchers found.
Further study could lead to drugs that trick the body into shedding fat.
Ultimately, such pills could give men and women a trim body without any visits to the gym.
The finding follows the discovery of an obesity gene … and could help explain why some seem to eat what they like without putting on weight, while others constantly fight the flab.
Researcher Dr Jonathan Graff, of the University of Texas, said: "From worms to mammals, this gene controls fat formation."
"It could explain why so many people struggle to lose weight and suggests an entirely new direction for developing medical treatments that address the current epidemic of obesity."
"People who want to fit in their jeans might some day be able to overcome their genes."
Dr Graff focused on a gene that was named adipose when it was discovered in rotund fruit flies almost 50 years ago.
He turned the gene on and off at different stages in the lives of a range of animals and in various parts of their bodies.
Mice with highly active genes ate as much, or more, than normal mice, yet remained leaner.
They also appeared to be at lower risk of diabetes.
But rodents with lower adipose activity were fatter, less healthy and developed diabetes.
Tests on flies suggested that the gene acts as a dimmer switch, with different combinations leading to different levels of fat accumulation.
We all carry two copies of every gene. Flies with two inactive genes were fat and struggled to get about.
Those with just one inactive gene were slightly plump, while those with two fat-burning genes were a normal weight.
The results suggest that the gene is a master-switch which tells the body whether to burn fat or pile it on.
A similar gene is known to exist in humans … and if it has the same effect on the human body, could pave the way for anti-obesity drugs.
Treatments could include drugs that produce the same effect on the body as the gene or pills that boost its activity.
Dr Graff, whose findings are published in the journal Cell Metabolism, said: "This is good news for potential obesity treatments. It is like a volume control instead of a light switch.
"It can be turned up or down, not just on or off. Maybe if you could affect this gene, even just a little bit, you might have a beneficial effect on fat."
Via www.dailymail.co.uk.
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Most effective weight loss pills
The gene governs whether the body piles on pounds or burns them off, researchers found.
Further study could lead to drugs that trick the body into shedding fat.
Ultimately, such pills could give men and women a trim body without any visits to the gym.
The finding follows the discovery of an obesity gene … and could help explain why some seem to eat what they like without putting on weight, while others constantly fight the flab.
Researcher Dr Jonathan Graff, of the University of Texas, said: "From worms to mammals, this gene controls fat formation."
"It could explain why so many people struggle to lose weight and suggests an entirely new direction for developing medical treatments that address the current epidemic of obesity."
"People who want to fit in their jeans might some day be able to overcome their genes."
Dr Graff focused on a gene that was named adipose when it was discovered in rotund fruit flies almost 50 years ago.
He turned the gene on and off at different stages in the lives of a range of animals and in various parts of their bodies.
Mice with highly active genes ate as much, or more, than normal mice, yet remained leaner.
They also appeared to be at lower risk of diabetes.
But rodents with lower adipose activity were fatter, less healthy and developed diabetes.
Tests on flies suggested that the gene acts as a dimmer switch, with different combinations leading to different levels of fat accumulation.
We all carry two copies of every gene. Flies with two inactive genes were fat and struggled to get about.
Those with just one inactive gene were slightly plump, while those with two fat-burning genes were a normal weight.
The results suggest that the gene is a master-switch which tells the body whether to burn fat or pile it on.
A similar gene is known to exist in humans … and if it has the same effect on the human body, could pave the way for anti-obesity drugs.
Treatments could include drugs that produce the same effect on the body as the gene or pills that boost its activity.
Dr Graff, whose findings are published in the journal Cell Metabolism, said: "This is good news for potential obesity treatments. It is like a volume control instead of a light switch.
"It can be turned up or down, not just on or off. Maybe if you could affect this gene, even just a little bit, you might have a beneficial effect on fat."
Via www.dailymail.co.uk.
Best natural weight loss pills
Most effective weight loss pills
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
New weight loss pills - substitute to exercising?
A pill might one day achieve the same calorie-burning effects of vigorous exercise.
It's possible, according to a scientist who's developed a potential weight-loss drug that revs up cellular metabolism, much like what happens during heavy physical activity.
In mice, the drug does "result in protection against weight gain on high-fat and high-caloric diets," said Ronald M. Evans, an investigator at The Salk Institute in San Diego. "We're very excited by the potential extension to people."
Of course, there's one big caveat: mice aren't people, and no one knows if the drug will allow ordinary folks to eat to their heart's content without gaining weight.
At stake is a medical solution for people who want to lose weight but either will not diet and exercise properly or can't lose enough weight that way. Weight loss pills have existed for decades, but they have significant side effects and aren't always effective.
One possible solution is to rev up the body's metabolism, the process whereby it turns food into energy. That's where Evans enters the picture.
He has developed a drug that uses chemicals to turn on a genetic switch in the body known as PPAR-d.
Evans is scheduled to talk about the drug Monday at Experimental Biology 2007, an annual scientific program of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in Washington D.C.
When given the drug in the form of a liquid or powder, the bodies of mice appear to act as if they are exercising even when they aren't, causing their metabolism to speed up, Evans explained. "You then have lower fatty acid levels in your blood, lower triglyceride levels, and lower sugar levels," he said. "They all appear to be linked."
Mice who received the drug were also able to exercise twice as long, turning into what researchers calls "marathon mice."
But what about humans?
According to Evans, the drug could indeed become a "fat pill," although "anything like this will be more effective in the context of a healthy diet and exercise. If you want to get a maximum benefit, just doing it with the drugs alone will always be somewhat of a challenge."
Several companies are testing drugs that target the genetic switch in people, Evans said.
While an effective weight loss pill is the "holy grail" of obesity research, there are plenty of reasons to be cautious about the new finding, said Leah Whigham, a research scientist who studies nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison.
"The most obvious caution is that this work is in mice, which are much different from humans and have different energy expenditure mechanisms. It remains to be seen if this research can translate into something useful for humans," she said.
Also, mice are much more similar to each other than humans. "Something that works in all mice of a given strain might not be as effective across a population of humans with differing genetic, ethnic, cultural environmental backgrounds," she explained.
Still, Whigham said, "that doesn't mean this research isn't very exciting. It is just very preliminary at this point."
Via health.yahoo.com
Best weight loss pills article
It's possible, according to a scientist who's developed a potential weight-loss drug that revs up cellular metabolism, much like what happens during heavy physical activity.
In mice, the drug does "result in protection against weight gain on high-fat and high-caloric diets," said Ronald M. Evans, an investigator at The Salk Institute in San Diego. "We're very excited by the potential extension to people."
Of course, there's one big caveat: mice aren't people, and no one knows if the drug will allow ordinary folks to eat to their heart's content without gaining weight.
At stake is a medical solution for people who want to lose weight but either will not diet and exercise properly or can't lose enough weight that way. Weight loss pills have existed for decades, but they have significant side effects and aren't always effective.
One possible solution is to rev up the body's metabolism, the process whereby it turns food into energy. That's where Evans enters the picture.
He has developed a drug that uses chemicals to turn on a genetic switch in the body known as PPAR-d.
Evans is scheduled to talk about the drug Monday at Experimental Biology 2007, an annual scientific program of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in Washington D.C.
When given the drug in the form of a liquid or powder, the bodies of mice appear to act as if they are exercising even when they aren't, causing their metabolism to speed up, Evans explained. "You then have lower fatty acid levels in your blood, lower triglyceride levels, and lower sugar levels," he said. "They all appear to be linked."
Mice who received the drug were also able to exercise twice as long, turning into what researchers calls "marathon mice."
But what about humans?
According to Evans, the drug could indeed become a "fat pill," although "anything like this will be more effective in the context of a healthy diet and exercise. If you want to get a maximum benefit, just doing it with the drugs alone will always be somewhat of a challenge."
Several companies are testing drugs that target the genetic switch in people, Evans said.
While an effective weight loss pill is the "holy grail" of obesity research, there are plenty of reasons to be cautious about the new finding, said Leah Whigham, a research scientist who studies nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison.
"The most obvious caution is that this work is in mice, which are much different from humans and have different energy expenditure mechanisms. It remains to be seen if this research can translate into something useful for humans," she said.
Also, mice are much more similar to each other than humans. "Something that works in all mice of a given strain might not be as effective across a population of humans with differing genetic, ethnic, cultural environmental backgrounds," she explained.
Still, Whigham said, "that doesn't mean this research isn't very exciting. It is just very preliminary at this point."
Via health.yahoo.com
Best weight loss pills article
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