 |
|
Researchers Home In On Obesity Gene And Offer Explanation For Overeating
October 31, 2003An international team of researchers has identified the role of a gene which may explain why some people overeat and become obese.
Their research, published today in Public Library of Science Biology, shows that the gene GAD2 has an appetite stimulating role, and that one form of the gene is strongly associated with obese people.
While the researchers recognise that obesity is a result of the interactions of many genes and environmental factors, this is one of the first genes to be strongly touted as a candidate 'gene for obesity'.
GAD2, which sits on chromosome 10, acts by speeding up production of a neurotransmitter in the brain called GABA, or gamma-amino butyric acid. When GABA interacts with another molecule named neuropeptide Y in a specific area of the brain - the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus - we are stimulated to eat.
The researchers behind this study believe that people who carry a more active form of the GAD2 gene build up a larger than normal quantity of GABA in the hypothalamus, and suggest that this over accumulation of GABA drives the stimulus to eat further than normal, and is thus a basis for explaining why obese people overeat.
Professor Philippe Froguel, senior author of the research, from Imperial College London, and Hammersmith Hospital, London, and who carried out the research while at the Institut Pasteur de Lille, France, said: "The discovery that this one gene plays a role in determining whether someone is likely to overeat could be crucial in understanding the continued rise in obesity rates around the world.
"Genetic factors alone can not explain the rapid rise in obesity rates, but they may provide clues to preventative and therapeutic approaches that will ease the health burden associated with obesity.
"Having identified this gene, it may be possible to develop a screening programme to identify those who may be at risk of becoming obese later in life, and take effective preventative measures."
The team compared genome-wide scans of 576 obese and 646 normal weight adults in France, from which they identified two alternative forms, or alleles, of the GAD2 gene.
One form of the gene was found to be protective against obesity, while another increased the risk of obesity. The normal weight group of French adults had a higher frequency of the protective form of the GAD2 gene. Obesity is three to five times less prevalent in France than in the USA.
In addition to the genome-wide scans, the obese patients also completed an eating habits questionnaire, measuring dietary restraint, disinhibition and perceived hunger. The results showed that those carrying the GAD2 allele that increases the risk of obesity were significantly more likely to reveal an inability to control their food intake, and perceive high levels of hunger.
Authors of this research are based at Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, the Institut Pasteur de Lille, France, the University of Washington, USA, Paul Brousse Hospital, and Paris VI University, France.
Imperial College, University of London
GAD2, which sits on chromosome 10, acts by speeding up production of a neurotransmitter in the brain called GABA, or gamma-amino butyric acid. When GABA interacts with another molecule named neuropeptide Y in a specific area of the brain - the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus - we are stimulated to eat.
The researchers behind this study believe that people who carry a more active form of the GAD2 gene build up a larger than normal quantity of GABA in the hypothalamus, and suggest that this over accumulation of GABA drives the stimulus to eat further than normal, and is thus a basis for explaining why obese people overeat.
Professor Philippe Froguel, senior author of the research, from Imperial College London, and Hammersmith Hospital, London, and who carried out the research while at the Institut Pasteur de Lille, France, said: "The discovery that this one gene plays a role in determining whether someone is likely to overeat could be crucial in understanding the continued rise in obesity rates around the world.
"Genetic factors alone can not explain the rapid rise in obesity rates, but they may provide clues to preventative and therapeutic approaches that will ease the health burden associated with obesity.
"Having identified this gene, it may be possible to develop a screening programme to identify those who may be at risk of becoming obese later in life, and take effective preventative measures."
The team compared genome-wide scans of 576 obese and 646 normal weight adults in France, from which they identified two alternative forms, or alleles, of the GAD2 gene.
One form of the gene was found to be protective against obesity, while another increased the risk of obesity. The normal weight group of French adults had a higher frequency of the protective form of the GAD2 gene. Obesity is three to five times less prevalent in France than in the USA.
In addition to the genome-wide scans, the obese patients also completed an eating habits questionnaire, measuring dietary restraint, disinhibition and perceived hunger. The results showed that those carrying the GAD2 allele that increases the risk of obesity were significantly more likely to reveal an inability to control their food intake, and perceive high levels of hunger.
Authors of this research are based at Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, the Institut Pasteur de Lille, France, the University of Washington, USA, Paul Brousse Hospital, and Paris VI University, France.
Imperial College, University of London
Obesity Current Events and Obesity News RSSFat around the middle increases the risk of dementia
Women who store fat on their waist in middle age are more than twice as likely to develop dementia when they get older, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy.
Other Illnesses, Body Weight Do Not Explain Racial Disparities in Colon Cancer Survival, UAB Researchers Say
A new study by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers shows that body-mass index (BMI) and co-existing medical conditions (co-morbidity) do not explain the decreased survival observed among African-Americans compared to Caucasians who also have colon cancer.
Diabetes surgery summit consensus lays foundation for new field of medicine
A first-of-its-kind consensus statement on diabetes surgery is published online today in the Annals of Surgery.
Daycare may double TV time for young children, study finds
In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares.
Patient's weight not linked to success of fibroid surgery
Obese patients are no more likely to have post-operative complications than those of average weight when undergoing robotic surgery to remove uterine fibroids, according to a study at Henry Ford Hospital.
Scripps research scientists find new link between insulin and core body temperature
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link between insulin-a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes-and core body temperature.
Night Beat, Overtime and a Disrupted Sleep Pattern Can Harm Officers' Health
A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good "night's" sleep.
Fat collections linked to decreased heart function
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that fat collection in different body locations, such as around the heart and the aorta and within the liver, are associated with certain decreased heart functions.
Teens' mental health affects how long they stay in school, new study shows
Queen's University researcher Steven Lehrer has won a prestigious international award in recognition of his contributions to health economics.
Playing sport up to the end of pregnancy is healthy for the baby and the mother
Contrary to more conservative customs, exercising up to the end of pregnancy has no harmful effect on the weight or size of the foetus.
More Obesity Current Events and Obesity News Articles
 |
Fat Politics: The Real Story behind America's Obesity Epidemic by J. Eric Oliver (Author) It seems almost daily we read newspaper articles and watch news reports exposing the growing epidemic of obesity in America. Our government tells us we are experiencing a major health crisis, with sixty percent of Americans classified as overweight, and one in four as obese. But how valid are these claims? In Fat Politics, J. Eric Oliver shows how a handful of doctors, government bureaucrats, and health researchers, with financial backing from the drug and weight-loss industries, have campaigned to create standards that mislead the public. They mislabel more than sixty million Americans as "overweight," inflate the health risks of being fat, and promote the idea that obesity is a killer disease. In reviewing the scientific evidence, Oliver shows there is little proof that obesity... |
 |
Fat - What No One Is Telling You Starring: Mary Dimino, Meredith Vieira, Brian Wansink, America Bracho, Rosie Dehli Directed By: Andrew Fredericks Also With: Mary Dimino (Writer), Deidre Sheehan (Producer), Felice Firestone (Producer), Jessica Bari (Producer), Linda Spain (Producer), Naomi S. Boak (Producer), Robert B. Sturm (Producer), Ted Hinck (Producer), Tom Keleher (Producer), Tom Spain (Producer), Tom Spain (Writer) |
 |
Handbook of Obesity Treatment by Thomas A. Wadden PhD (Editor), Albert J. Stunkard MD (Editor) The contemporary successor to the editors' earlier Obesity: Theory and Therapy, this comprehensive handbook guides mental health, medical, and allied health professionals through the process of planning and delivering individualized treatment services for those seeking help for obesity. Concise, extensively referenced chapters present foundational knowledge and review the full range of widely used interventions, including self-help, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral approaches; pharmacotherapy; and surgery. Provided are state-of-the-art guidelines for assessing obese individuals for health risks and for mood and eating disorders; treatment algorithms for tailoring interventions to the severity of the client's problem; details on adjunctive interventions for improving body image and... |
 |
The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality and Ideology by Michael Gard (Author) The Obesity Epidemic adds a much-needed voice of skepticism to the increasingly alarmist debate about weight and health. Gard and Wright show that "obesity" is above all a deeply problematic cultural and political concept, making clear that the social meaning of fat is determined largely by moral and ideological agendas -- agendas that are all the more powerful because they cloak themselves in the mantle of objective science and public health. Indeed, this book demonstrates how and why concepts such as "science" and "health" are themselves far more problematic than those who invoke them like to admit. THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC is a superb contribution to the sociology of knowledge, and an essential text for anyone who wants to understand the current moral panic over fat. |
 |
Killer at Large Starring: Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Pollan, Mike Huckabee, Tom Harkin Directed By: Steven Greenstreet Obesity rates in the United States have skyrocketed over the last twenty years, with no end in sight provoking former Surgeon General, Richard Carmona to state that "obesity is a terror within. It is destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out..." As this epidemic of obesity reaches out into even the most remote corners of the globe, only one thing seems clear, the issue is more complex than you could ever imagine. Seeking to trace the problem to it's root, we find ourselves in the African Savannah 4 million years ago where we discover how our hunter gatherer ancestry, when mixed in with our modern environment of convenience, stress and abundance has... |
 |
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Obesity: A Clinician's Guide by Zafra Cooper DPhil DipPsych (Author), Dr. Christopher G. Fairburn DM FMedSci FRCPsych (Author), Deborah M. Hawker PhD DClinPsy (Author) The first cognitive-behavioral treatment manual for obesity, this volume presents an innovative therapeutic model currently being evaluated in controlled research at Oxford University. From leading clinical researchers, the approach is specifically designed to overcome a major weakness of existing therapies: posttreatment weight regain. The book details powerful ways to help patients not only to achieve weight loss, but also to modify the problematic cognitions that undermine long-term weight control. Drawing on strategies proven effective with such problems as binge eating, the manual contains everything needed to implement the treatment: intervention guidelines, case examples, and reproducible handouts and forms. |
 |
The Evolution of Obesity by Michael L. Power (Author), Jay Schulkin (Author) In this sweeping exploration of the relatively recent obesity epidemic, Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin probe evolutionary biology, history, physiology, and medical science to uncover the causes of our growing girth. The unexpected answer? Our own evolutionary success. For most of the past few million years, our evolutionary ancestors' survival depended on being able to consume as much as possible when food was available and to store the excess energy for periods when it was scarce. In the developed world today, high-calorie foods are readily obtainable, yet the propensity to store fat is part of our species' heritage, leaving an increasing number of the world's people vulnerable to obesity. In an environment of abundant food, we are anatomically, physiologically,... |
 |
Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook by Dr. Christopher G. Fairburn DM FMedSci FRCPsych (Editor), Kelly D. Brownell PhD (Editor) This unique handbook presents and integrates virtually all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative, accessible, and eminently practical volume. From leading international authorities, 112 concise chapters encapsulate the latest information on all pertinent topics, from biological, psychological, and social processes associated with risk, to clinical methods for assessment and intervention. The contents are organized to highlight areas of overlap between lines of research that often remain disparate. Suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter replace extended references and enhance the practical value and readability of the volume. |
 |
Overcoming Obesity (Home Use) Part of the award winning public television series Healthy Body/Healthy Mind. Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese. Obesity is a complex, multi-factorial chronic disease involving environmental (social and cultural), genetic, physiologic, metabolic, behavioral and psychological components. It is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. In this episode we define people at risk and detail some of the Nutritional solutions to help people stay healthy. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
Handbook of Obesity: Clinical Applications, Third Edition by George A. Bray (Editor), Claude Bouchard (Editor) Handbook of Obesity: Clinical Applications, Third Edition is the premier reference for physicians and researchers in the field of obesity. Written by leading scientists and clinicians, this handbook offers unparalleled depth and breadth of coverage concerning this growing global and chronic disease that affects and exacerbates comorbid conditions including diabetes and heart disease. This Third Edition is full of many revisions including: The sections Etiology and Pathophysiology have been updated to reflect state-of-the-art advancements in the prevalence, etiology, and pathophysiology of obesity New chapters have been added and revisions made to the subjects of genetics, molecular biology, endocrine determinants of obesity, the metabolic... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |