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Scientists discover way to regulate the body's energy expenditure
June 02, 2004Scientists have discovered a protein that controls the amount of fat stored in the body, offering new clues for obesity treatments.
The research, published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows how the protein regulates the activity of a key gene responsible for maintaining the body's temperature, called uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1).
The new protein, called RIP140, blocks the expression of UCP1, and causes the body to use up more energy and store less fat.
The team of scientists from Imperial College London, Kings College London, University of Cambridge, and Hammersmith Hospital, UK, conducted studies in transgenic mice born without RIP140, and in normal mice with RIP140. They found that mice without RIP140 were lean and showed resistance to high fat diet induced obesity.
On average, mice without RIP140 were 20 per cent lighter compared with normal mice and accumulated between 50 and 70 per cent less fat when compared with mice with RIP140, even though their food intake was similar.
Professor Malcolm Parker from Imperial College London, and based at Hammersmith Hospital, and one of the study's authors comments: "This discovery could provide a novel approach to developing new obesity treatments. By reducing the levels of RIP140, it is possible to increase the activity of the UCP1 gene. UCP1 plays a key role in regulating energy balance in the body, and through this we can reduce body weight by increasing energy expenditure.
"Although these are very promising observations we do need to be careful in interpreting the results. The study was carried out in mice, which were born without RIP140, and it will be important to determine the consequences of blocking RIP140 action in adult animals."
This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Professor Parker and his team have recently signed a deal with CytRx, a US based biopharmaceutical company, to commercialise the results of this research.
Imperial College, University of London
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In a six-month comparison of low-carb diets, one that encourages eating carbohydrates with the lowest-possible rating on the glycemic index leads to greater improvement in blood sugar control, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers.
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Two new studies led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, suggest that taking maternity leave before and after the birth of a baby is a good investment in terms of health benefits for both mothers and newborns.
Study links obesity to elevated risk of ovarian cancer
A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight.
Can't chalk it up to 'baby fat'
Despite recent widespread media attention given to studies that have indicated one-third of American children have a weight problem, a new study shows just one-third of children who are overweight or obese actually receive that diagnosis by a pediatrician.
Minimizing obesity's impact on ovarian cancer survival
Obesity affects health in several ways, but new research shows obesity can have minimal impact on ovarian cancer survival. A study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center found ovarian cancer survival rates are the same for obese and non-obese women if their chemotherapy doses are closely matched to individual weight.
Another reason to avoid high-fat diet -- it can disrupt our biological clock
Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms - everyone's 24-hour biological clock, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have shown.
Who are you kidding?
Overweight or obese moms who underestimate their weight status are more likely to over-gain during pregnancy. The research was carried out by a team of researchers led by Sharon Herring, MD, MPH, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Temple University.
Eating at buffets plus not exercising equals obesity in rural America
In small towns in the Midwestern United States, people who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and who perceive their community to be unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to be obese.
Leptin's long-distance call to the pancreas
Rube Goldberg-the cartoonist who devised complex machines for simple tasks-would have smiled at one of leptin's mechanisms for curbing insulin release.
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