Dieters are more susceptible to influenza, says a new study

Michigan State University nutritional immunology professor Elizabeth Gardner conducted the research which has been published in the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition.In the study, the researcher showed that mice with a calorie-restricted diet were more likely to die during the first few days of infection than mice with a normal diet. Caloric restriction is the practice of reducing the intake of calories to 40 percent of a normal diet, while maintaining adequate vitamins and minerals.

"If you are exposed to a new strain of influenza, to which your body has not made adequate antibodies to protect you from infection, your body must rely on cells that will kill the virus," Gardner said. "The natural killer cells are important in controlling the early stages of virus infection, because they act quickly once they encounter virus-infected cells. Our studies show that calorically restricted mice have increased susceptibility to influenza, and their bodies are not prepared to produce the amount of natural killer cells needed to combat the stress of fighting an infection," the expert added.

In Gardner's research, both regularly fed mice and calorically restricted mice exposed to the virus exhibited decreased food intake as they tried to fight off the infection. Yet the mice on calorically restricted diets took longer to recover and exhibited increased mortality, weight loss and other negative effects. Even though both sets of mice had a diet fortified with appropriate vitamins, the mice consuming normal amounts of food had their appetites back sooner and recovered faster.

"Our research shows that having a body ready to fight a virus will lead to a faster recovery and less-severe effects than if it is calorically restricted," Gardner said. "Adults can calorically restrict their diet eight months out for the year, but during the four months of flu season they need to bump it up to be ready. You need the reserves so your body is ready for any additional stress, including fighting a virus," the expert added.

Source: newKerala

Gastric bypass surgery may be the single most important advancement in the treatment of the chronic disease since the discovery of insulin

Doctors in Canada are taking part in a study to see if a surgery used to treat severe obesity may also help people with Type 2 diabetes.

However, they caution that so far, only anecdotal evidence results suggesting the surgery works.Still, researchers are encouraged that the operation has helped some patients get rid of the disease entirely.

Cindy Dugas, 48, is one such patient. She recently had the surgery and says it has worked wonders. "My goal is to live without diabetes," she told CTV News, adding that the disease could seriously impact her health in years to come.



"You are looking at nerve damage, you are looking at liver damage, you are looking at heart damage, and I don't want to be looking at those things."
Ten days after the operation, Dugas said that her blood sugar levels have dramatically improved.

Critics are skeptical, but a new study may shed some light on the surgery's effectiveness in helping diabetic patients.

Dr. Mehran Anvari, a McMaster University professor and surgeon at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, is contributing to the study, which he hopes will be extremely useful.

"This is at the moment the only treatment being evaluated as a potential cure for diabetes," he told CTV News. Here's how the surgery works. First, doctors insert tools into the abdomen and cut down the size of the stomach, which is then attached to a lower part of the intestine.

The surgery seems to change hormone levels in patients, thus eliminating their diabetes. Anvari says he's tried the surgery on six patients and it's worked on all of them. "(The patients) go off medications almost immediately after surgery, and by six months they are normal," he said.

Some doctors argue that the surgery is a risky option. They also say that no one knows how long a patient's diabetes remission may last. But researchers hope the data coming from the Canadian study will convince doctors that the surgery is indeed a new way of treating those with uncontrolled diabetes. So far, doctors said they've enrolled 20 people in the study and are hoping to have 100 in total.

Source: CTV.ca

Treatments designed to boost NAPE levels might offer a new way to fight obesity

Researchers discovered one type of lipid produced in the gut rises after eating fatty foods. The lipid, called N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines or NAPE, enters the bloodstream and goes straight to the brain. NAPEs concentrate in a brain region that controls food intake and energy expenditure. The most abundant form of NAPE seems to be effective in controlling fat intake even when administered artificially.

In a study where rats were given NAPE for five days, researchers saw a continuous reduction in food intake and a decline in body weight. Infusion of NAPE directly into their brains also led the animals to cut back on calories.
Study authors conclude these findings warrant longer-term studies in rodents and non-human participants to examine the potential for treatment and prevention of diet-induced obesity.

Source: Ivanhoe Medical News

Scientists are trying to understand how Fen-phen behaves in the brain

In order to develop safer anti-obesity drugs with fewer side effects. Once hailed as a miracle weight-loss drug, Fen-phen was removed from the market more than a decade ago for inducing life-threatening side effects, including heart valve lesions.

In a study appearing in the Nov. 25 issue of Neuron, the researchers define a circuit in the brain that explains the ways fenfluramine, a component of Fen-phen, suppresses appetite.“Our findings provide evidence that the neural circuit we’ve proposed is sufficient for the neurotransmitter serotonin to regulate food intake and body weight, ” said Dr. Joel Elmquist, professor of internal medicine and pharmacology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study. “Fen-phen works directly on this pathway. Unfortunately, that drug also adversely affects peripheral tissue such as the heart.”

For the current study, the researchers engineered mice in which the expression of a serotonin receptor called 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C was blocked throughout the entire body. This was previously known to produce obese mice resistant to the anorexic actions of fenfluramine. When activated by serotonin, however, this receptor is also known to suppress appetite. Using this mouse model, the authors engineered another set of mice in which the same serotonin receptor was blocked everywhere in the body except within a group of brain cells called pro-opiomelanocortin, or POMC, neurons. The POMC neurons, which are found in the hypothalamus, are also known to play an important role in suppressing appetite and inducing weight loss.

The researchers found that the animals with no serotonin 2c receptors expectedly developed obesity as well as other metabolism disorders such as increased food intake, hyperactivity and leptin insensitivity. They also were prone to spontaneous seizures, said Dr. Elmquist.In contrast, the mice in which the serotonin receptor was re-expressed and functioning only in the POMC neurons stayed slim and responded to fenfluramine.“The POMC-specific reactivation of the receptor only in POMC neurons normalizes the abnormal metabolism in these mice,” Dr. Elmquist said. “The animals don’t eat excessively.

Their hyperactivity is also gone.”Previous work from the UT Southwestern group led to the hypothesis that Fen-phen worked by activating the serotonin 2c receptor in the POMC neurons in the hypothalamus. The current work provides genetic proof supporting this model.“Conventional wisdom is that fenfluramine increases serotonin release that then activates serotonin receptors in the brain to regulate food intake and body weight, but unfortunately, this drug also causes lesions in heart valves,” he said. “If you could develop a drug that would travel to both the brain and the peripheral tissues, and then give a blocker to protect the heart, it’s possible that you could prevent the harmful side effects and still aid weight loss.

Admittedly, that’s a bit farfetched, but this mouse model could be used to test that theory.”The team’s next step is to determine whether they’ve identified the sole circuit required to suppress appetite and induce weight loss.

Source: UT Southwestern

Three cups of Spearole tea a day helps the pounds melt away

Spearole Tea, a blend of green tea, spearmint, grape seed and olive leaf, also cuts blood pressure and makes it easier for the body to process sugar, a medical conference will hear tomorrow.
Researcher Dr Lindsay Brown said: 'If someone had told me you could do all these things with something as simple as green tea with olive extract I would said they'd been out in the sun too long.

'It is simply amazing.'
Dr Brown, a pharmacologist at Brisbane's Queensland University, studied the effect of the tea on the health of a group of rats.
The creatures were fed a fat and sugar-laden diet caused the amount of fat around their bellies to double in eight weeks and their blood pressure to soar.
When Spearole Tea was added to their diet, their waistlines and their blood pressure quickly returned to normal. This was despite the continuing to eat junk food, the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress will hear.

Dr Brown said it was likely three cups of the tea a day could also help people stay trim, improving overall health.
Warning that the obesity epidemic threatened to wipe out the gains achieved by improvements to heart health, he said: 'The UK, the US and Australia all have something like 60 per cent of the adult population overweight or obese.
'The decrease in cardiovascular mortality in the last 40 years has added on average six years to life expectancy.

'That is the biggest increase in life expectancy in one generation in the history of the species.
'The control of cardiovascular disease has had an amazing effect on survival and that is at risk from obesity.'

Source: Daily Mail

Fat oxidation, or the body's ability to 'burn' fat, improves in obese people when they eat a higher protein diet.

The study, in Nutrition & Dietetics published by Wiley-Blackwell, found higher protein meals may have a subtle fat-burning effect in overweight or obese people. And the study showed the glycaemic index (GI) of a meal has no additional effect on fat breakdown. Study co-author Dr. Marijka Batterman, an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, said: 'We know from past research that overweight or obese people are not as efficient at burning fat.

Study participants were put on two protein-enriched meals and one standard meal, which all contained the same number of kilojoules. The two protein-enriched meals differed in the type of carbohydrate they contained - either high- or low-GI. The amount of kilojoules subjects burnt was then measured. The high-protein meals led to the greatest level of fat oxidation. This plan included a cheese and tomato omelette for breakfast, and a beef, chutney and salad sandwich, with a tub of low-fat yoghurt, for lunch. "We found a clear relationship between body composition and the effect of dietary protein on fat oxidation.

Our bodies burn energy and use fat differently, and we need to take this into account when planning our diets,' said Dr. Batterman who works at the Smart Foods Centre at the University of Wollongong. Claire Hewat, Executive Director of the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA), said all foods could fit into a healthy diet if eaten in the right amounts, and combined with regular physical activity. 'Forget the fad diets that are so fashionable these days. Instead, include lean protein from healthy foods like lean red meat, chicken and fish, legumes, eggs, nuts and reduced-fat dairy foods. People wanting individual advice on how much protein they need should see an Accredited Practising Dietitian,' said Ms Hewat.

Source: Medical News Today

New approaches to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes

GI Dynamics, a medical device company announced today a paper appearing in the advance online publication of the journal Obesity, which demonstrates that implantation of an innovative endoluminal sleeve mimics key, beneficial effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, inducing substantial weight loss and improved metabolic function in rats with diet-induced obesity.

The dramatic effects of the removable device on blood glucose levels in this animal model suggest an important role for the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) and jejunum (the central part of the small intestine) in the regulation of this metabolic function. GI Dynamics is developing an endoluminal sleeve, known as the EndoBarrier™ Gastrointestinal Liner, and is currently in late-stage clinical trials.

Source: BioSpace

Finally you achieved your weight loss goal and now you want a TUMMY TUCK!

Cosmetic surgery
Patients who feel they are at their ideal weight are the best candidates for a tummy tuck. Many patients combine their tummy tuck with other cosmetic procedures such as liposuction or breast augmentation.

Your procedure
There are three basic techniques used to flatten a protuberant abdomen.Liposuction alone can produce a thin abdominal wall for some patients with firm skin but excess fat.
For those with laxity of their abdominal muscle and especially excessive skin, a tummy tuck (complete or partial) may be their only solution. A tummy tuck is usually performed under general anesthesia with the patient asleep.
The classical, complete tummy tuck done in most places involves an incision around the belly button and another long incision that runs in the lower abdomen. The entire abdominal skin is lifted and the muscle is tightened with sutures, and the excess skin and fat is removed.

The ‘Mini-Dissection’ Tummy Tuck
This ‘Mini-Dissection’ Tummy tuck is often performed on our patients using minimal dissection. With this partial tummy tuck, a smaller incision is made in the lower abdomen. Your excess skin and fat are removed through this incision. In certain cases, permanent sutures may also be placed through this incision to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. This Mini-Dissection technique allows you to return home the same day.

What will my recovery be like?
Any discomfort that follows surgery can be controlled with oral medication. If small drains are used, they are removed the next day.

Source: CosmeticSurgery.com

Increased physical activity after gastric bypass surgery can yield better postoperative outcomes

Bariatric surgery is quickly emerging as a standard treatment for severe obesity, although weight loss outcomes vary. These results suggest that patient behaviour, particularly physical activity, may promote both enhanced weight loss and greater improvements in health-related quality of life following bariatric surgery," says lead author Dale Bond, PhD, The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island.Approximately 190 patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University participated in the study.

A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess physical activity levels of participants both before surgery and 1 year after surgery. Researchers set a benchmark of 200 minutes of weekly moderate or vigorous physical activity to differentiate between inactive versus active individuals.Participants also completed a standardised self-reported questionnaire designed to measure health-related quality of life, focusing on areas such as physical functioning, limitations because of physical or emotional problems, bodily pain, general health, energy levels (vitality), social functioning, and mental health. Overall, researchers observed a positive relationship between changes in physical activity and improved bariatric outcomes.



More than two-thirds (68%) of those individuals who went from being inactive before surgery to highly active 1 year afterward lost an additional 13.2 lbs, reduced their body mass index (BMI) by 2 more units and lost 8% more of their excess weight compared with those who remained inactive after surgery. This group also increased their daily physical activity duration from an average of less than 10 minutes before surgery to approximately 2 hours postoperatively.

Nearly a third (32%) of participants who engaged in less frequent physical activity did not change their activity levels postoperatively, accumulating fewer than 10 minutes of daily exercise both before and after surgery. When researchers looked at health-related quality of life, they discovered that individuals who became active following bariatric surgery, as well as those who were already physically active, reported greater improvements in areas such as general health, vitality, depression, and anxiety symptoms compared with those who remained inactive."Future studies should focus on identifying factors that can target those individuals who are likely to remain inactive after surgery and might require additional interventions to increase their level of physical activity," said Dr. Bond.

Source: Doctor's Guide

How did Britney Spears regain her slim figure?

The mother-of-two has mapped out a new healthy eating plan, in a bid to shed some pounds.

Britney: ''My diet has a lot to do with my getting into shape, "I have no sugar. I don't eat fruit or even fruit juice because of the sugar. I eat chicken and salmon and rice. "I eat avocados. I'll have egg whites for breakfast and sometimes turkey burgers for lunch. "I try to do just 1,200 calories a day. It may sound like it's not much, but it's actually a lot of food if you eat the right things,'" she added.

Transoral gastroplasty is feasible and apparently safe

“Transoral gastroplasty is feasible and apparently safe,” reported Jacques Deviere, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatopancreatology, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Presenting these results during the 2008 Digestive Disease Week, Dr. Deviere reported that the second pilot study, which employed an approach modified from the first, has been sufficiently promising that a randomized study with a sham control has been recently launched. Participating centers are in the United States and Europe.

The transoral approach is based on a patented system called TOGA (Satiety Inc.), which employs transoral endoscopically guided staplers to create a stapled restrictive pouch along the lesser curve of the stomach. In the first pilot study with 21 patients, published earlier this year (Surg Endosc 2008;22:589-598), the device showed promise, producing a 24.4% excess weight loss at six months, but gaps in the staple line were observed in 13 (62%) of the patients. The device was modified before this second pilot study was conducted. The modifications were made in the stapler to improve precision and in the vacuum ports that are used to maneuver the gastric tissue.

In this more recent pilot study, 29 patients were treated at centers in Brussels and Mexico City. In the current protocol, the procedure is performed under general anesthesia. The stapling device is introduced along a guidewire and an endoscope is introduced through the device by a second operator for visualization. Tissue is sucked into vacuum ports to produce serosa-to-serosa and mucosa-to-mucosa apposition and is then stapled with a triple line of staples to create a pouch. The pouch restricts food volume for early satiety and has a narrowed outlet to slow emptying. In the second pilot study, the average procedure time was 94 minutes.
The procedure result was likened to a vertical band gastroplasty, but the major advantage over previous surgical procedures for obesity is the ability to avoid incisions in the abdominal wall, which is considered the source of many of the complications of bariatric surgery, including a slow recovery time.

“There were two serious adverse events in this series. The first was a case of respiratory insufficiency in a very obese patient who required prolonged intubation. The patient was fully recovered by the following day. The other was a case of acute gallstone pancreatitis seven months after the procedure,” Dr. Deviere said. He noted that staple line gaps were observed in 11 patients in this series, which is a large proportional reduction relative to the first pilot series. Most gaps were small and thought to be nonfunctional.
As part of the protocol, additional gastric restrictions were permitted after three months. This was performed in seven patients who were not considered to have achieved sufficient weight loss. Sedation rather than general anesthesia may be used for these procedures.

The most commonly reported side effects were pain, gastric ulcer, asthenia, diarrhea and nausea, but most resolved over time. Indeed, quality-of-life (QOL) measures produced “dramatic improvements” whether based on obesity-related QOL or general QOL, according to Dr. Deviere. Although he conceded that far longer follow-up is needed to assess the ability of this approach to provide sustained weight loss, the results have been sufficiently encouraging to prompt the randomized trial now under way.
Others have not overlooked the potential advantages of a transoral approach to obesity surgery. Another endoscopic device for full-thickness gastroplasty, which may be appropriate for surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as well as obesity, has also demonstrated promise in experimental models of disease. Although at an earlier stage of development, this device, which is also patented (SafeStich Medical Inc.), has an integrated excision and suture apparatus and also uses vacuum ports to maneuver the gastric wall.
This device, developed by Charles J. Filipi, MD, professor of surgery at Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Neb., produces a pouch with a full-thickness muscularis propria-to-muscularis propria apposition.

“The preclinical work has demonstrated the feasibility of this device,” confirmed Rudolf J. Stadlhuber, MD, who presented the results on behalf of a team of researchers working at Creighton University. In animals, the procedure has been conducted with conscious sedation. Based on results so far, Dr. Stadlhuber predicted that clinical trials will begin next year.
Responding to Dr. Deviere’s comparison of this transoral approach to vertical band gastroplasty, a procedure that has been largely abandoned because of lack of long-term benefit, Eric Hungness, MD, a bariatric surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, suggested that it might be appropriate to remain circumspect until longer follow-up is performed. He indicated that despite the obvious advantages to a transoral route, there are now many bariatric procedures discarded because of lack of sustained weight loss.

Acknowledging the gap often observed between short- and long-term benefits, Dr. Deviere agreed that the feasibility of a transoral route does not prove efficacy. He also acknowledged the need for larger numbers of patients evaluated in a controlled trial. However, he also suggested that easier surgical procedures are needed for the massive public health threat posed by obesity.
According to Dr. Deviere, “surgery is the major player in the treatment of obesity” outside of lifestyle changes, making easier, less risky, and less costly procedures a priority as the obesity epidemic expands.

Source: General Surgery News

Urinary and fecal incontinence is common among women considering bariatric surgery for obesity

Now, researchers have found that the severity of fecal incontinence worsens for a majority of patients after the procedure, although the reason is not known.
“This is important because it’s an underappreciated problem,” said principal investigator Erica N. Roberson, MD, women’s health fellow at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. “Nobody really talks enough about incontinence among these patients.” More than half of patients who have the problem do not even mention it to their physicians, Dr. Roberson added, and physicians tend not to ask about the condition.

Recent studies have documented a high prevalence of urinary incontinence and fecal incontinence (67% and 32%, respectively) in women considering bariatric surgery and improvement of urinary incontinence after the procedure (Obstet Gynecol 2005. 106:1272-1277. NIH Consens State Sci Statements, 2007;24).
Dr. Roberson and her team mailed questionnaires to all patients who underwent bariatric surgery at the University of Wisconsin–Madison over a four-year span. The survey covered background information, type of surgery, weight change, symptoms of bowel and bladder disorders, and perceived effects of surgery on those symptoms.

Of 194 patients who responded (82% female), 51.2% who had liquid fecal incontinence prior to surgery said their conditions worsened afterward, compared with only 9.3% who reported improvement after surgery. Of the patients with solid fecal incontinence, 44.1% reported worsening diarrhea and 11.8% reported improvement of diarrhea after surgery. Of those patients with solid fecal incontinence prior to surgery, 54% said it worsened after surgery, and 11.8% reported an improvement. Urinary incontinence was reported by 73.4% of the respondents, although most reported either improvement or no change after surgery.

What’s the connection between bariatric surgery and incontinence? “We don’t have a good answer,” said Dr. Roberson. She offered some possibilities, including a change in diet or an anatomic change of the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea is known to occur frequently following bariatric surgery, and may relate to changes in diet after the procedure. Many patients change their diets drastically after surgery. Dr. Roberson hopes to address issues of causation in future studies.

Mark DeLegge, professor of medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, acknowledged that he had not realized that the problem of worsening incontinence was so prevalent in post–bariatric surgery patients.
“I see a lot of these patients and most have never mentioned this to me,” Dr. DeLegge said. In what he calls a “very unscientific evaluation” of a small number of his own patients, Dr. DeLegge found that some patients experienced somewhat worse fecal incontinence after the surgery, although they had not volunteered the information.

Dr. DeLegge speculated that fecal incontinence becomes a problem because many patients become more physically active after bariatric surgery. “I don’t think it’s a result of the surgery itself,” he said.

Source: General Surgery News

Large waist circumference is related to a higher risk of death

Whether you're shaped like an apple or a pear, if you're overweight, you have a higher risk of dying than someone of normal weight, a new European study says.

But, those who tend to collect their weight around the middle -- apple-shaped -- face an even higher risk of death than those whose excess weight tends to settle in their hips and thighs -- pear-shaped.

"We found that a large waist circumference is related to a higher risk of death even for individuals who have the same BMI [body mass index, a ratio of weight to height]," said the study's lead author, Dr. Tobias Pischon, of the German Institute of Human Nutrition. "Therefore, you could say that adipose [fat] accumulation in the abdominal region is even more detrimental than just having an elevated BMI level," he added.

Previous research had linked abdominal fat with a higher risk of chronic diseases. But past research generally hadn't assessed the risk of death in those who were overweight and those who were overweight with more abdominal fat, according to background information in the study.

The new research, published in the Nov. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, included almost 360,000 people from nine European countries who were part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

In addition to weight information and whether or not the study participants had died, the researchers also adjusted the data for education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity and height.

During a follow-up period of almost 10 years, slightly less than 15,000 people enrolled in the study had died.

Those with the lowest risk of death were men with a BMI of 25.3 and women with a BMI of 24.3. A body mass index between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and a BMI over 30 is considered obese, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Men with a BMI between 30 and 35 had a 24 percent increased risk of death compared to normal weight men. And women with a BMI between 30 and 35 had a 17 percent increased risk of death compared to their slimmer counterparts, Pischon said.

When the researchers factored in abdominal fat, they found that men with the largest waist circumference had more than double the risk of death, and women with the largest waist circumference increased their risk of death by 78 percent.

"Having a large waist circumference is related to a higher risk of death. This is even true for people who -- in terms of BMI -- would be considered as being normal weight," Pischon said.

Dr. Marc Siegel, an internist at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, said, "Fat is a problem. Obesity of all kinds correlates with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and more. But, abdominal fat is a more rudimentary indicator of risk.

"The bottom line is, if you want to live a long and healthy life, eat right, exercise and reduce stress. Fat is bad for you, period," Siegel added.

Source: ShermanHealth

Weight-loss surgery that takes just an hour and leaves no scars

The usual method of reducing the size of the stomach - to cut food intake and encourage weight-loss is to perform 'open' surgery on the abdomen.

This requires a major incision and is risky for obese patients, who are at greater risk from complications such as stroke or heart attack. But now doctors can reduce the size of the stomach - by operating through the mouth.

In America, patients were discharged just a few hours later and the technique could soon arrive in the UK.

The procedure involves putting a camera attached to a tube into the mouth and lowering it down the digestive tract into the stomach.

Mounted on the camera are instruments, including a needle which allows the surgeon to sew a series of pleats in the lining of the stomach to reduce its size.

Source: Daily Mail

Banned drug Fenfluramine has been shown to have serious long-term effects

In a report published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, researchers have shown that people who stopped using fenfluramine eleven years ago had damaged heart valves up to seven years later.

Fenfluramine (and the closely related dexfenfluramine) were widely prescribed as half of a so-called 'fen/phen' drug combination used to combat obesity. Since its withdrawal, there have been reports that tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the drug's manufacturers over damage caused. In this study, Charles Dahl from the Central Utah Clinic led a team of researchers who studied the heart condition of 5743 former fenfluramine users. He said, "Valve problems were common in individuals exposed to fenfluramines, more frequent in females and associated with duration of drug use in all valves assessed".

Heart valves, such as the aortic, mitral and tricuspid valves, ensure that blood flows in the correct direction around the heart. When they fail, blood back-flows (termed regurgitation). If the regurgitation is severe enough, congestive heart failure and/or the need for heart valve surgery may occur. Dahl said, "We found clear evidence for a strong, graded association between duration of exposure to fenfluramines and prevalence of aortic regurgitation and for mild or greater mitral and tricuspid regurgitation".

This is the largest study to examine duration of exposure to the drug and the first to estimate the incidence of valvular surgery among prior users. The authors found that 0.44% of former fenfluramine users in this group had valve surgery as a result of the use of fenfluramines. This risk for valve surgery was increased approximately seven fold. They write, "This is probably a conservative estimate, as another study has shown that there exists a 17- to 34-fold excess of clinically apparent (presumably severe), valvular disease in persons who had used fenfluramines for four months or longer".

Source: Medical News Today

A chemical cousin of red wine extract resveratrol tricks the body to lose weight

The University of Louis Pasteur team found the drug protected mice against weight gain and insulin resistance. The drug SRT1720 - a chemical cousin of red wine extract resveratrol - targets the protein SIRT1, which is thought to combat ageing, Cell Metabolism reports. UK obesity experts said new drug treatments were needed but should be used alongside lifestyle changes. About a quarter of men and a third of women in the UK are overweight, according to government statistics. A change in diet and an increase in physical exercise can shift excess weight, but can be hard for many to maintain. With the removal of the anti-obesity pill rimonabant, also known as Acomplia, from the market amid safety concerns, fewer drug options exist.

Potent drug
The French team from the University Louis Pasteur became interested in the SIRT1 protein after earlier studies showing resveratrol countered some effects of a high-calorie diet via SIRT1.
But tests in mice suggested gallons of wine would be necessary for humans to stand a chance of getting the same benefits. The scientists turned their attention to creating a more potent drug that would specifically target SIRT1.

They found that a low dose of SRT1720 partially protected mice from gaining weight on a high-fat diet after 10 weeks of treatment. The drug worked by shifting the metabolism to a fat-burning mode that normally takes over only when energy levels are low.

At higher doses, the drug completely prevented weight gain. It also improved the rodents' blood sugar tolerance and insulin sensitivity, which are important for warding off diabetes. The mice showed no sign of side effects. However, the scientists say further studies are needed to test the drug's safety and efficacy before it could be used in humans.

Other scientists are investigating SIRT1 activators similar to SRT1720 developed by Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. Professor Stephen Bloom, who has been researching obesity at Imperial College London, said: "This sounds interesting but is terribly early. "We do need new treatments for obesity, particularly as there are 1,000 deaths a week in the UK from obesity."

Prof Ian Broom, of the Centre for Obesity Research and Epidemiology at The Robert Gordon University, said: "Research in this area is to be welcomed as an additional route of combating the obesity epidemic and associated comorbid disease." He added that any such drug should be used alongside dietary and lifestyle changes to tackle obesity.

Source: BBC News

Dr. Sears latest book 'Toxic Fat': If you're fat, it's not your fault

In Canada to discuss Toxic Fat, Dr. Sears said, "Being overweight isn't due to a lack of willpower; the problem lies in your genes. When you understand obesity from the perspective of being similar to a cancer, you realize why 'eating less and exercising more' may never work for permanent weight loss."

Dr. Sears' first book, The Zone, was a breakthrough international hit and was #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List. His second book Toxic Fat describes the Perfect Nutritional Storm that has given rise to a current obesity epidemic. Our pro-inflammatory diet has caused activation of a fat-trap in genetically predisposed individuals and increases hunger by changing brain hormone levels that override normal appetite suppression," he said.

A research scientist, Dr. Sears said, "The toxic fat in our bodies is the underlying cause of increased inflammation and a dietary balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat can alter the hormonal responses that control inflammation."

"Losing weight and keeping it off requires rebalancing of hormonal signals in the brain. We need to look at foods we eat as powerful drugs that can either reduce or increase inflammation. Reducing inflammation can be as simple as 1-2-3. For every one gram of fat, you should eat two grams of protein and three grams of carbohydrates as best you can at every meal."

Source: Medical News Today

The overall profile of taranabant does not support further development for obesity

Merck and Co., Inc. will not seek regulatory approval for taranabant, an investigational medicine, to treat obesity and is discontinuing its Phase III clinical development program for taranabant for obesity.

"Available Phase III data showed that both efficacy and adverse events were dose related, with greater efficacy and more adverse events in the higher doses. Therefore, after careful consideration, we determined that the overall profile of taranabant does not support further development for obesity," said John Amatruda, M.D., senior vice president and research head, diabetes and obesity, Merck Research Laboratories. "We thank the patients and investigators around the world who collaborated with us on the research program for taranabant and look forward to developing new medicines for obesity to address the significant medical need posed by this disease."

Source: FierceBiotec

Birth control pills does not deserve its reputation for causing weight gain.

Hormonal methods of contraception and intrauterine devices (IUDs) are the most effective long-term ways to avoid unwanted pregnancy. And weight gain and weight loss were reported to be one of the adverse effects of the Pill. According to the Institute's Director, Professor Peter Sawicki, it turns out that many researchers were too quick to jump to the conclusion that the Pill was responsible.

"Trials which systematically assessed what happens to women when they use the Pill have not proven any substantial link between hormonal contraception and weight gain," said Professor Sawicki. "Many women gain some weight as they get older, whether or not they use the Pill. Limiting contraceptive choices will not help women keep their weight under control," he added. Weight loss can have important health and other advantages, but the researchers believe that that there are healthy and unhealthy ways to lose weight. Many young women smoke to try to keep their weight down, for example.

"The recent withdrawal of the anti-obesity drug rimonabant in Europe on safety grounds highlights the problems that shortcuts to weight loss can cause," said Professor Sawicki. "Other anti-obesity drugs can cause gastrointestinal problems or increase blood pressure," "There are no known shortcuts to long-term weight control with good health. Only a good diet and active lifestyle offer healthy long-term solutions," he added.

Source: newKerala

During the ages of 1-3 years, children are at risk of gaining significant weight

A study from Columbia University Medical Center found that the rate of being overweight increased significantly with each year of age, with the biggest gains between ages of one and three years.

Lead author of the study and attending pediatrician, Melissa Glassman warns that it's during these years that children begin to develop eating habits and food preferences. Parents need to play an active role in incorporating a balanced diet and be aware of the types of food to which children have access. It may take multiple attempts to offer new foods to children, so parents must undertake meal times with patience and determination to instill essential eating habits.

These finding have gotten the attention of pediatricians who believe that intervention is necessary to prevent childhood obesity during these crucial years. Parents should pursue healthy eating routines of their own because children observe and model their behavior after them. With America's obesity epidemic, understanding the causes of childhood obesity is critical.

Source: Empowered Doctor

The differences in weight gain associated with high-fat diets indicate that genetically-determined factors contribute to obesity

According to new research from the Monell Center, the degree of change in blood triglyceride levels following a fatty meal may indicate susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. The findings open doors to new methods of identifying people, including children, who are at risk for becoming obese.

Triglycerides are a form of fat that is transported in the blood and stored in the body’s fat tissues. They are found in foods and also are manufactured by the body.

“These findings suggest we may someday be able to use a simple blood test to identify those at risk for obesity,” said senior author Mark Friedman, PhD, a behavioral physiologist at Monell. “The ability to identify more susceptible individuals would make it possible to target obesity-prevention resources on those who need them most.”

The global obesity epidemic is thought to be caused in part by consumption of a diet high in fat and carbohydrates, which promotes weight gain. This propensity to gain weight and become obese when consuming a high-fat diet is at least partially controlled by genes, with some individuals gaining more than others while eating the same diet.

In the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, Friedman and lead author Hong Ji, PhD, screened rats for vulnerability to diet-induced obesity by measuring the increase in blood triglyceride levels following a single high-fat meal. They then fed the rats a diet high in fat over the next four weeks.

The researchers were able to predict which animals would become obese over the four-week period by examining the earlier metabolic response to the high-fat meal: the smaller the triglyceride change, the greater the weight gain.

There currently are no simple biomarkers for predicting susceptibility to diet-induced obesity, and thus no clinical tests that assist physicians in identifying those at risk for becoming obese. The current findings suggest that a change in blood triglyceride levels may someday be used as such a tool.

Future studies will entail a thorough investigation of the mechanism behind differences in the change in blood triglycerides.

“The differences in weight gain associated with high-fat diets indicate that genetically-determined factors contribute to obesity,” notes Friedman. “We have shown that these genetic factors are related to the body’s ability to burn fat. We now need a better understanding of how this relates to blood triglyceride levels.”

Source: Machines Like Us