Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Human gut model HuMiX represents actual conditions, processes that occur within intestines

One of the most complex human organs is the digestive tract: Here, the body comes into contact with all manner of diet-derived compounds and with countless bacteria.

11 May 2016

Oral regimens could offer simple solution for severe hyperglycaemia

Study findings indicate that oral treatments could offer a simpler alternative to upfront insulin for patients who have severe hyperglycaemia at the time of diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes.

10 May 2016

lncRNA in placenta may help protect unborn baby from invading pathogens

The human placenta is an organ unlike any other. During the course of nine months it is formed by the embryo, sustains life and then is shed.

10 May 2016

Videogame addiction may impact sleep habits, obesity and cardio-metabolic health among children and teens

Some children and youth with high videogame addiction tendencies may be at risk of sleep deprivation and disorders associated with obesity and poor cardio-metabolic health, Hamilton researchers have found.

10 May 2016

Food deprivation may help treat fatty liver disease

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have new information on what happens at the molecular level when we go hungry. Working with the Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung and the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum they were able to show that upon deprivation of food a certain protein is produced that adjusts the metabolism in the liver.

9 May 2016

Cancerous lung tumors can alter metabolism by hijacking circadian mechanisms

University of California, Irvine scientists who study how circadian rhythms - our own body clocks - control liver function have discovered that cancerous lung tumors can hijack this process and profoundly alter metabolism.

6 May 2016

Studies show mango consumption may contribute to protective health effects

Four new studies surrounding the effects of mango consumption suggest this superfruit has the potential to help combat adverse effects associated with high fat diets and obesity (animal study), as well inhibit growth of fat cells (anti-lipogenic properties in an in-vivo study), slow advancement of breast cancer tumors (animal study), as well as improve regularity and decrease inflammation associated with constipation (human subject study).

6 May 2016

Development of atherosclerosis can increase osteoporosis risk

Patients with atherosclerosis—the buildup of cholesterol and fat in arteries—are at a higher risk of osteoporosis. A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism shows how the development of atherosclerosis encourages the loss of bone density.

6 May 2016

Climate change may be key factor for increasing rates of chronic kidney disease

Climate change may be accelerating rates of chronic kidney disease caused by dehydration and heat stress, according to research appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

6 May 2016

Newborn screen for Niemann-Pick disease type C ready for piloting

Researchers have developed a bile acid-based test that they believe could help screen for Niemann-Pick disease type C in newborns.

6 May 2016

Dieting may suppress metabolism even after weight gain

While it's known that metabolism slows when people diet, new research indicates that metabolism remains suppressed even when people regain much of the weight they lost while dieting.

5 May 2016

Human milk hormones may play vital role in shaping healthy infant microbiome

A new University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus study finds that hormones in breast milk may impact the development of healthy bacteria in infants' guts, potentially protecting them from intestinal inflammation, obesity and other diseases later in life.

5 May 2016

Researchers discover critical new mechanism for genesis of heart failure

A weak heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood around the body. In Germany, this condition is now the commonest reason for patients to be admitted to hospital.

4 May 2016

Controlling cholesterol metabolism could help reduce pancreatic cancer spread

Researchers have shown how controlling cholesterol metabolism in pancreatic cancer cells reduces metastasis, pointing to a potential new treatment using drugs previously developed for atherosclerosis.

4 May 2016

Scientists discover genetic switches linked to increased lifespan in mammals

Newly discovered genetic switches that increase lifespan and boost fitness in worms are also linked to increased lifespan in mammals, offering hope that drugs to flip these switches could improve human metabolic function and increase longevity.

3 May 2016

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

Doctors have long known that men with low testosterone are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. For the first time, researchers have identified how testosterone helps men regulate blood sugar by triggering key signaling mechanisms in islets, clusters of cells within the pancreas that produce insulin. The findings, co-authored by Tulane University researchers, are published in the journal

29 Apr 2016

Understanding how individuals respond to aspirin

Researchers have learned new information about how different people respond to aspirin, a globally prescribed drug in cardioprotection. The research team, led by scientists at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom and including representatives from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Colorado, identified more than 5,600 lipids — or fats — in blood platelets and gained new insights into how these cells respond to aspirin.

29 Apr 2016

Nicotine metabolism linked with chronic alcohol abuse may contribute to poor smoking cessation rates

For smokers who are addicted to alcohol, chronic alcohol abuse may increase the rate of nicotine metabolism and contribute to poor smoking cessation rates. When smokers stop drinking the nicotine metabolism rates decline significantly, according to a study conducted by an international research team led by Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The research was a collaboration of scientists from Roswell Park, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Medical University of Silesia and Center of Addiction Treatment in Poland.

29 Apr 2016

Study links age-related changes in human pancreas to diabetes development

A Stanford-led national collaboration to procure and analyze human pancreatic tissue from deceased donors illustrates how the organ's function changes as we age, and could point the way toward new diabetes treatments.

29 Apr 2016

Researchers report tumors can continue to grow even without supply of new blood vessels

When medication is used to shut off the oxygen supply to tumor cells, the cells adapt their metabolism in the medium term -- by switching over to producing energy without oxygen. This observation by biomedical scientists at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel could be used for treatments that can inhibit tumor growth in the long term, as the researchers report in the latest issue of the journal Cell Reports.

29 Apr 2016