Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Scientists map molecular "master regulator" of fat-cell biology

A research team led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular "master regulator" of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these cells.

5 Nov 2008

Maternal obesity can program fetal brain to induce adult-onset obesity

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found that fetuses of obese mother rats were programmed in utero to develop obesity in adulthood.

5 Nov 2008

Study look at use of insulin via insulin pump

Using an insulin pump to manage diabetes is more convenient than managing the disease with daily insulin injections.

5 Nov 2008

Pycnodysostosis sheds light on enzyme's role in bone metabolism

Pycnodysostosis, a condition from which the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec suffered, is a genetic disease characterized by short stature.

5 Nov 2008

Resveratrol type drug mimics low-cal diet to ward off weight gain

A drug designed to specifically hit a protein linked to the life-extending benefits of a meager diet can essentially trick the body into believing food is scarce even when it isn't, suggests a new report in the November Cell Metabolism.

5 Nov 2008

Apelin hormone shows promise as target for managing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

By injecting a hormone produced by fat and other tissues into mice, researchers report in the November Cell Metabolism that they significantly lowered blood sugar levels in normal and obese mice.

5 Nov 2008

New drug tricks the body into burning off fat

French scientists have found a drug they say tricks the body into burning off fat - and it even works on a high-fat diet.

5 Nov 2008

New weapon in the fight against obesity and diabetes

A study appearing November 5 in the journal Cell Metabolism demonstrates that a synthetic new chemical entity protects against diet-induced obesity, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and enhances exercise endurance by enhancing fat utilization in certain target tissues.

4 Nov 2008

Maternal obesity can program fetal brain to induce adult-onset obesity

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found that fetuses of obese mother rats were programmed in utero to develop obesity in adulthood.

4 Nov 2008

Caffeine intake during pregnancy

Consuming caffeine at any time during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction (low birth weight), according to research published on bmj.com.

3 Nov 2008

Cancer requires support from immune system to develop, researchers report

Tumors that grow around nerves in a rare genetic disease need cooperation from cells from the immune system in order to grow, reports a team of scientists, including researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center.

30 Oct 2008

Education and work help beat Alzheimer's

New research has revealed that education and a mentally demanding job protects people from Alzheimer's disease.

22 Oct 2008

Birth control has long term effect on hormone exposure

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine may be one step closer to understanding why past oral contraceptive use dramatically lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers later in life.

20 Oct 2008

Resveratrol shows promise for treating human alcoholic fatty liver disease

The accumulation of fat in the liver as a result of chronic alcohol consumption could be prevented by consuming resveratrol, according to a new study with mice. The research found that resveratrol reduced the amount of fat produced in the liver of mice fed alcohol and, at the same time, increased the rate at which fat within the liver is broken down.

14 Oct 2008

High-dose vitamin B supplements do not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's

A clinical trial led by Paul S. Aisen, M.D., professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that high-dose vitamin B supplements did not slow the rate of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease.

14 Oct 2008

Link found between mitochondria and tumor formation in stem cells

Researchers report on a previously unknown relationship between stem cell potency and the metabolic rate of their mitochondria -a cell's energy makers. Stem cells with more active mitochondria also have a greater capacity to differentiate and are more likely to form tumors.

12 Oct 2008