Metabolism | Page 9 of 11 | Health Newstrack

Leptin sensitizing agents may help to lose weight

Obesity: Reviving the promise of leptin; The first known leptin-sensitizing agents induce mice to lose weight. – The discovery more than a decade ago of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone secreted by fat tissue, generated headlines and great hopes for an effective treatment for obesity. But hopes dimmed when it was found that obese people are unresponsive to leptin due to development of leptin resistance in the brain. Now, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston report the first agents demonstrated to sensitize the brain to leptin: oral drugs that are already FDA-approved and known to be safe. Findings were published January 7 by the journal Cell Metabolism.

Blood sugar level linked to cognitive aging

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center link blood sugar to normal cognitive aging – Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC).

Good sleep lowers heart disease risk

Longer measured sleep is associated with lower calcification incidence independent of examined potential mediators and confounders. – Participants in a study who slept on average an hour longer per night than other participants had an associated lower incidence of coronary artery calcification, which is thought to be a predictor of future heart disease, according to a study in the December 24/31 issue of JAMA.

Breathing life into injured lungs before lung transplant

Breathing life into injured lungs: World-first technique will expand lung donor organ pool – For the first time in the world, transplant surgeons at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network used a new technique to repair an injured donor lung that was unsuitable for transplant, and then successfully transplanted it into a patient.

Breathing problems during sleep linked to calories burned at rest

Sleep disordered breathing severity is associated with REE – Resting Energy Expenditure. – Individuals with sleep-related breathing disorders appear to burn more calories when resting as their conditions become more severe, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Otolaryngology?Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Brain genes linked to BMI, obesity

New research suggests that genes that predispose people to obesity act in the brain and that perhaps some people are simply hardwired to overeat. – A genetic study of more than 90,000 people has identified six new genetic variants that are associated with increased Body Mass Index (BMI), the most commonly used measure of obesity. Five of the genes are known to be active in the brain, suggesting that many genetic variants implicated in obesity might affect behaviour, rather than the chemical processes of energy or fat metabolism.

Vitamin B does not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease

High-dose vitamin B supplementation for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease did not slow the rate of cognitive decline. – 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.

Brain pathway responsible for obesity discovered

University of Wisconsin-Madison Research team discovers brain pathway responsible for obesity. – University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, for the first time, have found a messaging system in the brain that directly affects food intake and body weight.

Eyes could serve as early warning of diabetes

A new testing device may give doctors early warning of eye disease, especially vision trouble linked to diabetes. – A new vision screening device, already shown to give an early warning of eye disease, could give doctors and patients a head start on treating diabetes and its vision complications, a new study shows.

Red wine may ward off effects of age on heart, bones, eyes and muscles

Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol slows age-related deterioration and functional decline, but does not increase longevity. – Large doses of a red wine ingredient can ward off many of the vagaries of aging in mice who begin taking it at midlife, according to a new report published online on July 3rd in Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. Those health improvements of the chemical known as resveratrol-including cardiovascular benefits, greater motor coordination, reduced cataracts and better bone density-come without necessarily extending the animals’ lifespan.