(HealthDay News) -- A natural protein might help the body rid itself of fat while suppressing appetite.
Researchers say the protein, called ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), acts directly with muscles, boosting the body's fat-burning ability as it helps protect against some of the effects of obesity.
"While hormones such as leptin were initially thought to be the cure-all for weight loss, they were later found to be ineffective in obesity due to the presence of proteins which inhibit their ability to stimulate fat metabolism. Fortunately, CNTF's effects on fat burning are maintained," research leader Dr. Greg Steinberg, of the University of Melbourne in Australia, said in a prepared statement.
Reporting in this week's issue of Nature Medicine, his team found that CNTF activates an enzyme called skeletal muscle AMP kinase, which in turns boosts the body's ability to metabolize fat and sugar. The pathways activated by CNTF are similar to those activated by exercise. The findings may help in the development of new ways to reduce the risk of metabolic abnormalities associated with excess weight.
The study was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Until recently, most obesity research has concentrated on the regulation of appetite by hormones such as leptin.
"Dr. Steinberg's finding is significant because this new pathway that overcomes leptin resistance opens the door to a more promising avenue for the development of a therapeutic anti-obesity agent," Dr. Diane Finegood, scientific director of the CIHR's Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes, said in a prepared statement.
More information
The U.S. Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains the health risks of being overweight.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Study Shows Liver, Kidney, and Pancreatic Cancers More Frequent in Diabetes Patients By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Liver, Kidney, and Pancreatic Cancers More Frequent in Diabetes Patients
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDon Monday, September 25, 2006
Sept. 25, 2006 -- Adults with diabetes may be at increased risk for developing several kinds of cancer, according to new research from Japan.
In the study, men with diabetes were found to have more liver, kidney, and pancreatic cancers than men without the disease. And women with diabetes had more stomach and liver cancers than women who didn't have diabetes.
The Japanese study presents some of the strongest evidence yet linking diabetes and cancer, but it is not yet clear if diabetes actually causes malignant disease, researchers from the National Cancer Center, Tokyo, wrote.
Diabetes Rates on the Rise
As with other industrialized countries, including the U.S., diabetes rates have skyrocketed in Japan in recent years, and they continue to rise.
Approximately 150 million people worldwide have diabetes. But that number is expected to double within the next two decades as the population ages.
"The remarkable increase in the diagnosis of diabetes in Japan in recent years may affect future trends in the incidence and type of cancer," the Japanese researchers write in the Sept. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researcher Manami Inoue, MD, PhD, and colleagues followed nearly 98,000 men and women in Japan for 9 to 13 years. Participants were between the ages of 40 and 69 when they entered the study.
At enrollment, 3,097 of the men (6.7%) and 1,571 of the women (3.1%) had diabetes or had a history of having the disease. By the end of the study's follow-up in December 2003, 3,907 men, including 366 with diabetes, and 2,555 women, including 104 with diabetes, had developed cancer.
Total cancer risk was found to be 27% higher for men with diabetes than for men without the disease. For women with diabetes, they found an increased risk for stomach and liver cancers specifically.
Among men, the risk was especially high for cancers of the liver, kidney, and pancreas.
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDon Monday, September 25, 2006
Sept. 25, 2006 -- Adults with diabetes may be at increased risk for developing several kinds of cancer, according to new research from Japan.
In the study, men with diabetes were found to have more liver, kidney, and pancreatic cancers than men without the disease. And women with diabetes had more stomach and liver cancers than women who didn't have diabetes.
The Japanese study presents some of the strongest evidence yet linking diabetes and cancer, but it is not yet clear if diabetes actually causes malignant disease, researchers from the National Cancer Center, Tokyo, wrote.
Diabetes Rates on the Rise
As with other industrialized countries, including the U.S., diabetes rates have skyrocketed in Japan in recent years, and they continue to rise.
Approximately 150 million people worldwide have diabetes. But that number is expected to double within the next two decades as the population ages.
"The remarkable increase in the diagnosis of diabetes in Japan in recent years may affect future trends in the incidence and type of cancer," the Japanese researchers write in the Sept. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researcher Manami Inoue, MD, PhD, and colleagues followed nearly 98,000 men and women in Japan for 9 to 13 years. Participants were between the ages of 40 and 69 when they entered the study.
At enrollment, 3,097 of the men (6.7%) and 1,571 of the women (3.1%) had diabetes or had a history of having the disease. By the end of the study's follow-up in December 2003, 3,907 men, including 366 with diabetes, and 2,555 women, including 104 with diabetes, had developed cancer.
Total cancer risk was found to be 27% higher for men with diabetes than for men without the disease. For women with diabetes, they found an increased risk for stomach and liver cancers specifically.
Among men, the risk was especially high for cancers of the liver, kidney, and pancreas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
