Nibbles: Calorie overload messes with brain, dieters gain more pregnancy weight and Queen Latifah loses
Overeating triggers immune system damage
Eating too much seems to activate an otherwise dormant part of the immune system that sends signals to attack nonexistent invaders, which may lead to the development of heart disease, diabetes and other health problems associated with being overweight. Research from the United States in the British medical journal Cell centered on mice and was trying to explain why obesity causes inflammation in the body. Researchers found an immune system compound in the region of the brain that regulates appetite in both mice and humans, and though it’s normally inactive it could be turned off by a high-fat diet, which in turn made the body stop listening to signals from leptin and insulin…
Genes can make weight loss drug more effective
Obese people with a specific genetic makeup do better when taking the drug sibutramine along with behavioral therapy than do people without these genetic markers. The drug is supposed to make people feel fuller and keep the metabolic rate up despite a low-calorie diet, but its success is widely variable. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic found that people with markers for specific genes (?2A-receptor, 5-HTTLPR and GN?3, if you must know) were able to lose more weight over 12 weeks than those who didn’t have the genes…
Merck halts development of obesity drug
In more obesity drug news, Merck has halted a trial for its new obesity drug, known as taranabant, because of an increased risk in “psychiatric events” among people who took it. Higher doses of the drug were both more effective for weight loss and more likely to cause side effects, and the company said it was unable to find the proper dosage that would keep weight loss success high and side effects low…
Dieters gain more during pregnancy
Women who diet are more likely to gain more than the recommended weight while pregnant than women who don’t diet. That’s true regardless of their weight when they get pregnant. Women who diet and are underweight when they get pregnant don’t gain enough weight, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers say women with a history of unhealthy weight behaviors should be counseled about the right amount of weight to gain during pregnancy (recommendations vary depending on the starting weight of the mother and range from 15 to 40 pounds)…
Queen Latifah makes weight loss a family affair
Finally, Queen Latifah was on “Oprah” yesterday promoting her new movie and talking weight loss. The spokeswoman for Jenny Craig says she’s lost 20 pounds on the program, her mother has also lost 20 pounds and an aunt has lost 36 pounds. Latifah says the whole family got involved for health reasons, since many were borderline diabetic. She also said she didn’t want to do it alone, but that the pre-packaged diet is “kind of convenient” and was helpful when on the movie set.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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