Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered a new way that brown fat, a type of fat that burns energy, can boost the body's metabolism. This process allows cells to consume more fuel and generate heat, improving overall metabolic health. Conducted in mice, the research points to new possibilities for using brown fat to address metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance and obesity.
Green tea is an ancient beverage recognized for its medicinal and antioxidant properties. It has been widely studied for its beneficial effects on metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies funded by FAPESP have deepened our understanding of the mechanisms of action of this infusion and revealed that green tea treatment reduced weight and significantly improved glucose sensitivity and insulin resistance in obese mice.
"Overeating is a major contributor to obesity, yet most treatments overlook the unconscious habits that drive it," said corresponding author Nabil Alshurafa, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and of computer engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering, who was the corresponding author of the new study published in npj Digital Medicine (part of the Nature portfolio of journals).
A daily pill for weight loss can help people reduce their body weight by as much as a fifth, according to a trial that could pave the way for millions more people to shed pounds. The drug, called orforglipron, is manufactured by Eli Lilly and targets the same GLP-1 receptors as weight loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy. In a trial of 3,127 adults, one in five people who took the once-a-day tablet for 72 weeks lost 20% or more of their body weight.
RESEARCHERS in Barcelona may just give Ozempic a run for its money: a new study led by Dr Antonio Zorzano and Dr Manuela Sánchez-Feutrie at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, or IRB Barcelona, has identified an essential protein that helps to reduce obesity without the necessity of lowering food intake. Neuritin 1, the protein previously linked to the nervous system and found in the body's brown adipose tissue, is postulated to help boost energy burning without affecting caloric intake.
"The surprising part of the study wasn't any with any single statistic; it was that there's 170 indicators, eight data sources, all showing the same thing: a generalized decline in kids' health."
The reason why heart disease and cancer and obesity and diabetes are bigger in the black community is because of the stress we carry from having to deal with being called the N-word directly or indirectly every day.
"Obesity is a serious, chronic disease, and access to obesity medications should be treated with the same urgency as other chronic conditions," said Rhonda Pacheco, emphasizing the importance of medication access.
"Clinicians treating very obese children in Sweden found that liraglutide injections combined with lifestyle changes resulted in a significant weight loss success rate, avoiding mealtime conflicts."