The Global Syndicator - metabolism

Exercise could be the heart’s fountain of youth

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:29:19 +0000

Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but endurance exercise seems to make it younger. According to a study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, older people who did endurance exercise training for about a year ended up with metabolically much younger hearts.

Obesity chokes up the cellular power plant

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:03:12 +0000

The machinery responsible for energy production in fat cells is working poorly as a result of obesity. Finnish research done at the University of Helsinki and the National Public Health Institute shows that this may aggravate and work to maintain the obese state in humans.

Researchers discover a gene that might control fat accumulation

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:47:24 +0000

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a single gene might control whether or not individuals tend to pile on fat, a discovery that may point to new ways to fight obesity and diabetes.

Research identifies sirtuin protein instrumental in fat production and metabolism

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:38:19 +0000

A new Joslin Diabetes Center-led study has identified a protein found in fat cells that may play a major role in how fat is produced and stored, offering a new target for treatments to prevent obesity and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.

Metabolic syndrome - don’t blame the belly fat

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 23:42:48 +0000

Abdominal fat, the spare tire that many of us carry, has long been implicated as a primary suspect in causing the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and changes in cholesterol.

Moderate coffee drinking reduces many health risks

Tue, 01 May 2007 14:47:37 +0000

Coffee is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and that the preponderance of scientific evidence suggests that moderate coffee consumption (3-5 cups per day) may be associated with reduced risk of certain disease conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease.

‘Exercise pill’ switches on gene that tells cells to burn fat

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:48:48 +0000

By giving ordinary adult mice a drug - a synthetic designed to mimic fat - Salk Institute scientist Dr. Ronald M. Evans is now able to chemically switch on PPAR-d, the master regulator that controls the ability of cells to burn fat.

Obesity May Be Associated With A Relative Of Anti-aging Gene, Klotho

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:57:55 +0000

A relative of the anti-aging gene Klotho helps activate a hormone that can lower blood glucose levels in fat cells of mice, making it a novel target for developing drugs to treat human obesity and diabetes, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

First complete computer model of human metabolism

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:31:58 +0000

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have constructed the first complete computer model of human metabolism. Available free on the Web, the model is a major step forward in the fled

How Eating Less Might Make You Live Longer

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:16:08 +0000

Caloric Restriction in non-obese people translates into less oxidative damage in muscle cells, according to a new study by scientists at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. As oxidative damage has been linked to aging, this could explain how limiting calorie intake without malnutrition extends life span.

Resveratrol prevents obesity and drastically increases physical endurance.

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 17:35:38 +0000

Researchers at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France have found that resveratrol boosts the exercise capacity of muscles in mice and protects against diet-induced insulin resistance and obesity.

Reduced body temperature extends lifespan

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:05:13 +0000

“Our study shows it is possible to increase lifespan in mice by modest but prolonged lowering of core body temperature,” said Bruno Conti, an associate professor at Scripps Research who led the study.

Key fat and cholesterol cell regulator identified, promising target

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 05:59:19 +0000

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have identified how a molecular switch regulates fat and cholesterol production, a step that may help advance treatments for metabolic syndrome, the constellation of diseases that includes high cholesterol, obesity, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Scientists reveal possible strategy against obesity, diabetes and infertility

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:46:44 +0000

Twelve years ago, scientists discovered leptin–the now-famous hormone that controls appetite, burns calories and performs other crucial physiological activities as well. But the precise mechanism(s) by which leptin carries out these metabolic tasks is still controversial.