Appetite in Biological News

Natural brain substance blocks weight gain in mice, UT Southwestern researchers discover

... about a decade ago, is involved in controlling appetite and sleep. He found that reduced levels of orexin ... both rodents and humans. Orexin can boost the appetite in the short term, but, paradoxically, a lack of ... the animals responded with a much greater loss of appetite and weight compared to normal mice given leptin. ...

Disabling enzyme allows mice to gorge without becoming obese, new study finds

... of tasty, high-fat foods. Notably, the enzyme did not appear to affect appetite since the two groups ate equivalent amounts. However, as the mice aged, ... The researchers caution that previous discoveries in fat metabolism and appetite regulation have not always translated well from mice to humans. Although ...

The dark chocolate version of Father Christmas is most filling

... experiment To compare the effects of dark and milk chocolate on both appetite and subsequent calorie intake, 16 young and healthy men of normal weight ... During the following 5 hours, participants were asked to register their appetite every half hour, i.e. their hunger, satiety, craving for special foods and ...

Overweight mums have chubby bubs

... can affect the food preferences of offspring. "As brain control of appetite is likely set early in life, nutrient availability in the fetal or early ... fat accumulation, circulating lipid levels, glucose metabolism, and brain appetite regulators. In a separate paper, the same UNSW research group found ...

New master switch found in the brain that regulates appetite and reproduction

... travels through the bloodstream to the hypothalamus in the brain (the appetite center), keeping the brain aware of the body's nutritional status. ... what is was. (Very thin women often do not have periods.) "Controlling appetite and reproduction together provides a big evolutionary advantage," Montminy ...

Killer carbs -- Monash scientist finds the key to overeating as we age

... A Monash University scientist has discovered key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased ... you consume more," Dr Andrews said. Dr Andrews said the attack on appetite suppressing cells creates a cellular imbalance between our need to eat and ...

Hunger hormone: Makes food more attractive

... and treating obesity, a condition affecting millions world-wide. appetite was previously thought of as being controlled by two separate mechanisms: ... brain regions, subjects also answered questions about their mood and appetite before and after seeing sets of images. The effects of ghrelin on the ...

Second genetic link to weight and obesity

... a pivotal role in many aspects of physiology, including regulation of appetite and energy expenditure. The severe form of MC4R-related obesity is a ... is a key player in orchestrating information from the body to control appetite and energy expenditure to keep body weight in balance. The team propose ...

Girls who begin dieting twice as likely to start smoking

... (among females) or different among males. Smoking to suppress the appetite may be one reason why some dieting teens pick up the habit, Maldonado-Molina said. But nicotines ability to suppress the appetite may not be the only reason teenagers are more likely to smoke after they ...

Freshwater fish at the top of the food chain evolve more slowly

... Durham, NC For avid fishermen and anglers, the largemouth bass is a favorite freshwater fish with an appetite for minnows. A new study finds that once they evolved to eat other fish, largemouth bass and fellow fish-feeders have remained relatively unchanged ...

UTMB study identifies women at risk of gaining excessive weight with injectable birth control

... early gainers exhibited three major risk factors: A body mass index under 30, having children before starting DMPA and a self-reported increase in appetite after six months of DMPA use. The study, which appears in the August issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology , followed 240 women ages 16-33 who used ...

Genetic marker linked to problem behaviors in adults with developmental disabilities

... on the gene that encodes monoamine oxidize A or MAOA. MAOA is involved in the regulation of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is linked to appetite and mood, and the neurotransmitter and hormone norepinephrine, which is linked to the fight-or-flight response. Previous studies found that ...

Discovery may provide new treatments for alcohol dependence

... all kinds of addictions, including chemical drugs such as alcohol and even food" says Suzanne Dickson, Professor of Physiology, a leading expert in appetite regulation. The work emerged from a unique collaboration between the research groups of Prof Suzanne Dickson and Prof Emeritus Jrgen Engel, ...

Fatty foods -- not empty stomach -- fire up hunger hormone

... in how ghrelin may be involved in the rapid benefits of gastric bypass surgery," says Tschp. "This powerful obesity therapy frequently reduces appetite and improves metabolism before substantial weight loss occurs. Intriguingly, this procedure causes food to bypass the stomach and gut sections that ...

Jeepers creepers: Climate change threatens endangered honeycreepers

... infection that typically causes tumor-like swellings on exposed skin of the feet, legs, beak and eyelids of infected birds. Malaria often results in appetite and weight loss, anemia, and massive enlargement of birds' liver and spleen. ...

Study finds children's activity levels not influenced by more PE time in school

... propose it's not the environment that drives physical activity levels in children, but some form of central control in the brain similar to appetite an 'activitystat'. "These findings have implications for anti-obesity policies because they challenge the assumption that creating more ...

New approach discovered to lowering triglycerides

... drugs, a group of prescription medications often used for that purpose. Lipoic acid supplements have in various studies been shown to be an appetite suppressant, but control groups of laboratory animals were used in this research to ensure that lower triglyceride levels were not the result simply ...

Metastatic bone disease patients can walk in Lazarus' footsteps

... disease. Normal daily activities can become difficult when the metastases become painful, and many patients report that their sleep patterns change, appetite diminishes and the need to take pain relief medications increases," he noted. "Osteoplasty is not a first-line treatment. It is a highly effective ...

News from the March 2009 Journal of the American Dietetic Association

... studies published in the March 2009 Journal of the American Dietetic Association include: Effects of Food Form and Timing of Ingestion on appetite and Energy Intake in Lean and Obese Young Adults Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Its Relation to Markers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress ...

Society of Interventional Radiology hosts 34th annual scientific meeting

... can be severely affected when they have metastatic bone disease. Normal daily activities can become difficult when the metastases become painful, appetite diminishes and the need for pain medications increases. An interventional radiology treatment can bring relief to individuals who have very large ...

Obesity starts in the head? 6 newly discovered genes for obesity have a neural effect

... known two obesity genes, FTO and MC4R, show a similar expression pattern; in case of the MC4R gene, a genotype-dependant influence on the behavior of appetite is already established. Scientists of the German National Genome Research Network (NGFN), Prof. H.-Erich Wichmann and Dr. Iris Heid from the ...

Genetic variation may lead to early cardiovascular disease

... neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene. NPY is one of the most plentiful and important proteins in the body and is a neurotransmitter related to the control of appetite and feeding behavior, among other functions. The current research, led by Svati Shah and Elizabeth Hauser, found evidence for six related ...

Brain background to body mass

... Increase in weight occurs when calories taken in exceed calories burned, but behind that simple equation lie behavioural processes such as appetite and satiety, as well as the biochemical mechanisms our bodies use to process foods and use stores of energy, such as fat tissue. A part of the brain ...

Low-carb diets can affect dieters' cognition skills

... Kristen D'Anci. The study, "Low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets. Effects on cognition and mood," appears in the February 2009 edition of the journal " appetite ." While the brain uses glucose as its primary fuel, it has no way of storing it. Rather, the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which ...

French scientist wins the Journal of Experimental Biology Outstanding Paper Prize

... level of the collective'. Analysing ant foraging habits in response to differently structured colonies, Dussutour and Simpson found that the larvae's appetite for sugar seems to drive the nest's collective stomach. Steve Simpson, Dussutour's mentor and co-investigator on the paper, says that this discovery ...

Scientists call for protected 'swimways' for the endangered leatherback sea turtle

... in the world. "Leatherback sea turtles survived the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs, but they are unlikely to survive our unsustainable appetite for swordfish and tuna," said Todd Steiner, Executive Director of the U.S.-based Turtle Island Restoration Network and a member of the IUCN Marine ...

Risk and reward compete in brain

... researchers found that activity in one region identified risk-averse volunteers, while activity in a different region was greater in those with an appetite for risk. The study appeared online Oct. 8 in the journal Cerebral Cortex . "We can see risk as a battle between two forces," said Antoine ...

Wasps and bumble bees heat up, fly faster with protein-rich food

... in the late 1970s. "Wasps forage on any kind of meat they can find: animal carcasses, other insects," said UCSD doctoral student Megan Eckles. Their appetite for protein and efficient foraging are harming Hawaiian spider and insect populations. Eckles and biology graduate student Erin Wilson traveled to ...

Iowa State researchers study ground cover to reduce impact of biomass harvest

... are looking at ways to use ground cover, a living grass planted between the rows of corn, in production farming. The seemingly limitless national appetite for ethanol has industry and government looking beyond the kernel to the entire corn plant for more fuel. But corn, the source of most of the ...

New technology may prevent vitamin B12 deficient seniors and vegetarians from needing injections

... B12 deficient and will eventually need treatment. Seniors and strict vegetarians are most at risk. Symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, loss of appetite and weight loss can occur in those who are deficient. Currently, physicians rely on B12 shots for people with vitamin B12 deficiency because of ...

Medicines derived from cannabis: a review of adverse events

... have been shown to treat chronic pain resulting from diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and fibromyalgia, and also to stimulate appetite and relieve nausea. Physicians must weigh the possible benefits of treatment against the possible side effects in an overall attempt to improve the ...

Fruit fly helps identify protein critical to eggshell formation that may be pesticide target

... author on the study published online in Developmental Biology. She notes that "good" insects, such as ladybugs and praying mantis that have a big appetite for other insects, could be potential casualties. Her studies, which include the form and function of fingerlike microvilli found in the ears, ...

Turning fungus into fuel

... LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, May 4, 2008A spidery fungus with a voracious appetite for military uniforms and canvas tents could hold the key to improvements in the production of biofuels, a team of government, academic and industry ...

Mapping the genetic locus for triglycerides

... three genes that are especially promising candidates: angiopoietin-like 3, which inhibits enzymes that break down fats; the receptor for the appetite hormone leptin; and sterol carrier protein 2, which helps convert cholesterol into bile acids. The researchers also note that another recent ...

Adolescent girls with ADHD are at increased risk for eating disorders, study shows

... could contribute to the bulimia nervosa symptoms. "An additional concern is that stimulant medications used to treat ADHD have a side effect of appetite suppression, creating a risk that overweight girls could abuse these medicines to encourage weight loss, though we have not yet investigated that ...

Lipoic acid could reduce atherosclerosis, weight gain

... interest, Frei said, is the apparent role of lipoic acid supplementation in reducing weight gain. It appears to have this effect both through appetite suppression, an enhanced metabolic rate, and at least in laboratory animals has been shown to stimulate higher levels of physical activity, which ...

Overeating and obesity triggered by lack of BDNF

... in both the VMH and the DMH. These results suggest that BDNF is a fast-acting signal inducing neuronal activity within neural circuits involved in appetite control. Mice with site-specific perturbation of BDNF expression did not exhibit behavioral abnormalities typically observed in mice with global ...

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards prestigious fellowships to 17 top young investigators

... is developing new methods to elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of endocannabinoids, small, lipid molecules important in the regulation of appetite and analgesia. Through manipulation of this pathway, it may be possible to relieve pain, promote hunger and inhibit nausea associated with radio- ...

Australian researchers develop treatment to treat obesity

... turn targets receptors in the brain that switch off appetite. Antibodies against MIC-1, already developed by St Vincents, make it possible to switch appetite back on. Conversely, when normal and obese mice are treated with MIC-1, they eat less and lose a lot of weight, suggesting that MIC-1 may also ...

Obesity-related hormone is higher in children with Down syndrome

... fat, suggesting that differences in body composition did not account for the difference in leptin levels. The normal role of leptin is to suppress appetite and regulate body weight, said senior author Nicolas Stettler, M.D., MSCE, a pediatric nutrition specialist at The Children's Hospital of ...