Choice of Diet

Anorexia nervosa, commonly known as anorexia, is an eating disorder that is associated with food litigation, fear of gaining weight, underweight, and a strong urge to continuously lose weight. On July 15th, 2019, The largest study for Anorexia Nervosa has taken place, examining around 17,000 patients that have been diagnosed with this disorder.  Findings suggest that chemical signals involving both the mentally and physically have confused the mind to behave in this manner, causing the individual to not choose a healthy diet.  Getting these results from one of the largest studies of anorexia yet, the disorder affects up to 2% of women and 0.3% of men. It has been a struggle trying to figure out how to dissect the disorder and treat it all in the same process.  Anorexia shares some of the same character traits as ODC, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.
Anorexia, like any other mental disorder, should be as big of a priority as our physical and emotional health. That fact that this disorder shares "characteristic single-nucleotide polymorphisms" with other disorders that are affecting a huge percentage of mental health should be highlighted and brought to the attention of our children. Although psychiatrists have struggled to find solutions to 100% treat the people who have been diagnosed, I feel as though sharing what the issue is and helping others gain knowledge of how to treat the Patient in the real world should bring light to the fact that we want to help. I think by acknowledging people with this disorder as if they are the same as anybody else will help a little at least with the mental state.

Original Article: Roots of Anorexia

Discovering the Gene for Appetite

A recent article published in the New York Times reveals that there is a gene that plays a role in appetite suppression and predisposition to obesity. A recent study has discovered that the MC4R gene plays a vital role in hunger regulation and the feeling of fullness. There are essentially three types of possible phenotypes for this gene. The normal phenotype would be a typical appetite that signals you to eat when hungry and stop eating when you've had the correct amount of food. There is a mutation in this MC4R gene that causes some people to have this gene turned off. This causes them to never feel full and they keep eating because they never receive a signal to stop. These are the people that are at a greater genetic disposition for obesity. However, there is also another alteration to this gene that causes it to be constantly turned on. This leads to affected individuals feeling full prematurely and, as a result, they do not eat as much or desire food as much as the formerly affected individuals. This leaves this group of mutants thin and less likely to develop diseases like diabetes and heart disease. 

Like many, I have always known that predisposition for obesity was related to genetics. However, I think the vast majority of people believe this is related to metabolism, which you often inherit from your parents. To find out that this may have little to do with genetic weight gain is very interesting. It makes me wonder if the mechanism of these appetite suppressor drugs for weight loss involves turning off the MC4R gene. It also raises the question over whether as many people would look down upon these appetite pills if they knew that there was a legit genetic reasoning behind the use of the pill.

Obesity and Taste Buds

Researchers at Cornell University found that mice who were obese had 25% fewer taste buds than mice who were not obese. They fed one group of mice a high fat diet to achieve rapid weight gain while another group of mice were fed a healthy diet. Then the researchers counted the taste buds on a spot on the tongue that is known to have large clusters of taste buds for each group of mice. The lean mice were found to have more taste buds than their rotund counter parts. Taste buds are known to constantly regenerate by 50 to 100 cells. The average life span of a taste bud is 10 days and complete turn over of taste buds takes about 4 weeks. The researcher noticed in the obese mice that cell death sped up and regeneration of taste buds slowed down. The researchers turned to fatty foods to see if that was the culprit for the loss in taste buds. After controlling for mice who were genetically resistant to obesity the researchers came to the same conclusions.

Obesity is known to cause chronic inflammation in the body so researchers turned to a common inflammatory molecule called TNF-alpha. Mice specifically bred to not have TNF-alpha were fed a high fat diet, became obese but did not loose taste buds. When TNF-alpha was injected into the tongues of lean mice, the mice lost taste buds. From their data the researchers concluded that inflammation caused by obesity increases the loss of taste buds. They theorize that people who become obese continue to do so because they have to keep eating higher fat foods to be satisfied. This study is interesting because it shows how important of a role inflammation plays in obesity. Hopefully this research can used to help others achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/03/20/health/ap-us-med-obesity-taste.html
https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/how-does-tnf-cause-inflammation#1

Blood Type Diet Debunked

In the late 90's, Dr. D'Adamo came out with the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type", in which he writes about what each person should be eating, based on their blood type. Although this diet was created quite some time ago, people have been following it religiously, and blindly. It sounds super sciency, right; eating a diet strictly based off of your blood type? Well, it turns out that there is almost no science behind it at all, at least not any accurate science. The book gives a list of foods for each of the 4 blood types, consisting of what each one should eat, shouldn't ever eat, and what's basically neutral. Unfortunately, all of the "science" Dr. D'Adamo used to support these lists was complete nonsense. However, that didn't stop all of the celebrities, naive teenagers, and desperately overweight people from buying into it and swearing to the diet.

The problem was that it was a really cool idea, thinking that you could follow a perfect diet by doing exactly what the book said because, it matches your genetic makeup, right? Well, it's all null and void as soon as you research any of his "facts" and realize that it's almost all wrong. All he did was pick a very low carb, low fat, vegetarian diet for the most common blood type (Type O) and of course, by following it, a heck of a lot of people lost weight. But that had nothing to do with their blood type, it just had to do with the fact that that's the healthiest kind of diet you can eat! So of course most people saw results because they were simply eating healthier! People like Dr. D'Adamo take advantage of those who are desperate and too lazy to educate themselves because they are just waiting for a miracle to happen, and it's a little bit of both parties faults. So this is a good lesson to remember to not believe everything you read, even if it did come from a doctor; and to always do your own research!

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/07/116159/blood-type-diet-myths
https://nutrino.co/blood-type-diet-debunked/

The Genetics of Obesity and the Stigma Surrounding It

Although it is now better understood that obesity can be tied to genetic abnormalities, like thyroid and metabolic issues, there is still a huge stigma surrounding weight loss and self control for overweight Americans. Recent studies conducted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and NORC at the University of Chicago (formerly the National Opinion Research Center) have revealed that 6 in 10 of Americans believed that diet an dexercise are more effective than weight loss surgery. It also says that 68% of believe it is more dangerous to remain overweight than to have a weight loss surgery.

Gina Kolata from the New York Times reports that Americans believe that obesity is tied with cancer as the biggest health threat in the nation today, and that diet and exercise simply insufficient solutions. It is very concerning to see that both doctors and the general public are so misinformed of the challenges faced by those who are overweight. Doctors learn nothing about obesity in medical school, so it should not be surprising that only 12% of survey correspondents stated that their doctors suggested weight loss surgery as a completely safe and viable option. The fact that doctors are widely misinformed about the subject matter is negligent and absurd in this day and age where anyone can research credible information.

I, for one, did not know that so many doctors were misinformed about obesity and treatments for obesity. As an average American, I expect the medical professionals that I encounter to have a general knowledge of popular health maters like general health and weight, or at least an accurate understanding of it. It very unfortunate that as a result, many overweight citizens do not know all of their options to achieve their goals of living an ordinary, health lifestyle.

Bacteria's Affect on Weight

Many people are completely ignoring a part of their body that plays a huge factor in their health. There are 10 x more bacterial cells in a human body than their own cells. These bacteria play many different beneficial roles such as immunity and nutrients. Therefore, it’s logical to think that bacteria can determine with how much weight we gain from the foods we eat. The bacteria in our guts play a major role in how we store fat and what are the glucose levels in our blood. So, people with different concentration of bacteria will have different reactions to the same food.

Scientist performed an experiment with genetically identical mice. These mice were given the same amount of food in a sterile environment. However, some mice received gut bacteria from an obese person while the others received gut bacteria from a lean person. As a result, the mice that received bacteria from the obese person gained more weight than the others even though they received the same amount of food. I believe more research needs to be done to really identify how the bacteria manipulate weight gain in people. However, I am very excited to learn how much bacteria manipulate our bodies and what new methods can be done to improve health.

Gene May Help Burn Up Fat

Scientist have discovered a gene that could possibly help people shed pounds in exchange for a higher body temperature. Researchers are trying to find a drug that will make the gene work harder, so the body will burn off more calories than normal rather than storing the calories as fat. The more work the gene has to do, the higher the body temperature will go. Dr. Craig Warden, of the University of California at Davis, as lead researcher said it would take further testing and studying of how high of a body temperature a human could safely stand. Dr. Warden believes that the newfound gene gives rise to a protein that steals some of the energy that the cells in the body generate. If researchers can make this gene make more of this protein, the cells would burn up more calories to make of for the taken energy.
Researchers have already started studying different drugs to see which one works better with the gene as well as which one is safer for people to take.
This research is a step in the right direction and well as a step back. Yes, I do believe that some people are over weight because its in their genetics to be a bit heavier, so a treatment like this could really help them. But for others that are just obsessed with the thought of being skinny and losing weight, would this add to the weight loss obsession around the world? Would people opt out of exercising and losing weight the right way for taking some pills to chemically change how a gene works?

Original Article

Turning Bad Fat into Good Fat

Researchers from Houston Methodist Research Institute recently conducted a study to see if they could turn bad fat (white fat) into good fat (brown fat).  While white fat is a thermal insulator, provides cushion for our internal organs, produces a hormone that helps regulate appetite and hunger, and serves other important functions, having an overabundance of it causes obesity and metabolic disease.  Brown fat helps us burn calories.

            During the study, the scientists tested a drug known as GC-1 on hundreds of obese mice.  The scientists used both genetically obese mice and diet-induced obese mice.  Kevin Phillips, an author of the study, reported that after receiving doses of GC-1 once a day for two weeks, the genetically obese mice lost weight and more than 50% of their fat mass.  Phillips also reported each mouse’s insulin sensitivity improved six fold or more.  Those with diet-induced obesity reportedly showed similar improvements.

            When testing fat cells that were isolated from the mice, Phillips and the other researchers discovered that GC-1 induced adaptive thermogenesis in the cells.  The researchers also observed white fat browning in cells grown in culture and tissue samples taken from the mice.  The scientists concluded that GC-1 is a great fat-browning agent that may be able to treat obesity and metabolic disease.  The drug has not entered human trials for weight loss yet.  Scientists have, however, started clinical trials for lowering cholesterol.  The doses used in the cholesterol trials are reportedly much smaller than the doses that would be needed for weight loss.

            I found this research quite interesting.  I think if scientists can establish the appropriate dose of GC-1 needed for weight loss in humans, it would help dramatically reduce obesity.

Obesity Affected By Presence of A Bacteria in the Gut

A large number of people around the world are tormented by obesity. Researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and King's College London in the UK conducted a study that showed how our genetic makeup shapes what type of bacteria would live in our gut, which eventually would affect how heavy we are. The findings came from a twin study conducted by both the institutes.

The presence and abundance of Christensenellaceae minutacould affect our 

body weight

For their study researchers at the King’s College sequenced the genes of microbes present in over 1,000 fecal samples taken from 416 twins who were registered at the Twins UK data registry. Out of the twins pairs taking part in the research 171 pairs were identical and the other 245 were non identical pairs. Identical twins share 100% of their genes while non-identical twins share about 50%.

The results of the study indicated that identical twins had a similar abundance of a specific type of gut bacteria compared to the non-identical twins. According to the research team, this indicated that the presence of certain type of bacteria present in the gut was affected by the genes.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the presence of a class of bacteria called Christensenellaceae was the most influenced by the type of genes. It was also found that a certain strain of bacteria called Christensenellaceae minuta was prevalent more among individuals of a low body weight.

When the bacteria strain was introduced to the gut of mice, the researchers marked that the mice that got the bacteria gained less weight than mice that did not. This suggested that the presence of Christensenellaceae minuta bacteria in the gut could prevent obesity

Prof. Tim Spector, head of the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, said that the results achieved through the study could open up the doors to new probiotic treatments that could reduce the risks of obesity and the diseases related to it. Senior author Ruth Ley, an associate professor of microbiology at Cornell University, added that this was the first time a study showed that specific gut microbes were heritable and that the variation in these microbes was not solely due to diet, environment, lifestyle and health.

Numerous other studies had been done to show the relationships obesity and gut bacteria, but they all had different theories. The researchers at the Washington State University showed that the fibers and polyphenols present in Granny Smith trigger the growth of good bacteria in the gut, which would prevent obesity. Also, researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, genetically modified a strain of bacteria that would colonize the human gut and forma a compound called N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), which could be able to reduce food intake.

There are a lot of people out there who even after working hard cannot attain that healthy status, I think this study would definitely explains why and hopefully it would help then reduce obesity too.

Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/285122.php 

Related Article: Diseases related to obesity - http://www.mediweightlossclinics.com/patients/resources/articles/obesity-facts/ 

Related Article (2): Foster Bugs Inside Yourself For Weight Loss - http://punnett.blogspot.com/2014/11/foster-bugs-inside-yourself-for-weight.html

Discovery Of Genetic Regulator Of Fat Metabolism And Muscle Fitness

An article published on Medical News Today talks about researchers from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine discovered that a genetic factor called Kruppel-like Factor 15 (KLF15) has a tremendous contribution to weight loss because it manages the ability of the body to burn fat during exercise.

Weight loss is always a popular topic, especially among females. However, as the obesity population gets larger and larger, weight loss has become a problem of the entire society, and we must take it more serious. Exercise is usually best treatment for obesity. If we could find something that helps us to burn fat more effectively and quickly along with exercise, the problem of obesity would be better resolved.