Obesity research, news and discussion thread

weatheriscool
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Researchers develop the first-ever ingestible electroceutical device to control appetite by hormone modulation
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04- ... etite.html
by New York University
A team of researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), led by Khalil Ramadi, assistant professor of bioengineering at NYU Tandon and the Director of the Laboratory for Advanced Neuroengineering and Translational Medicine at NYU Abu Dhabi, has developed a first-of-its-kind ingestible electroceutical device for the neuromodulation of the gut-brain axis, the signaling pathway between the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system.

The ingestible capsule is a noninvasive and precise method that could be used to modulate hunger levels and treat metabolic and neurologic diseases. This was developed in collaboration with Professor Giovanni Traverso of MIT, who is a joint senior author of the study and James McRae, a graduate student at MIT, who is first co-author of the paper published in the journal Science Robotics.

The FLASH system uses electrodes on its surface to deliver electrical stimulation to stomach mucosal tissue. The gut-brain axis regulates several physiological functions, including feeding and emotional behavior. The existing pharmaceutical and surgical methods to modulate the axis, including implanting electrodes through surgery, are imprecise, invasive, and have been associated with significant recovery periods and associated risks.
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Powerful new obesity drug poised to upend weight loss care
Source: AP

By JONEL ALECCIA 58 minutes ago

As a growing number of overweight Americans clamor for Ozempic and Wegovy — drugs touted by celebrities and on TikTok to pare pounds — an even more powerful obesity medicine is poised to upend treatment.

Tirzepatide, an Eli Lilly and Co. drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Mounjaro, helped people with the disease who were overweight or had obesity lose up to 16% of their body weight, or more than 34 pounds, over nearly 17 months, the company said on Thursday.

The late-stage study of the drug for weight loss adds to earlier evidence that similar participants without diabetes lost up to 22% of their body weight over that period with weekly injections of the drug. For a typical patient on the highest dose, that meant shedding more than 50 pounds.

Having diabetes makes it notoriously difficult to lose weight, said Dr. Nadia Ahmad, Lilly’s medical director of obesity clinical development, which means the recent results are especially significant. “We have not seen this degree of weight reduction,” she said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/mounjaro-weg ... d40636752a
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New weapon found in fight to combat obesity, diabetes
By Bronwyn Thompson
May 31, 2023
An international team of scientists is one step closer to unlocking the molecular mechanisms at work in fat tissue, which could ultimately lead to treatments to effortlessly ‘switch on’ calorie burning.

For the first time, researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), the University of Cambridge, the University of Pennsylvania and the Free University of Brussels have viewed the molecular structure of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in such detail that they have new insights into how it switches on to kickstart fat burning.

In brown fat (aka ‘good fat’) cells, UPC1 enables the tissue to burn calories as heat, which is vital in mammals for protection against the cold and to maintain body temperature. Brown fat is generally considered ‘good’, because of its key metabolic function, as opposed to white fat, which our bodies store calories in and is responsible for most negative health conditions linked to excess weight.
https://newatlas.com/science/protein-go ... -diabetes/
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Daily pill from Eli Lilly leads to 15% weight loss in midstage study, rivaling Wegovy results without the shot
Meg Tirrell
By Meg Tirrell, CNN
Eli Lilly’s experimental pill for weight loss helped people lose an average of 15% of their body weight after 36 weeks on the highest dose in a midstage trial, rivaling what’s seen with currently approved injectable therapies like Wegovy over longer durations.

The drug, orforglipron, had similar side effects as others in the class, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists: primarily gastrointestinal events like nausea, constipation and vomiting, researchers reported in a study published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Results from the Lilly-funded trial were also presented at the American Diabetes Association conference in San Diego.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/23/heal ... index.html
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caltrek
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Plant-based Food Packages Linked to Reduced BMI in Children
June 22, 2023

Introduction:
(Mass General Bringham via Eurekalert) A new study led by researchers from the Mass General Brigham healthcare system suggests that taking a “food is medicine” approach could increase nutrition security for families and lead to reductions in body mass index (BMI) in children. Working together with the MGH Food Pantry, researchers from the Massachusetts General for Children and Boston Children’s Hospital examined whether providing weekly plant-based foods to families seeking food assistance during the pandemic led to weight changes among children.

The team found an association between increasing receipt of food packages and decreased BMI. The findings, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, add to a growing body of evidence that providing plant-based foods could be a useful strategy to prevent childhood obesity in children from food-insecure families.

“It’s important to encourage healthy eating habits during childhood to help prevent co-morbidities associated with obesity later in life, but many families to do not have access to expensive healthy foods, such as produce,” said senior author Lauren Fiechtner, MD, MPH, Director of the Pediatric Nutrition Center at Mass General for Children and Health and Research Advisor at The Greater Boston Food Bank. “Food pantries like MGH Revere that can provide families with healthy foods are a huge help in making sure that kids have a long, healthy future and have the best cardiovascular and metabolic health possible from a young age.”

Food insecurity increased by 55% percent in the United States in 2020, affecting 42% of households with children. This increase was driven by a variety of factors, such as the economic impacts of the pandemic, the closure of schools, and disruption of food supply chains. As food insecurity increased, so did the prevalence of childhood obesity, rising from 19.3% to 22.4% between August 2019 and August 2020.

For families dealing with food insecurity, the challenge is usually one of food quality as much as food quantity.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/993006
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caltrek
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Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
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caltrek
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Don't mourn, organize.

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New drug provides weight loss of 24%

30th June 2023

In a significant advance for the treatment of obesity, biotech giant Eli Lilly has announced the results from a trial of retatrutide, which produced a staggering 24.2% weight loss in patients.

[...]

A study published last year, in which people took the diabetes drug tirzepatide (sold under the brand name Mounjaro), found that a majority of those on the highest dose had a reduction in body weight of 20% or more after 72 weeks. The FDA approved Mounjaro for diabetes in May 2022 and is expected to approve it for weight loss in November 2023.

Now, an even greater percentage weight loss has been achieved, with a drug called retatrutide. Eli Lilly and Company has just published the results from a recent trial in The New England Journal of Medicine. The company also presented its findings at the recent American Diabetes Association conference held in San Diego.

The Phase 2 trial of retatrutide involved 338 adults, 52% of whom were men, each with a minimum BMI of 27. Participants on the highest dose achieved a mean weight reduction of 24.2%, translating to an average absolute weight reduction of about 58 lbs (26.3 kg) over 11 months of the study. Given that participants had not yet reached a weight plateau at the time the study ended, full efficacy could have been even higher if allowed to continue for longer.

[...]

"Obesity is a treatable chronic disease with a complex underlying biology. We are now in the midst of a rapidly expanding therapeutic landscape of potential highly effective treatment options for individuals with obesity," said Ania Jastreboff, PhD, study co-author and Director of the Yale Obesity Research Center.

https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm


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caltrek
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^^^I think the simple answer to obesity is a combination of a better diet and more exercise. Complicating that is that many people find it very difficult to find the time to do the needed amount of exercise. There is also a reluctance to adapt the kind of diet needed to address the problem. That also involves time in research, especially if there are other complicating medical issues. As a consequence, many are looking for a pill popping approach, something the pharmaceutical industry sees as an avenue for potential profit. I distrust the pill popping approach but can understand its attraction.

I have personally been rated as overweight but not obese for some time now. I switched to a plant-based diet and tried to cut back on processed foods. I also increased my level of exercise. I have thus lost weight although still technically within the overweight classification. Unfortunately, a recent blood test showed me with having higher triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein levels. So, its back to the drawing board for me.

The good news is that my high-density lipoprotein level is up.

Edit: I met with my physician. He indicated that although my triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein levels were high, they were not sufficiently elevated to be of great concern. He was also pleased with the description of my diet.
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caltrek
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Fiber is Your Body’s Natural Guide to Weight Management – Rather than Cutting Carbs Out of Your Diet, Eat Them in Their Original Fiber Packaging Instead
by Christopher Damman, M.D.
July 3, 2023

Introduction:
(The Conversation) Fiber might just be the key to healthy weight management – and nature packages it in perfectly balanced ratios with carbs when you eat them as whole foods. Think unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Research suggests that carbohydrates are meant to come packaged in nature-balanced ratios of total carbohydrates to fiber. In fact, certain types of fiber affect how completely your body absorbs carbohydrates and tells your cells how to process them once they are absorbed.

Fiber slows the absorption of sugar in your gut. It also orchestrates the fundamental biology that recent blockbuster weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic tap into, but in a natural way. Your microbiome transforms fiber into signals that stimulate the gut hormones that are the natural forms of these drugs. These in turn regulate how rapidly your stomach empties, how tightly your blood sugar levels are controlled and even how hungry you feel.

It’s as if unprocessed carbohydrates naturally come wrapped and packaged with their own instruction manual for your body on how to digest them.
I am a physician scientist and gastroenterologist who has spent over 20 years studying how food affects the gut microbiome and metabolism. The research is clear – fiber is important not just for happy bowel movements, but also for your blood sugar, weight and overall health.

Carbohydrates without their wrappers

Unfortunately, most Americans get the majority of their carbohydrates stripped of their natural fibers. Modern processed grains like white rice and white flour as well as many ultraprocessed foods like some sugary breakfast cereals, packaged snacks and juices have removed these fibers. They essentially come unwrapped and without instructions for the body on how much it should absorb and how it should process them. In fact, only 5% of Americans eat the recommended amount of carbohydrates with enough of their natural packaging intact. Guidelines recommend at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day from food.
Read more here: https://theconversation.com/fiber-is-y ... d-205159
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