Leptin News and Research

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Leptin is a 16 kDa protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism. It is one of the most important adipose derived hormones. The ''Ob(Lep)'' gene (Ob for obese, Lep for leptin) is located on chromosome 7 in humans.

Research findings raise hope for better treatment of diabetic wounds

Diabetics often have to contend with wounds that heal poorly. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, the CECAD Excellence Cluster and the Institute of Genetics of the University of Cologne have now gained fresh insights into the underlying cellular mechanisms.

12 Oct 2016

Study identifies mechanistic link between maternal obesity and childhood hypertension

Exposure of babies to high levels of the 'fullness' hormone, leptin, in the womb irreversibly activates receptors in the brain that regulate blood pressure, according to a new study by researchers from King's College London, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation.

12 Oct 2016

Researchers discover how appetite is controlled and influenced by the brain

Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in Korea have uncovered the mechanisms behind the enzyme that controls our appetite in response to low glucose availability in the brain.

5 Oct 2016

Researchers discover potential new therapeutic target for treating obesity

Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered a new mechanism in the mouse brain that regulates obesity.

3 Oct 2016

New study reveals endocrine biological function of brown adipose tissue

Brown adipose tissue -main organ generating heat in the body- is also an endocrine organ that secretes signaling factors that activate the fat and carbohydrates metabolism.

28 Sep 2016

DGIST researchers uncover mechanisms that control appetite during low glucose conditions in the brain

Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in Korea have uncovered the mechanisms behind the enzyme that controls our appetite in response to low glucose availability in the brain.

24 Sep 2016

Scientists manage to produce first molecular map of genes in the pancreas

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have managed to produce the first molecular map of the genes that are active in the various cells of the human pancreas.

23 Sep 2016

Exposure to air pollution at place of residence could be risk factor for type 2 diabetes

Exposure to air pollution at the place of residence increases the risk of developing insulin resistance as a pre-diabetic state of type 2 diabetes.

8 Sep 2016

Glia cells may play role in regulating sugar intake into the brain, experts report

Researchers at Technical University of Munich discovered that our brain actively takes sugar from the blood. Prior to this, researchers around the world had assumed that this was a purely passive process.

12 Aug 2016

Maternal GDM linked to increased risk of childhood obesity among children aged 9-11 years

New research published in Diabetologia shows an increased risk of childhood obesity at age 9-11 years when the mother has had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

11 Aug 2016

Paternal over-nutrition may lead to generational obesity and metabolic dysfunction

Paternal intake of a high-fat diet (HFD) can cause genetic changes that lead to generational obesity and metabolic dysfunction—including body weight and fat mass increases and changes in blood pressure, triglyceride levels and fat metabolism—in mice, according to Japanese researchers at Okayama University.

2 Aug 2016

Fat cells could help determine most effective way to combat breast cancer

New research led by York University Professor Michael Connor highlights how fat cells could help determine the most effective way to fight breast cancer; including using exercise to combat the disease.

17 Jul 2016

Moderate caloric restriction in healthy non-obese individuals reduces chronic inflammation

Eating less may help us lead longer, healthier lives, according to the new results from a large, multicenter study, led by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

14 Jul 2016

Study identifies new blood markers to accurately diagnose Gulf War Illness

Based on a study of 85 Gulf War veterans, Veterans Affairs researchers in Minneapolis have developed a tentative panel of blood markers they say can verify a diagnosis of Gulf War Illness with 90 percent accuracy.

11 Jul 2016

AMPK protein activated during fasting regulates hunger neurons in the brain

Neurons in the brain that control hunger are regulated by AMPK, a protein activated during fasting, report researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Neuron on July 6, 2016.

6 Jul 2016

Scientists aim to explore how gestational diabetes can put babies at lifelong risk for cardiovascular disease

Gestational diabetes can put babies at a lifelong risk for cardiovascular disease, and scientists want to better understand how.

21 Jun 2016

Study sheds new light on how overeating may lead to more eating

Research is finally beginning to shed light on some of the reasons that extra weight is difficult to shed permanently. Now, a new study has uncovered another method by which the gut senses how much food a person eats and relays that to the brain.

16 Jun 2016

CHLA study provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms linked to Prader-Willi syndrome

A study published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms underlying the insatiable hunger and subsequent obesity in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

15 Jun 2016

Women suffering from anorexia nervosa or obesity may respond differently to taste

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered that women suffering from anorexia nervosa and those who are obese respond differently to taste, a finding that could lead to new treatments for the eating disorders.

17 May 2016

McGill researchers discover brain cells that play key role in leptin sensing, weight gain

It's rare for scientists to get what they describe as "clean" results without spending a lot of time repeating the same experiment over and over again. But when researchers saw the mice they were working with doubling their weight within a month or two, they knew they were on to something.

13 May 2016