Appetite News and Research

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Blocking Sigma-1 receptor can reduce binge eating

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly.

21 Jun 2012

U.N. food and agriculture agencies urge G20 to increase efforts to fight hunger; G20 launches AgResults initiative

As G20 leaders wrapped up their meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Tuesday, the U.N. food and agriculture agencies -- the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) -- issued a joint statement "calling on them to redouble their efforts to fight hunger" and "welcoming the priority given to food and nutrition security at the summit," the U.N. News Centre reports.

21 Jun 2012

Examining NGO priorities on food security, nutrition at G20 summit in Mexico

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, David Olson, a global development consultant, examines what non-governmental organizations (NGOs) "want to get out of the G20 Mexico on an issue that is a priority to NGOs as well as the Mexican presidency of the G20 -- 'enhancing food security and addressing commodity price volatility,' in the words of the Mexican government."

20 Jun 2012

European Commission announces 40M euro increase in aid to Africa's Sahel region

The European Commission (E.C.) on Monday "announced an increase in funding to the Sahel by 40 million euros [$50.5 million] as the food crisis is set to peak in the coming weeks putting 18 million people at risk from hunger," the Guardian reports, noting that the new money brings the total amount from the E.U. to 337 million euros, or $425 million.

20 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: For Fla. small business owner, loss of health law would be 'real blow;' Effort to silence Mich. legislators backfires

Running a small business with four employees, I've got a lot hanging in the balance as the Supreme Court deliberates on the healthcare law. The legal challenge to the law was launched here in Florida with a small business lobby group as a plaintiff in the case. But if you're thinking that means small business people like me want to see the law rolled back, think again. The simple fact is, the healthcare law is saving our business serious money and saving our healthcare benefits.

20 Jun 2012

Farm Bill does more to fight global hunger

"Fighting global hunger has traditionally been a bipartisan effort that has united administrations and congresses without regard to party. The Farm Bill developed by the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee continues that trend," Dan Glickman, former U.S. agriculture secretary, and Richard Leach, president and CEO of World Food Program USA, write in a Politico opinion piece.

16 Jun 2012

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy benefits stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients

Until recently, many elderly patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer were left untreated because treatment may not improve their quality of life. However, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) has become one of the standards of treatment for these patients. The outpatient treatment given over a two-week period allows frail patients to undergo the treatment.

16 Jun 2012

OAS members must assist U.S. efforts to ensure food security in Americas

"Together with international partners, the United States has launched an unprecedented effort over the past three years to reverse a decades-long decline in agricultural investments," with a goal of "alleviating the chronic hunger that afflicts nearly one billion people around the world, including an estimated 53 million in Latin America and the Caribbean," a VOA editorial states.

14 Jun 2012

Relief groups appeal for aid to tackle worsening food crisis in West Africa

"Relief groups are stepping up their appeals for aid to tackle the worsening food crisis in West Africa, where more than 18 million people face hunger," the Guardian reports. "Relief agencies have been sounding the alarm for months about the effects of drought on the Sahel -- a region stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea," the newspaper writes.

13 Jun 2012

Researchers encourage PCPs to screen for OSA in patients with Type 2 diabetes

Researchers in New Jersey are encouraging primary care physicians to screen for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with Type 2 diabetes. They found that in a small sample of clinic patients, the risk for sleep apnea was high among diabetics compared with non-diabetics, and that sleep apnea appeared to be associated with carbohydrate craving.

13 Jun 2012

Journalists, policy experts, bloggers discuss hunger situation in Africa's Sahel

"Journalists, policy experts, bloggers including myself and World Food Programme staff joined in a robust discussion last week about the current hunger situation in Africa's Sahel region, including its causes and what can be done moving forward," Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, writes in this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

12 Jun 2012

Study uses brain scans to better understand link between sleep restriction and obesity

The sight of unhealthy food during a period of sleep restriction activated reward centers in the brain that were less active when participants had adequate sleep, according to a new study using brain scans to better understand the link between sleep restriction and obesity.

11 Jun 2012

What are vitamins?

Most people have heard of vitamin C and its effects upon the body; but how much do you know about other vitamins? How many even are there? And what do they all do?

8 Jun 2012

Researchers identify brain receptor that appears to play a central role in regulating appetite

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a brain receptor that appears to play a central role in regulating appetite. The findings, published today in the online edition of Cell, could lead to new drugs for preventing or treating obesity.

8 Jun 2012

Study suggests link between fungi and ulcerative colitis

Cedars-Sinai researchers say their examination of the fungi in the intestines suggests an important link between these microbes and inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis.

7 Jun 2012

Economic Community of West African States launches urgent appeal for aid to Africa's Sahel region

"The Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] sent a distress call Tuesday to the international community declaring that more than six million people are at risk of hunger in the Sahel region of Africa, including more than a million children exposed to severe malnutrition," CNN reports.

7 Jun 2012

Study reviews role of gut microbes in nutrient absorption and energy regulation

Microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract form an intricate, living fabric made up of some 500 to 1000 distinct bacterial species, (in addition to other microbes). Recently, researchers have begun to untangle the subtle role these diverse life forms play in maintaining health and regulating weight.

7 Jun 2012

Debiopharm announces results from Debio 0932 Phase I study on cancer

Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs and companion diagnostics, presented results of a Phase I open-label dose-escalation study with Debio 0932, an oral Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor in clinical development as an anti-cancer agent.

7 Jun 2012

Study on link between fruit and vegetable consumption and smoking cessation

If you're trying to quit smoking, eating more fruits and vegetables may help you quit and stay tobacco-free for longer, according to a new study published online by University at Buffalo public health researchers.

7 Jun 2012

Positive updated interim data from Exelixis’ cabozantinib phase 2 trial on CRPC

Exelixis, Inc. today reported positive updated interim data from an ongoing phase 2 trial of cabozantinib in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastases.

6 Jun 2012