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.

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

Human milk hormones may play vital role in shaping healthy infant microbiome

A new University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus study finds that hormones in breast milk may impact the development of healthy bacteria in infants' guts, potentially protecting them from intestinal inflammation, obesity and other diseases later in life.

5 May 2016

High fructose consumption during pregnancy may increase risk factors for heart disease in children

The negative health effects of consuming large amounts of fructose could impact several generations, according to researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

21 Apr 2016

Small piece of detoxified E. coli wall makes mice lose natural sweet tooth, study finds

Putting just a tiny piece of the wall of detoxified E. coli into their gut make mice lose their natural sweet tooth, researchers report.

20 Apr 2016

Findings could help explain origin of type 2 diabetes in children of obese mothers

A new study led by researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles reports that the presence of leptin - a hormone secreted by fat cells that is critical to maintaining energy balance in the body -- inhibits the prenatal development of neuronal connections between the brain and pancreas. The findings could help explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, particularly in children of obese mothers.

25 Mar 2016

Scientists explore new treatment avenues to protect obese individuals from cardiovascular disease

Fatness is clearly linked to cardiovascular disease, but scientists want to find why the unhealthy pair tend to go hand-in-hand and how to break up their relationship.

10 Mar 2016

Regulatory immune cells compromised in PAH

Research suggests that regulatory T cells may play a part in all subtypes of pulmonary arterial hypertension.