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.

Circulating fats kill transplanted pancreas cells

Dietary restrictions or other strategies that limit fat formation might make pancreatic cell transplants more effective, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

29 Aug 2007

Dietary restrictions that limit fat formation might make pancreatic cell transplants more effective

Dietary restrictions or other strategies that limit fat formation might make pancreatic cell transplants more effective, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

28 Aug 2007

Fat mice gain protection against diabetes

The world's fattest mice can overeat without developing insulin resistance or diabetes thanks to a glut of a key hormone, a dichotomy that helps explain why not all obese people are diabetic, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher has found.

24 Aug 2007

The role of estrogens and polyphenols in hypertension and diabetes

Menopausal women are at relatively high risk for memory loss, high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes.

12 Aug 2007

Leptin controls our fondness for food

Scientists have discovered that leptin, one of the key hormones responsible for reducing hunger and increasing the feeling of fullness, also controls our fondness for food.

12 Aug 2007

The skeleton is an endocrine organ

Bones are typically thought of as calcified, inert structures, but researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have now identified a surprising and critically important novel function of the skeleton.

11 Aug 2007

Estrogen deficiency may trigger the development of high blood pressure and obesity in aged females

At menopause, women lose hormone protection against heart (cardiovascular) and kidney (renal) diseases, and are likely to become obese. A research team has tested the idea that estrogen deficiency in aged females may trigger the development of high blood pressure and obesity.

9 Aug 2007

Adiponectin serves as energy-conserving signal to the brain

A fat-derived protein known for its effects on the liver and skeletal muscle might also serve as an energy-conserving signal to the brain during periods of starvation, suggests a new study in the July issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.

11 Jul 2007

Circadian rhythms and genetics

New research from Colorado State University shows that the function of all genes in mammals is based on circadian -- or daily -- rhythms. The study, publishing in PLoS Computational Biology on June 15, refutes the current theory that only 10 percent to 15 percent of all genes were affected by nature's clock.

18 Jun 2007

Pramlintide treatment curbs fast food consumption and tendency to binge eat

The synthetic form of a hormone previously found to produce a feeling of fullness when eating and reduce body weight, also may help curb binge eating and the desire to eat high-fat foods and sweets.

8 Jun 2007

Appetite-regulating hormones and peptides may be involved in the neurobiology of alcohol craving

Defined as a powerful urge to drink, or intense thoughts about alcohol, is an important contributor to the development and maintenance of alcoholism.

28 May 2007

Obese people more likely to have persistent or severe persistent asthma

A new study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference finds that obese people are significantly more likely to have persistent or severe persistent asthma than their thinner counterparts.

24 May 2007

Soy consumption and weight loss

Research shows that when soy consumption goes up, weight goes down.

2 May 2007

Why do some people get fat even when they eat relatively little?

What creates that irresistible urge for a bag of potato chips or a hunk of chocolate cake, as opposed to a nice crisp apple? Can food urges be irresistible?

2 May 2007

Leptin shown to significantly influence breast cancer development

Being obese increases the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, shortens the time between return of the disease and lowers overall survival rates.

30 Apr 2007

Leptin-based products may offer kids protection from obesity

Infant formula and other baby foods that provide permanent protection from obesity and diabetes into adulthood could be on shop shelves soon, reports Lisa Melton in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.

24 Apr 2007

Hormone the culprit between obesity and colon cancer

A team of scientists from the University of California, San Diego say they believe a chemical produced by fat cells encourages colon cancers to grow faster; they say this may explain why severely overweight people appear to be at far greater risk of the disease.

8 Apr 2007

Obesity epidemic fuelling premature puberty in girls

Researchers in the United States say girls who are overweight at the age of three run the risk of reaching puberty as early as nine years old and warn that the obesity crisis is now affecting children's development.

5 Mar 2007

Metabolic response to colitis varies depending upon whether inflammation is chronic or acute

A new study being published by the American Physiological Society finds that the body responds differently to colitis (inflammation of the colon) based on whether the disease is acute (sharp and brief) or chronic (long-term).

27 Feb 2007

SH2B1 protein plays a key role in controlling body weight, response to insulin and leptin

A single protein in brain cells may act as a linchpin in the body's weight-regulating system, playing a key role in the flurry of signals that govern fat storage, sugar use, energy balance and weight, University of Michigan Medical School researchers report.

29 Jan 2007