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Leucine may help people burn fat during periods of food restriction

Research on Mt. Everest climbers is adding to the evidence that an amino acid called leucine - found in foods, dietary supplements, energy bars and other products - may help people burn fat during periods of food restriction, such as climbing at high altitude, while keeping their muscle tissue.

29 Aug 2011

Two studies on how amino acids influence protein synthesis in recreational athletes

Physical activity requires strong, healthy muscles. Fortunately, when people exercise on a regular basis, their muscles experience a continuous cycle of muscle breakdown (during exercise) and compensatory remodeling and growth. Athletes have long experimented with methods to augment these physiologic responses to enhance muscle growth.

20 Aug 2011

Adding leucine to diets improves insulin sensitivity, pre-diabetic condition and metabolic syndrome

A study led by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center suggests that adding the amino acid leucine to their diets may help those with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

23 Jun 2011

Formoterol drug improves fat burning and protein metabolism in men

Formoterol, a medication used to treat asthma and other lung diseases, improves fat burning and protein metabolism in men, a new study finds. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

6 Jun 2011

Leucine deprivation triggers apoptosis in melanoma cells

Whitehead Institute researchers have found that depriving human melanoma cells of the essential amino acid leucine can be lethal to the cells, suggesting a possible strategy for therapeutic intervention.

18 May 2011

Scientists identify new risk gene variant for depression

Max Planck scientists uncover surprising genetic links. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich have compared the genomes of a total of 4,088 patients and 11,001 healthy control subjects from all over the world and identified a new risk gene variant for depression.

28 Apr 2011

Research sheds light on molecular movements of neural transporters

A team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on the molecular workings of transporter proteins, molecular machines embedded in the cell membranes of neurons that modulate the transfer of signals between cells and recycle neurotransmitters.

25 Apr 2011

Elevations in 5 amino acids may signal future disease risk

Measuring the levels of small molecules in the blood may be able to identify individuals at elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes as much as a decade before symptoms of the disorder appear.

21 Mar 2011

Clearance of plaque-forming substance is impaired in Alzheimer's disease

"Clearance is impaired in Alzheimer's disease," says Randall Bateman, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

10 Dec 2010

Scientist suggests functional amino acids play a critical role in human health

Functional amino acids play a critical role in the development of both animals and humans, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

20 Nov 2010

Amino acid mixture increases survival in mice

When mice are given drinking water laced with a special concoction of amino acids, they live longer than your average mouse, according to a new report in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. The key ingredients in the supplemental mixture are so-called branched-chain amino acids, which account for 3 of the 20 amino acids (specifically leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that are the building blocks of proteins.

6 Oct 2010

Gene mutations that express LRRK2 linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease: Researchers

A significant number of Parkinson's disease patients have a mutation of the enzyme Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Kinase 2 (LRRK2, also known as dardarin). However, little is understood about how it is regulated or functions. In a new paper in the Signal Knowledge Environment of the Biochemical Journal, Dario Alessi and colleagues from the University of Dundee demonstrate that a family of proteins, the 14-3-3 proteins, interact with LRRK2.

2 Sep 2010

Nutritional recommendations for management of sarcopenia published

Nutritional recommendations for the management of sarcopenia -- also described as age-related muscle and functional loss -- were published this past week in the clinical publication, Journal of American Medical Directors Association.

31 Aug 2010

FDA confirms GRAS status for Ajinomoto's AjiGRAS-Leucine

Ajinomoto AminoScience LLC (AAS) today announced that it has confirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status of its AjiGRAS-Leucine, meeting the safety standards demanded by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As the only formulation of Leucine currently with FDA acknowledged GRAS status, Ajinomoto's AjiGRAS-Leucine is the first amino acid to be allowed as an ingredient for use in conventional foods like non-milk and milk based meal replacements, sports and isotonic beverages, vitamin enhanced waters, and meal replacement bars, at levels of 0.5 to 3 grams per serving.

16 Jul 2010

New molecular imaging agent improves diagnosis of recurrent prostate cancer

Findings of a clinical trial reported at SNM's 57th Annual Meeting indicate that a new molecular imaging agent could improve diagnosis of recurrent prostate cancer and determine the best possible course of treatment for patients.

7 Jun 2010

Genetic variants in brain proteins may increase autism risk

Two genes have been associated with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in a new study of 661 families. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's newly launched journal Molecular Autism found that variations in the genes for two brain proteins, LRRN3 and LRRTM3, were significantly associated with susceptibility to ASD.

26 Mar 2010

TUM biophysicists map changes in energy landscape of zipper-like protein molecule

Biophysicists at TUM, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, have published the results of single-molecule experiments that bring a higher-resolution tool to the study of protein folding. How proteins arrive at the three-dimensional shapes that determine their essential functions - or cause grave diseases when folding goes wrong - is considered one of the most important and least understood questions in the biological and medical sciences.

20 Jan 2010

Potential new therapeutic option for prevention of PD-associated neuropathology

Scientists have identified a synergistic interaction that disrupts normal intracellular transport mechanisms and leads to the accumulation of neuron-damaging clumps of protein associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a specific loss of neurons in the midbrain and brainstem. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, identifies a new potential therapeutic option for preventing PD-associated neuropathology.

24 Dec 2009

Amino acids can improve cognitive function in patients with severe brain injuries

Neurology researchers have shown that feeding amino acids to brain-injured animals restores their cognitive abilities and may set the stage for the first effective treatment for cognitive impairments suffered by people with traumatic brain injuries.

8 Dec 2009

Good nutrition and exercise vital to stay young and healthy

Keeping fit at a young age may be one of the secrets to living a long and healthy life, according to new research co-authored by researcher Oscar Franco, MD, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor in Public Health at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

14 Oct 2009