Chemicals in urine can predict how body will respond to junk food diet
Researchers at Imperial College London have found that certain compounds in urine can be used to show who is at a greater risk of developing obesity or diabetes due to a poor diet. The research was conducted in mice and helps us to understand how the gut microbiome contributes to our health, as the chemicals that were detected were released by the bacteria in our gut. It has been known for some time that different people will have varying outcomes when exposed to a high-fat diet, making it difficult to create a universal diet plan that works for everyone, however the effect of the gut microbiome is less well known.
By using genetically similar mice and analysing their urine, the researchers were able to identify some chemical signatures that were predictive of some outcomes, such as weight gain and glucose tolerance – which is an early sign of diabetes. The findings themselves will be made part of a larger trial that will involve around 2,000 participants which aims to identify how and why people react differently to similar diets and how their microbiomes influence this. It is also hoped that this could lead to a more personalised diet for those wishing to control their weight or to avoid health conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Read MoreNew combination of drugs cause enhanced weight loss
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that a unique combination of weight loss drugs can have a dramatic effect on laboratory animals. The researchers studied the effect of two different drug classes that affect the hormones amylin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). They found that cycling between the two drug regimens over the course of a month achieved a greater degree of weight loss than normal regimens. These include a continuous combined therapy or using just one of the drugs.
Unlike many other trials that examine new drugs, this research involves drugs that are already approved by many different organisations, including the FDA. This means that the types of regimens being suggested could be in use in the very near future. Currently, the authors are finalising their work to show how the two hormonal systems interact with each other to achieve this greater weight loss.
Read MoreMaternal obesity linked to childhood neurodevelopmental problems
A study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine has linked maternal obesity to an increased risk of behavioural problems in male children. In this study data from the 1979 and 1986 U.S. National Longitudinal Survey of Youth was used. They also assessed whether the effect of maternal weight on childhood behavioural problems was affected by race or gender of the child. In total, nearly 5,000 mother and child pairs were involved from 1986 to 2012, the study itself focused on children between the ages of 9 and 11 as this is a time when behavioural problems commonly manifest.
Interestingly, the study showed that boys whose mothers entered pregnancy with a higher weight were at a higher risk of behavioural problems in later life than their female counterparts, in fact there was no link demonstrated with females. Further to this, boys whose mothers entered pregnancy underweight were also at a higher risk of behavioural problems. There was no difference for race. It is hoped that this research will be furthered by looking into the effects by adolescence. The researchers are also hoping to highlight the need for early intervention with women to attain a healthy weight before they become pregnant, as it not only affects them but the future health of their children too.
Read MoreBeing large at birth correlates to childhood obesity
A new study, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, has suggested that infants with a high birthweight are more likely to become obese children. The study itself examined the data of 10,186 children born both prematurely and at term. The findings were consistent for both sets of children. It was found that children born with a high birthweight (described as >10lb) were 69% more likely than average weight children to be obese by age four and by age six, 23.1% of high birthweight children were obese, whilst only 14.2% of average birthweight children were.
The study found the relationships consistent despite adjusting for factors such as socioeconomic status. The researchers are calling for doctors to counsel parents of high birthweight children, so that the development of obesity in later life can be prevented. It is also hoped that even if doctors do not counsel their patients, new parents will alter their lifestyle habits to help their children avoid future weight and health problems.
Read MoreImmune cells in brain drive overeating
A study, from the University of California in San Francisco, has found that immune cells within the brain, known as microglia, could be responsible for weight gain caused by overeating. It has been known for some time that the hypothalamus contains neurons that regulate food intake and energy expenditure; in this study the researchers fed mice a high fat diet which is known to cause an increase in microglia. It was found that the high fat diet caused local inflammation within the hypothalamus, when compared to the control group of mice. They also found that the mice who had been fed high fat foods continued to consume more afterwards.
In order to prove that the increase in microglia was the cause of the overeating, some of the mice were given a drug that depleted their levels of the cell. They found that mice treated with the drug consumed 15% less and gained 20% less weight, compared to mice on the same diet. Mice were then engineered to form microglia that couldn’t mount an inflammatory response and they gained 40% less weight, suggesting that the effect of microglia could be crucial in our understanding of the development of obesity. The researchers are hoping to move their study on to humans in the near future to properly examine the effect of microglia on overeating and obesity and potentially help control them. In the immediate future they are going to investigate how the consumption of high-fat foods leads to the activation of microglia, and whether there is any way to stop these signals from being processed.
Read More