Until recently, scientists have assumed that fat tissue was passive and inert, and that its sole mission was to supply energy. However, the discovery in 1994 that fat cells (adipocytes) secrete leptin, an appetite suppressing hormone, opened our eyes to a very different reality.
Researchers at McMaster University (USA) have discovered new genetic evidence that helps to understand why some people tend to be happier than others. Specifically, they have found evidence that the FTO gene - one of the main genetic causes of obesity - is associated with a reduction in the risk of depression.
Obesity is an epidemic that affects people on five continents and that, in addition to excess weight, carries multiple health problems. Here are some easy tricks to avoid it.
A study from the University of Buffalo reveals that obese men between the ages of 14 and 20 have 50% less testosterone - the male sex hormone par excellence - than other normal-weight individuals of the same age. This fact increases the risk of being impotent and infertile as adults, according to the researchers published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
Leptin is a kind of food sensor that is responsible for controlling appetite and telling the brain "Enough is enough" when you have enough energy. Its study is very important to treat diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and until now mice were used for its study, since it is an exclusive hormone of vertebrates. Now, a group of researchers from Harvard Medical School (USA) has found a homologous substance in the fruit fly: it is called Upd2 and, because flies are very easy animals to study in the laboratory, thanks to this discovery may reveal new secrets about the obesity hormone.
People who consume soft drinks regularly have a greater genetic susceptibility to obesity and to have a high Body Mass Index (BMI), according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study reinforces the idea that genetic and environmental factors can interact and produce an increased risk of obesity.
The body mass index of individuals who read labels can be 1.49 points lower than that of those who never take such information into account when making the purchase. This represents a reduction of 3.91 kg for a person weighing 74 kg.
Electric light has allowed for a long time to work, rest and carry out other activities at any time, thus detaching itself from the natural alternation of night and day. But when Thomas Edison patented the first light bulb in 1879, he surely couldn't anticipate that one day his invention would fuel a worldwide obesity epidemic.?That is what a study by Cathy Wyse of the University of Aberdeen (UK) suggests, and published in the journal BioEssays.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
