January 2008
High fat diets affect biological clocks
Research in mice has found that a high fat diet puts their biological clocks out of sync, so they ate at times when they should have been resting.
Using genetically altered mice, scientists in the US have shown that lack of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in certain parts of the brain, leads to overreating and may be a contributing factor to the rising obesity epidemic.
There are no magic cures for obesity
In 2007, people trying to lose weight got some discouraging news. One study found that diet drugs don’t do much good. A second study found that popular diet plans produce modest results.
Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) hormone
A new study finds that a chemical found in the body is capable of promoting weight loss, improving insulin resistance and reversing diabetes in an animal model.