SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
When people are deprived of food, a number of biological mechanisms are set in motion to adapt the body's metabolism to the conditions of scarcity. One of these processes has been revealed by a team of Belgian researchers, led by professor Karolien De Bosscher (VIB-Ghent University). The scientists discovered how three important proteins collaborate on a genetic level to provide a response to long-term fasting. The insights are published in the leading scientific journal Nucleic Acids Research, and could ultimately be put to use in clinical environments to treat metabolic diseases more efficiently.
[...] The researchers uncovered that long-term fasting triggers specific proteins. One of those recognizes the stress hormone cortisol, another one senses the amount of fatty acids (important energy sources), and a third protein called 'AMPK' detects cellular energy. Particularly the discovery of AMPK teaming up with these other sensors within the cell nucleus in a state of food deprivation came as a real surprise.
Prof. Karolien De Bosscher (VIB-Ghent University): "Together with the other proteins, AMPK plays a more direct role than previously assumed. Apart from functioning outside a cell's nucleus as an energy sensor, we found the protein inside the nucleus as well, in a complex with the other two proteins. This complex stimulates the expression of metabolic genes coding for metabolic enzymes, which in turn control the sugar and fat metabolism. In short, AMPK plays a crucial role in a coordinated defense response to food deprivation."
By better understanding the interactions of the three essentials[sic] proteins, the research teams hopes it will eventually be possible to mimic their effect in a controlled environment.
Open access is available to: Abstract, Full Article (HTML), Full Article (PDF), and Supplementary Data.
(Score: 5, Informative) by julian on Monday October 03 2016, @10:08PM
Sugar, sedentary lifestyle, food additives, hormones, antibiotics, processed foods, vitamin deficiencies, low dietary fiber, dehydration, sleep deprivation, stress, over-use of alcohol, pollution, and probably lots of other things I can't think of ATM.
Modern Western culture is an all out assault on human health. The good news is that we also have the physical abundance, variety, and knowledge, to be healthier than has ever been possible. Unfortunately this requires a level of attention and self-involvement that is lacking in most people. I don't entirely blame them, society has failed them as much as they've failed themselves.
For example: I read the entire label on everything that I buy/eat when it's available. How many people don't even do that much, or couldn't make sense of the information if they did?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 03 2016, @10:17PM
Yeah I know what you mean. I always read the Nutrition Facts label, and I don't buy unless I see double-digit amounts of fat and sugar. Anything less and I'll be hungry again in an hour.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 03 2016, @10:26PM
And yet despite all this our life expectancy is much higher than it used to be. Go figure.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday October 03 2016, @10:43PM
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-12-09/life-expectancy-in-the-u-s-drops-for-first-time-since-1993-report-says [bloomberg.com]
http://time.com/3025289/chronic-medical-conditions-life-expectancy/ [time.com]
https://www.yahoo.com/news/increase-us-life-expectancy-stalled-cdc-report-confirms-190959290.html [yahoo.com]
http://www.wsj.com/articles/life-expectancy-for-white-americans-declines-1461124861 [wsj.com]
#NotAnymore
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by FunkyLich on Monday October 03 2016, @11:01PM
For the increase in life expectancy, you should be grateful not for the shit people eat today compared to earlier times, but mainly to Ignaz Semmelweis for basically discovering hygiene is important to health, and to Alexander Fleming for basically discovering penicillin. The combined discoveries of these two men are responsible for 90% of the reason why today people don't die like flies, like they used to.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2016, @07:11AM
(Score: 1) by fubari on Monday October 03 2016, @11:34PM
Julian, +1 informative.
I found the fine article to be pretty interesting.
Seems like they found an interplay of the proteins modulating gene expressions.
Very interested to see what comes out of this and metformin research under way now.
For example...
World’s first anti-ageing drug could see humans live to 120 [telegraph.co.uk]
Quote from one of the researchers:
“I have been doing research into ageing for 25 years and the idea that we would be talking about a clinical trial in humans for an anti-ageing drug would have been though inconceivable.
“But there is every reason to believe it’s possible. The future is taking the biology that we’ve now developed and applying it to humans. 20 years ago ageing was a biological mystery. Now we are starting to understand what is going on.”
r.e. culture / health: knowledge won't help someone if they don't care to apply it.
So... yeah, humans seem wired to deeply discount the long term plan.
Lots of today's cultures and economies are catering to convenience.
*shrug* nothing new to see here :-)