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posted by martyb on Saturday June 13 2020, @09:37AM   Printer-friendly
from the losing-is-winning dept.

Virginia Tech drug researcher develops 'fat burning' molecule that has implications for treatment of obesity (Science Daily)

"Obesity is the biggest health problem in the United States. But, it is hard for people to lose weight and keep it off; being on a diet can be so difficult. So, a pharmacological approach, or a drug, could help out and would be beneficial for all of society," said Webster Santos, professor of chemistry and the Cliff and Agnes Lilly Faculty Fellow of Drug Discovery in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.

Santos and his colleagues have recently identified a small mitochondrial uncoupler, named BAM15, that decreases the body fat mass of mice without affecting food intake and muscle mass or increasing body temperature. Additionally, the molecule decreases insulin resistance and has beneficial effects on oxidative stress and inflammation.

The findings, published in Nature Communications on May 14, 2020, hold promise for future treatment and prevention of obesity, diabetes, and especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a type of fatty liver disease that is characterized by inflammation and fat accumulation in the liver. In the next few years, the condition is expected to become the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.

Mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 reverses diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice (open, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16298-2) (DX)

Mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 inhibits artery constriction and potently activates AMPK in vascular smooth muscle cells (open, DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2018.07.010) (DX)

BAM15‐mediated mitochondrial uncoupling protects against obesity and improves glycemic control (open, DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202012088) (DX)


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @09:59PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @09:59PM (#1007564)

    That's damn impressive - no sarcasm. I've got four kids under age 18, a wife with some chronic (but thankfully not life-threatening) health issues that leave me doing most of the housework, cooking, and grocery shopping, and a day job that's medium stress. It's possible - but knowing myself, not that likely - I could match your willpower and discipline if I was single, or maybe in a relationship with someone in good health and with no children or with adult children. As it is, no chance. And I wouldn't be surprised if you've also got a relationship or kids or family members to care for or a harder job than mine or other health issues of your own or all five of those things together. In other words, I'm not trying to assert that you must have stayed thin because your life is easier. I'm just saying that I personally would need a much easier life to manage it.

    My father, my mother-in-law, and my father-in-law all slimmed down substantially once they retired and have kept the weight off for years. I think I might be able to do the same if I manage to survive the intervening 25 years and if I had enough savings to actually retire. That's not guaranteed.

    I'm 6', 275, I drink about 80 calories per day in the form of almond milk in my coffee (I'm allergic to dairy), and I eat a good amount of fruits, veggies, and lean meats. But I have a big appetite, and each of the five times I took off 20+ pounds since age 11 I just got successively hungrier each day until I ate enough to gain it back. I have a pretty good exercise routine, but it's not enough to offset my calorie intake.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @05:15AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @05:15AM (#1007671)

    The hunger is a good reason to start off any diet change with a 1-2 day fast to "reset". Just reducing the amount of food without a fast will drain your willpower much more, as your body is expecting what it normally gets.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @10:09PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @10:09PM (#1007914)

      Thanks for that, but again - I've done it many times before. The hunger adjusts downward the third or fourth day into calorie restriction, and everything is fine for a few months. The pounds melt off, it's not even that hard. Then somewhere in the 20-25 pound loss mark, the hunger starts creeping back and keeps incrementing upwards day after day until my willpower runs out.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 15 2020, @01:38AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 15 2020, @01:38AM (#1007969)

        Get more fats in your diet. Cut carbs and sugars to keep the calories down. The hunger you feel when you are not getting enough fat is akin to the thirst a vampire feels. It will just keep building until you eat enough fat. Doctors' recommendations to "cut fat" and "lo-fat" foods are responsible for a large part of the obesity epidemic.

        Similarly with the bullshit about salt. 10% of people need to watch their salt intake. Everybody else just pisses out the excess. Trouble is that 10% have such a bad reaction that statistically salt looks really bad.
        "Too much salt and 10% of people get really high blood pressure! Strokes!! Heart attacks!! Everybody should cut their salt intake"
        In reality, 100% of 10% will get really high blood pressure. 90% are fine.