SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the just-another-reason-to-not-be-obese dept.
Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
Obesity leads to the release of cytokines into the bloodstream which impact the metabolism of breast cancer cells, making them more aggressive as a result. Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum München, Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Heidelberg University Hospital report on this in 'Cell Metabolism'. The team has already been able to halt this mechanism with an antibody treatment.
The number of people with obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide. The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) recently reported that according to the WHO the number of children and adolescents with obesity increased tenfold between 1975 and 2016. Severe overweight can lead to various health impairments. Besides inducing cardiovascular diseases, obesity for example also promotes the development of cancer and metastases.
The current study elucidates an as yet unknown mechanism making breast cancer more aggressive. The enzyme ACC1* plays a central role in this process," said Dr. Mauricio Berriel Diaz, deputy director of the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer (IDC) at Helmholtz Zentrum München. He led the study together with Stephan Herzig, director of the IDC and professor for Molecular Metabolic Control at TUM and Heidelberg University Hospital. "ACC1 is a key component of fatty acid synthesis," said Berriel Diaz. "However, its function is impaired by the cytokines leptin and TGF-β." The levels of these cytokines are increased particularly in the blood of severely overweight subjects.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 25 2017, @01:40AM
Some hormonal problem might result in a feeling of extreme hunger even when the body doesn't need the food.
Or, maybe, such a problem results in energy being stored in fat despite the fact that the rest of the body needs the energy for normal metabolism, thereby requiring unusually high food intake just to live, etc.
The human body is a very complex system. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest for there to be some problem that results in weight gain.
Let's see... YUP. A number of medications for one problem end up causing weight gain. So, there you go. That's at least proof that a "chemical imbalance" could result in obesity.