Comparison Of Leptin And How It Controls Your Body

insulin and start using our stored fat for energy and the outcome would be weight loss. (1)

In 2008, a marketing and positioning strategy was needed for Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceutical’s (CSP) new weight loss drug called Metabical. Metabical was touted as being a revolutionary weight loss drug with fewer negative side effects than the usual medicinal weight loss remedies.

Genetic research of obesity was partly successful in establishing obesity in model organisms – rodents where obesity occurs spontaneously together with other pathological aspects (insulin resistance, …). The main cause of monogenic obesity in these model organisms are common mutations always present in only one gene. Results of research on model organisms allowed us to understand biological mechanisms of calorie intake and regulation and maintenance of body weight. The most important insight into obesity was achieved in 1994 after discovery of ob gene encoding for leptin. In two years period, using screening method, candidate homologous genes, selected on genetic study basis on mice, another five genes were identified. Mutations on these genes were found to be the cause of autosomal recessive or dominant monogenic obesity. Products of these genes are leptin and its receptor, proopiomelanocortin (POMC) melanocortin receptor 4 (MC4R) and

The normalization of body weight of the ob/ob mutant mouse is because of sufficient measure of leptin produced by the wild type mouse and can helpfully bind to leptin receptor of the ob/ob mouse. Due to this the body weight and blood sugar are decreased in ob/ob mouse.

Obesity is one of the most rapidly growing health epidemics in the United States and affects more than 60 million people. Despite recent efforts to understand and treat obesity, there has been little success in reversing the rising trend. There is convincing evidence that obesity is directly related to many health risks. As a matter of fact, morbidly obese people are at a high risk for weight related illnesses, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. However, research confirms that long-term weight loss success can help to significantly reduce these weight related health risks (Brethauer).

Many studies have shown that high VF is significantly related to insulin resistance [11]. Normal weight individuals with low subcutaneous fat, but increased VF had greater insulin resistance than those with lower VF [8]. When evaluating this relationship in obese, metabolically at risk obese had more VF and greater insulin resistance than MHO [5]. On the other hand, subcutaneous fat seems to be associated with increased levels of leptin [11], a hormone secreted by adipose tissue that signals the amount of energy stores (fat mass) available in the body [12]. Leptin levels are positively correlated with FM [12], with obese individuals exhibiting high leptin concentrations [11]. Since obese individuals have an excess of body fat, high concentrations of leptin should decrease energy intake and increase energy expenditure which would promote a return to normal weight. Despite the potential physiological function, the role of leptin in energy expenditure is not completely understood. Research has demonstrated obese individuals to have high

The University of Cincinnati (UC), hypothesized that that the body was developing extra leptin to fight the temptations of obesity. This is due to the fact that leptin is the protein that signals the brain to stop eating. The more leptin, the more signals that will tell the body to stop eating (Babcock,2017). They thought this was the case, however, in human preclinical trials, giving obese patients more leptin didn't work. They ate at the same rate, and still remained obese. The results of this study show that scientist need to rethink the ways of using leptin to treat obesity (University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, 2015). There must be other options out there and it could be that researchers are focusing on the wrong

It was merely a decade ago that the obesity epidemic was thought to only be a minor problem and had only alarmed a small number of endocrinologists interested by the size of the situation (James, 2008). However today, the problem of obesity is vast with more awareness of its presence by doctors and individuals alike. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states, “More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese (CDC, 2014)”. These numbers are outrageous and eye opening, leaving millions looking for a solution to this troubling epidemic. Obesity is not simply a cosmetic flaw as some might think, but is actually a very dangerous state of being for any individual to sustain long-term. Mentioned further in

Leptin, which is a peptidic hormone (possessing two or more amino acids), essentially serves as a messenger between the brain and fat tissue, and has been noted to aid in the maintenance of body weight. In many animal models, which include rats and mice, obesity was found to be caused by mutations in the rodents' leptin and leptin receptors, where single mutations (mutations where changes occur to only one nucleotide base) occurred in the coding area or the 5' end of the non-coding region of the leptin gene. This sparked the interests of many scientists, as they began to wonder if mutations in leptin and its receptors may also be responsible for obesity in humans. At first, no evidence was found of this being true, but recently, new research suggests that particular forms of obesity in humans may be the result of mutations of the leptin gene. Early experiments of parabiosis had been done with mice, where two individuals were joined anatomically, and recognized that the lack of leptin was responsible for them having the complex, obese phenotype. Although the ob/ob mice could be treated with leptin, the db/db mice were not affected by the treatment of leptin, having researchers come to the conclusion that the incapability to respond to leptin is the cause of mutations in the leptin receptors.

Leptin (OB protein) is a peptide hormone that serves as a communication link between the brain and the fat tissue (Strosberg and Issad 1999; Campfield et al. 1996). It is secreted by the adipose tissue, circulates in the blood and then acts on the central nervous system, a system that regulates most functions of the body, including energy balance and feeding behaviours (Campfield et al. 1996). Leptin and its receptors are both important in the regulation of body weight through coordinated regulation of a person’s feeding behaviours, autonomic nervous system, body energy balance, and metabolism

The LEPR gene provides instructions for making a protein called the leptin receptor, which is involved in the regulation of body weight. The leptin receptor protein is found on the surface of cells in many organs and tissues of the body including a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus controls hunger and thirst as well as other functions such as sleep, moods, and body temperature. It also regulates the release of many hormones that have functions throughout the body.

Obesity is one of the most common problems faced by people today. Since thirty-four million Americans are estimated to be obese, one out of every three Americans must live with this disorder. Obesity is defined as a body weight consisting of 20% or more above the standard ideal weight (http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/DGIM/Teaching/Modules/obesity.html#RTFToC12). In order to reduce obesity, most invest in diet and exercise programs. Recently, liquid diets have been positively modified, thus rising in popularity since their fall out during the late 1970’s. Out of the twenty million dieters, about one billion dollars will be spent this year on either medically sponsored liquid diets or over-the-counter liquid diet

There are only several other weight-loss options in the market competing with Metabical. The first is prescription drugs. These are prescribed for use only by obese and severely obese individuals. This meant that only individuals with BMI of over 30 who were prescribed weight-loss drugs were using appetite suppressants and fat-absorbing blockers. They had serious side effects associated as well, which meant only a doctor could approve them. But these prescription-drug options did not account for the overweight segment with

The perception of beauty has changed over time, and it has become more and more apparent that individuals with a slim, athletic physic are the more desired. It was not until the late nineteenth century that individuals began to turn to diet pills to help assist in their weight loss journey. The first dietary pill became available to people during this time, and there are referred to as, fat reducers, the basis on thyroid extract helped increase metabolic rate. The pills were believed to be an effective form of weight decline. However, this was proven to be otherwise and only caused severe to chronic side effects including increased heart rate, abnormal heartbeats, weakness, fatigue, chest pains, high blood pressure, and even death. Although the risks were significant, this early form of weight management had been available among individuals until the mid-1960. As this type of weight loss continued, in the 1930’s amphetamines had become the drug of preference. The stimulant was most popular because soldiers were administered the drug during World War II to keep them alert. One of the major critical side effects was appetite suppression, and the drug was being prescribed in the United States to assist people to lose weight. The highly addictive drug had caused some rather adverse psychological and neurological effects making these side effects more significant than the primary intention of weight loss. Resulting in the prescription of aminorex fumarate, which was a treatment

Statistics show that a large fraction of the population is suffering from obesity as a consequence of poor eating habits. A good percentage of that number is also actively seeking to lose weight through less exhaustive and straining means such as exercise and dieting. The easy way out for them is through weight loss supplements whose demand has created booming business for its producers.