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Weight-controlling gene is discovered
UPI ^ | 09/06/07

Posted on 09/06/2007 8:49:14 AM PDT by nypokerface

DALLAS, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined a single "skinny gene" might alone control whether a body tends to accumulate fat.

"From worms to mammals, this gene controls fat formation," said Dr. Jonathan Graff of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the study's senior author. "It could explain why so many people struggle to lose weight and suggests an entirely new direction for developing medical treatments that address the current epidemic of diabetes and obesity."

The gene, called adipose, was discovered more than 50 years ago but its mechanism was not determined.

In the new study, researchers discovered the gene is likely a high-level "master switch" that is dose-sensitive, meaning the various combinations of its variants lead to a range of body types from slim to medium to obese.

"This is good news for potential obesity treatments, because it’s like a volume control instead of a light switch; it can be turned up or down, not just on or off," Graff said. "Eventually, of course, the idea is to develop drugs to target this system, but that’s in the years to come."

The research appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: health; healthcare; obesity; weight
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To: flashbunny
And as far as talking about the article, you haven’t even done that yourself.

True. But then, my intent was not to do that, but to point out to you that your posts were irrelevant to the topic of the article, and pedantic to the point of uselessness.

What a load of sanctimonious BS you have been piling on this thread.

Ah, yes... lol! Still on the run from your first idiotic comment, aren't you?

101 posted on 09/06/2007 12:13:14 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: taxcontrol

Talk about a high horse.

Yes, a few people have medical issues that caused them to end up obese, but most obese people simply eat way more than they need with the extra turning to fat and obesity over time. Wake Up - you are not helping by going into denial.


102 posted on 09/06/2007 12:15:09 PM PDT by Sonora
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To: Sonora

What percentage?


103 posted on 09/06/2007 12:16:44 PM PDT by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: mvpel

That I don’t know, but my doctors inform me that it’s very low - I’ve been curious about this for years, wondering what the hell happened, especially the Diabetes issue as that is something I want to avoid, but it’s a diabetes pandemic (Type 2) with being obese going hand-in-hand with having Diabetes. Just look at all the advertisements that are now of TV relating to Diabetes treatment products - 10 years ago - nothing, now all day long.


104 posted on 09/06/2007 12:23:53 PM PDT by Sonora
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To: nypokerface

heavy duty!


105 posted on 09/06/2007 12:24:34 PM PDT by ken21
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To: Man50D
My master switch is beer.

Great idea! Don't mind if I do.

106 posted on 09/06/2007 12:26:07 PM PDT by steveo (Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.)
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To: flashbunny
I don't get the judgmental attitude. We are arguing over how much someone weighs and that maybe there could be a medical reason why? We have people saying they want to kill millions of Americans and millions of children are killed through abortions and homosexuals believe they should get married. So somebody might be fat,I will not judge someone because I do not know if they have a medical problem or they don't eat right but I am not about to tell them to just shut their pie hole. All of us have issues,no one is perfect.
107 posted on 09/06/2007 12:26:11 PM PDT by red irish (Gods Children in the womb are to be loved too!)
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To: Lijahsbubbe

About 50ML; now, consider that it can expand to over 4L.


108 posted on 09/06/2007 12:29:14 PM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: red irish

When this judgmental attitude occurs among doctors, it can blind them to possible medical reasons for weight gain, leaving serious issues undiagnosed while the doctors clucks his tongue and tries to shame the patient into eating less.


109 posted on 09/06/2007 12:31:25 PM PDT by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: cherry
When I quit smoking my children were so proud of me and it took prayer and with Gods help. And yes cigarette smoke gives me a headache,see my husband still smokes. And he hates when I tell him how bad it is for him,since he has high blood pressure. And most ex-catholics I know just plain don't like the rules. Right now I have medical problems that started getting worse 3 years ago, so I have gained weight. But it has always been that way for me. But up until 3 years ago I walked 3 miles a day six days a week. But I have fibro and arthritics,I can hardly walk and have to use a cane now to go anywhere. My husband has always been able to eat anything he wanted and he is not into any exercise at all believe me.Now I know plenty of people who smoke and will not quit because they don't want to put on weight. But how I loved to get up in the morning and walk,I miss it so much. I even tried to walk on my treadmill with my cane and almost killed myself. lol Sometimes in life we have to accept things about ourselves that we don't like. But the judgment of other people hurts more than how we actually feel about ourselves.
110 posted on 09/06/2007 12:50:38 PM PDT by red irish (Gods Children in the womb are to be loved too!)
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To: r9etb

No, your intent was to look like a superior person by doing two things:

- Condemning me for being honest
- Condemning me for not talking about the article, even though you never posted about it.

That’s probably because you are intellectually incapable of addressing the merits of what I posted, therefore your only recourse it to attack me for having the audacity to say them. And likely you can’t come up with a cogent thought on this research and the implications it has on weight loss, because your intellectual capacity for logical thought is less than that of the common titmouse.

In summation, you’re a brain dead moron whose only contribution was to attack me for actually engaging in a discussion on several facets of the subject, all in an effort to make yourself feel better because you’re kind and goodhearted and don’t judge behavior like I do. Yeah, you’re something special there. You’re very liberal in that regard. No ability to talk about the nuts and bolts of the subject at hand, but more than willing to attack those who do it if they’re not as warm and fuzzy and non-blaming like you.

You did have one positive effect- you made me realize I’ve wasted far too much time trying to talk logic to people who emote instead of think. I’m done trying to teach pigs how to sing.


111 posted on 09/06/2007 1:18:52 PM PDT by flashbunny (<--- Free Anti-Rino graphics! See Rudy the Rino get exposed as a liberal with his own words!)
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To: flashbunny

LOL! sutureself, pal.


112 posted on 09/06/2007 1:36:28 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: uncbob
It's an old wive's tale that complex carbs are not as bad for you as simple carbs.

Both are converted to sugar the instant they hit the liver.

What you want are carbs wrapped up in indigestible fiber ~ in LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX foods. If you work it right you'll get all you need to chew on PLUS your carb budget will be minimized.

I've identified 17 different vegetables I can eat in vast quantities (if I wished, which I don't, although my dentist tells me they are very good for him).

Some folks have PRE AGRICULTURE digestive systems and metabolism. They obviously tend toward the carnivore end of the food pyramid. Other people (apparantly about 95%) are mutants and can eat wheat, corn, hybridized fruit and so forth without difficulty.

113 posted on 09/06/2007 4:07:37 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: cherry
Or, perhaps, an ex-Episcopalean who is now a Catholic (Roman or Orthodox), and has taken up smoking to ward off Alzheimers (even though it is clearly too late).

Now that's sanctimony ~

114 posted on 09/06/2007 4:11:48 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: dragonblustar

WOW!,check out the “BUCK KNUCKLE” On Elvis!


115 posted on 09/06/2007 4:13:58 PM PDT by Randy Larsen (I'M WITH FRED!)
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To: Panzerfaust

Error in your death-camp comparison. Many people died long before reaching the emaciated look you so cherish. They are NOT in the liberation pictures.


116 posted on 09/06/2007 4:14:13 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: gura
Look, there are people in this world who can jump into ice-cold water and survive for up to 4 hours. Most other folks doing that trick die within 20 minutes, and some even sooner.

It doesn't matter what their initial weight is either ~

That's a difference more profound than skintone, skeletal proportions, and so forth.

Some people have more than one sinus node (the nerve nexus that tells the heart to beat). It's an hereditary condition, as is the ability to survive lengthy immersion in cold water, or to eat seal livers on a regular basis.

Not everybody is the same!

The current world record for surviving immersion and suffocation in extremely cold water is 6.5 hours. It's held by a woman from the Northernmost part of Norway. The holder of the earlier record was also held by an individual from the same area, as was the even earlier record, and all the way back to roughly 14,000 BC (or thereabouts).

117 posted on 09/06/2007 4:21:10 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Veto!

Also helps cut back on the amount of time spent defecating ~ see: Celiac Disease


118 posted on 09/06/2007 4:25:59 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Sonora
Type II is definitely of genetic origin although there may be up to 10 different genes involved.

The number of adults diagnosed with Type II is consistent with the number of adults identified as having the suspect genes.

You are not going to "catch" diabetes. Type I has several causes ~ but only one source of injury ~ the loss of insulin production in/near the pancreas/liver complex. Some folks with Type II will discover that it can turn into Type I over time.

119 posted on 09/06/2007 4:30:56 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah
Type II diabetes is associated with obesity and with aging. It is a lifestyle-dependent disease, and has a strong genetic component (concordance in twins is 80-90%). The problem seems not so much in insulin production,but that when the insulin reaches its target cells, it doesn't work correctly.Most Type II diabetes patients initially have high insulin levels along with high blood sugar. However, since sugar signals the pancreas to release insulin,Type II diabetics eventually become resistant to that signal and the endocrine-pancreas soon will not make enough insulin. These people end up managing the disease with insulin and they need much higher doses because they are resistant to it.

Genetic component, yes, but also a lifestyle component.

120 posted on 09/07/2007 7:34:37 AM PDT by Sonora
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