Chemical Process In The Brain
Linked To Weight Gain And Diabetes
The weight gain that frequently accompanies
aging may be influenced by your head - or at least
your brain - according to new research.
Dr. Tecott, a UCSF Associate Professor of Psychiatry,
has found evidence that “middle-aged”
mice expend less energy and burn fewer calories
to carry out the same physical activity that they
used to do at a younger age. This increase in
“energy efficiency”, or “miles
per gallon”could be a factor in the weight
gain that mice and many people experience as they
grow older, and which plays a major factor in
the development of type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Tecott has observed that in middle-aged mice,
less energy is expended and fewer calories are
burned than in younger-adult mice, even though
each performed the same activity. This difference
is especially pronounced in mice that are genetically
engineered to lack a receptor for the neurotransmitter
serotonin.
If the same is true in humans, Dr. Tecott says
"this could mean that I'd burn less energy
today running an 8-minute mile at a given weight
than I would have 20 years ago."
Traditionally, scientists and health care professionals
have thought that an increase in weight was due
to declines in metabolic rate and physical activity
levels, especially as we age. Dr. Tecott's research
shows that other factors may also be at work to
affect this "energy balance".
Serotonin is one of the chemicals in the brain
that allows neurons to communicate with each other
and controls many vital brain functions. The brain's
serotonin receptors are already the target of
numerous drugs such as appetite suppressants and
anti-depressants. Dr. Tecott and colleagues now
aim to determine whether targeting this receptor
in a different way might offer aging patients
"more bang for the buck of exercise"
allowing a greater calorie burn to be achieved.
Dr. Tecott's research was recently published in
the medical journal, Diabetes
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DID
YOU KNOW: Patients are asking
whether Lantus needs to be discarded after 28
days. It's standard practice to discard insulin
vials one month after they've been opened. But
many patients don't use up a Lantus vial in one
month... and they're tempted to keep it longer
because it's so expensive. Remind patients NOT
to use Lantus more than 28 days after the seal
has been punctured. Using insulin longer increases
the risk of contamination and potency loss...especially
if it has NOT been refrigerated.
