OBESITY ASSOCIATED WITH ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS

-

 

OBESITY ASSOCIATED WITH ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS

If validated, a new hypothesis could impact obesity-related diseases.




Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, according to the World Health Organization. Numerous causes of obesity have been hypothesized, including increased dietary fat, carbohydrate or ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption, inactivity, hyperlipidemia, and hyperinsulinemia. Based on these hypotheses, solutions have been sought that involved decreasing the consumption of suspected agents. Well-controlled studies have shown that increased consumption of UPF is associated with increased food consumption and weight gain while reducing UPF consumption in the same subjects was associated with weight loss. However, these studies do not identify a specific cause of obesity since the diets include multiple variables.

In a new perspective, Barbara E. Corkey, Ph.D., professor emeritus of medicine and biochemistry at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, presents an alternative testable and actionable hypothesis/model about the cause of obesity. If validated, it could indicate clear steps to reverse obesity.

Humans vary in the efficiency of burning and storing nutrients in response to overeating. Some people waste more energy when they overeat and keep less. Those individuals tend not to gain weight quickly. Humans also vary in their reactions to food deprivation. Some conserve energy better than others and don't lose weight fast when dieting. "These are normal variations and we are each a bit different, due to genetics, but we respond to the same signals," said Corkey.

Her hypothesis postulates that obesogens (certain chemical compounds hypothesized to disrupt normal development and the balance of lipid metabolism) that have entered the environment in the last 50 years generate misinformation in our bodies, such as inappropriate insulin secretion or hunger, that lead to obesity. She believes that Obesogens can create changes in the redox state (a standard signal of either excess or the need for energy) unrelated to energy needs but falsely stimulate hunger or fuel storage when not needed.

"The increasing incidence of obesity correlates with heightened consumption of UPF along with thousands of potential environmental toxins including some derived from fertilizers, insecticides, plastics and air pollutants. Identifying these agents would allow us to remove them or inhibit their ability to generate misinformation," said Corkey.

Corkey's model, if validated, could impact many, if not all, obesity-related diseases. Her paper examines readily available ways to test her model. She believes the best outcome from this work would be the identification of obesogens and their removal. The second best outcome would be treatments that block their effect on the body's standard regulatory mechanisms for insulin secretions.

advertisement

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY

-
Image
  PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY Building on prior studies with healthy-weight participants, the new research includes different body sizes.         New research indicates that weight influences how and when bodies burn energy. An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal  Obesity  found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who are obese spend more energy during the night when most people sleep. The study also found that during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin -- a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar. "It was surprising to learn how dramatically the timing of when our bodies burn energy differed in those with obesity," said the study's first author, Andrew McHill, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the OHSU School of Nursing and the Oregon Institute of ...
Read more

WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?

-
Image
  WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?         It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a severe health problem. How does the body know when to stop? Scientists at UC San Francisco are getting close to an answer. In a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat conditions from eczema to allergies, they have discovered a feedback loop centered on a single immune protein called IL-31 that causes the urge to itch and dials back nearby inflammation. The findings, published on October 13th in  Science Immunology , lay the groundwork for a new generation of drugs that interact more intelligently with the body's innate self-regulating ability. Previous approaches suggested that IL-31 signals itch and promotes skin inflammation. However, the UCSF team discovered that nerve cells, or neurons, that respond to IL-31, triggering a scratch, also prevent immune cells from overreacting and causing more ...
Read more

A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY

-
Image
  A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY         In a study with 22 pairs of identical twins, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have found that a vegan diet improves cardiovascular health in as little as eight weeks. Although it's well-known that eating less meat improves cardiovascular health, diet studies often need to be enhanced by genetic differences, upbringing, and lifestyle choices. By studying identical twins, however, the researchers were able to control for genetics and limit the other factors, as the twins grew up in the same households and reported similar lifestyles. "Not only did this study provide a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet, but the twins were also a riot to work with," said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and a professor of medicine. "They dressed the same, they talked the same, and they had a banter ...
Read more