THE INFERTILE OBESE WOMAN EXPLAINED ?

The Infertile Obese Women Explained ?
Australia - Dr Robk University of Adelaide have found the reason for infertility in obese women.

By studying cases of ninety-six women seeking assistance for reproduction in a private clinic between February 2006 and April 2007, Dr. Robk could target an alteration of the ovaries in obese patients, tainting their eggs are unable to into embryos.

Obese women, even young and with regular menstrual cycles, take longer to conceive. Dr. Robk wanted to understand whether environmental degradation of the egg can contribute. His study found that "obese women have a high fat and inflammation in the fluid surrounding the egg, which may affect the development of the latter".

These are fats that alter the egg and are therefore harmful to its development. Inflammation would also jeopardize the survival of the embryo formed. These findings were confirmed by measurements of levels of hormones and metabolites content in the follicular fluid of ovarian cancer patients (accumulation of cells in the ovaries).

Dr. Robk concluded: "Obesity is known to change the fat into the bloodstream and cause inflammation that affects the overall health of a person". Our research shows that obesity is also changing the environment of the ovary which nourishes the developing ova.

OBESITY : THE ROLE OF THE INTESTINAL MICROFLORA

Obesity : The Role Of The Intestinal Microflora

Spanish researchers (from CSIC, Higher Council for Scientific Research) were interested in the relationship between body mass and composition of intestinal microflora. Their comments suggest that the intestinal microflora contributes to the energy input to the organization and composition influence the regulation of a person's weight. They publish their findings in the journal Obesity (reference below).

The new research focused on the relationships between some specific components of the intestinal microflora, lifestyle, and the regulation of body weight. The results could be decisive in the development of future nutrition intervention strategies that can prevent obesity and related metabolic diseases through the modulation of the composition of the intestinal flora.

The Institute of Agro-Chemical and Food Technology of the CSIC conducted the study with 36 overweight adolescents with obesity or treated based on the reduction of energy intake and an increase physical activity for 10 weeks. This study highlights the differences in responses among teenagers after treatment. The majority has lost significant weight, ie more than 4kg after treatment, however, a subgroup of 13 adolescents had lost less than 2.

Bacteroides and Clostridium
The differences in results suggest that the composition of intestinal microflora of each individual has a role to play. The group of individuals who lost the most weight presented a higher proportion of Bacteroides and Clostridium (type of intestinal bacteria) that the group had not presented significant weight loss before or after treatment.

The analysis of the composition of energy intake and diet has practiced not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the energy detected in the faeces was higher among adolescents who have not experienced a significant weight loss. These data suggest that the gut microflora influences the development of obesity and contributes to the energy intake of the body.

The study conducted by several research groups is intended to establish a multidisciplinary education program (diet, physical activity and psychological profile) for adolescents with overweight or obese. In this regard, moreover this project recently received an award from the Ministry of Health and Social Policy.
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Reference:
Item: Interplay Between Weight Loss and Gut Microbiota Composition in Overweight adolescents
Authors: Arlette Santacruz, Ascension Marcos, Julia Warnberg, Amelia Marti, Miguel Martin-Matilla, Cristina Campoy, Luis Moreno, Oscar Veiga, Carlos Redondo-Figueroa, Jesús M. Garagorri, Cristina Azcona, Manuel Delgado, Miguel Garcia-Fuentes, Maria C. Collado, Yolanda Sanz
Journal Publication: Obesity

GENE THERAPY GIVES PROMISING RESULTS IN TREATING OBESITY

Gene Therapy Gives Promising Results In Treating Obesity
U.S. researchers from Ohio State University (USA) showed in mice that gene therapy allowed a sustainable weight loss and improved metabolic parameters of the animal. They want to turn to clinical trials in humans. This research is published in the online scientific journal Nature Medicine, 8 March 2009.

A substance called BDNF (Hypothalamic brain-derived neurotrophic factor), produced in the brain called the hypothalamus, plays a major role in weight regulation. It exists both in animals and humans. The absence of the BDNF gene (which produces the molecule BDNF) in mice makes obese.

Left mouse obese untreated.

Right obese mice treated with gene therapy.

The researchers then injected the gene BDNF directly into the hypothalamus of normal mice, diabetic and subjected to a diet rich in fat. Researchers have also developed a system that can negatively regulate the gene. This system is automatically activated when the mice reached a normal weight.

The gene has been active in the obese mice and progressively as the mice lost weight the expression of BDNF protein was reduced by the automatic activation of negative regulatory system put in place to also wait and stabilize at a normal weight. The researchers then restored a normal regulation of weight, a balance between weight gain and weight loss.

Researchers have found, by observing the mice for the long term, there were no adverse side effects on bone density, the circadian rhythm or the general behavior of mice. The diabetic mice saw their health, their parameters and their physical condition improved.

This method has shown very encouraging results in mice, researchers have made an application to the FDA (U.S. regulatory authority of the drug) to conduct clinical trials in humans. They think they can start them within a year.
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Article: Molecular Therapy of obesity and diabetes by a physiological autoregulatory Approach
Authors: Lei Cao, En-Ju D Lin, C Michael Cahill, Chuansong Wang Xianglan Liu & Matthew J During
Journal publication: Nature Medicine
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Credit Nature.