A research at U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has concluded that Vigabatrin, a drug that can be used in treatment for drug addiction, causes rapid weight loss in animals. The medication induces satiety in non-obese animals as well as those bred to be obese, reducing their weight by 20%. Vigabatrin, currently, is in Phase II of the FDA-approved clinical trials as a treatment for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction. This drug will prove beneficial for both the severe form of obesity, that is genetic, and also for the obesity resulting from overeating, as this disorder is characterized by consumption patterns that are similar to drug-taking in those dependent on cocaine.

Researchers of Genetics at Merck Research Laboratories report that obesity; diabetes and heart disease are all linked to disruption in the entire gene network due to overeating.  Hundred of genes were disordered when mice were given high fat western diets. Research among Icelandic humans showed that people having a higher body mass index, have a different pattern of gene activation in their fatty tissues not seen in the blood DNA samples.

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According to American researchers, bariatric surgery patients with two obesity-related genetic variations are more likely to be obese compared to others. Published in the journal, Archives of Surgery, researchers analyzed patients’ blood samples for two common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are known to be connected with obesity. The research may offer new hope for patients who do not lose weight even after undergoing bariatric surgery.

The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is enrolling patients for the research study of an investigational implantable device for the treatment of type-2 diabetes patients who are overweight and do not respond to the prevalent anti-diabetic treatments. The device is placed in the body through a minimally invasive laparoscopic process. The process can be conducted in outpatient settings.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, obese adolescents who choose to undergo weight loss surgery showed significant improvement in their heart’s size and functioning after a period of time. The heart abnormality reversal was more likely to happen in teenagers than in adults.

According to a new study, patients who have undergone surgical procedures for the removal of lung cancer can tolerate and benefit from exercise regimens started just a month after surgery. This is contrary to the popular belief that surgery on the lung has a restrictive effect on the amount of exercise a person can do. The study, led by Lee Jones, showed that lung cancer patients can not only tolerate exercise, but that it can lead to improved tolerance for exercise, laying a foundation for future studies looking at the effect of exercise on survival in this patient group.

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Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have in two recent studies shown that a receptor called ALK7 plays important roles in the regulation of body fat deposition as well as the release of insulin from beta-cells in the pancreas. The studies conducted by a group lead by Professor Carlos Ibáñez showed that removing the ALK7 receptor improves insulin release by beta-cells in the pancreas, and at the same time decreases fat deposition in situations of high caloric intake. These findings have implications for the development of treatments against diabetes and obesity.

A study, performed by a team led by Professor Li Liang, has indicated that short-term lifestyle intervention should be the first step in the management of children suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The research to be published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology has suggested that dietary restriction and exercise has resulted in improved liver function in patients with NAFLD, relative to the short-term vitamin E capsule therapy.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research demonstrated that obesity during pregnancy requires greater use of health care as well as longer hospital stays. According to Susan Chu, Ph.D., lead scientist of the study, the increased health care use had greater cost implications for the patients.

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According to a Finnish study, expected to be published in the European Heart Journal, low birth weight along with excessive weight gain in childhood raises the risk of heart disease later. The study may further highlight the role of a healthy lifestyle early in life in preventing a heart disease later.