Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have decoded the three-dimensional structure of a membrane-bound enzyme that plays an important part in glycerol metabolism. The discovery may offer a crucial boost to the fight against obesity, diabetes and many other related health problems. The research, led by structural biologist Dr. Joanne I. Yeh, has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

People suffering from depression or anxiety are more prone to be obese and to smoke, according to a study published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry. The study, which compiled data from more than 200,000 adults, showed that those with current depression or a previous diagnosis of depression were 60% more likely to be obese and twice as likely to smoke as those who were not depressed. The research also found that people with an anxiety disorder were 30% more likely to be obese and twice as likely to smoke as those without anxiety.

The FDA has granted EnteroMedics Inc. approval for the expansion of its pivotal clinical trial, known as the EMPOWER Study, from 220 patients to 300 patients. Full enrollment in the study is expected to be completed in the first half of 2008. The EMPOWER Study is being conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of investigational VBLOC™ vagal blocking therapy using the Maestro™ System in obese patients. VBLOC Therapy promotes earlier feelings of fullness and reduced hunger and also minimizes the side effects and complications related to existing surgical options and preserving the individual’s normal anatomy.

As evidence of Britain’s childhood obesity crisis, a study showed that a quarter of five-year-olds and more than a third of 11-year-olds are overweight. The statistics were derived from a study in which approximately 800,000 children were weighed and measured in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) conducted by the NHS Information Centre. Officials indicated that the statistics may be on the lower side, since the government’s weighing program in primary schools is voluntary and the most obese children might not have participated.