Researchers from Vitagenes (a company that is a  part of the Campus program promoted by the University of Granada) in collaboration with some Australian scientists have discovered a new pattern/model of the molecule called interleukin-6 that may prove to be a boon for the patients suffering from obesity and diabetes. It was injected daily for two weeks. Then, its behavior and effects on the metabolism were analyzed. It was found that the molecule can help in development of drugs that can be beneficial in preventing and treating obesity. The study has been carried out on animals.

The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) has collected data, the analysis of which concludes that Levemir ® (insulin injection), a once-daily treatment for patients of diabetes (type 1 and 2), can also lead to weight loss for insulin-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. It provides a similar blood glucose response as glargine without any important difference in daily average consumption (DACON). The costs on pharmacy, too, remain the same.

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.

Photo by jurvetson

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.