BODY CLOCK LINK COULD AID OBESITY TREATMENTS
Scientists at The
University of Manchester have discovered that the body clock plays an important
role in body fat. Their findings are helping develop new ways of treating
obesity and the fatal diseases linked to being overweight.
The researchers, led
by Professor David Ray, not only looked at the role of the clock in fat tissue
in mice, but also collected samples from patients undergoing weight loss
surgery. Fat and blood samples taken both before and after surgery allowed the
researchers to compare their biochemistry. The results are published in the
journal Diabetes.
Professor Ray explains
what they found: "Essentially we discovered that the circadian clock,
protein REVERB plays an important role in the safe accumulation of body fat.
Usually as fat accumulates there is inflammation in the body which leads to
diabetes and heart disease. Our research shows that this process is linked to
the body clock."
The team found that
REVERB affects obesity-related inflammation by regulating both a hormone that
comes from fat, adiponectin, and a master regulator of inflammation A20. Mice
lacking REVERB had enhanced fat storage but without the expected inflammation.
They also registered higher levels of the hormone adiponectin, suggesting the hormone
has an anti-inflammatory role.
Dr David Bechtold was
one of the key researchers and says: "Our work demonstrates that it could
be possible to switch unhealthy fat to a healthier form by tapping into one of
the elements which we discovered. We hope that would mean fewer obese people go
on to develop more severe metabolic complications such as type 2 diabetes and
heart disease."
As part of the study
the researchers took fat and blood samples from morbidly obese patients both
before and after weight loss surgery. After the surgery these people had both
an increase in the hormone adiponectin in the circulation, but also the
inflammation regulator A20 in fat itself. At the same time body fat was
healthier, with less of the inflammation linked to diabetes and heart disease.
Professor Ray explains
their findings: "Our analysis showed that in morbidly obese people who
have undergone weight loss surgery the same pathway from the body clock to
inflamed fat is activated. This helps explain why surgery results in rapid
health improvements for obese people."
He continues: "We
believe our research could open up a novel way to treat obesity without
surgery. There is the potential for drug development that could stop so many
people dying of obesity related diseases."
A clinical research
study is now taking place at The University of Manchester, and Central
Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust led by Dr Martin Rutter to
take this research further. The clinical research study is taking place at the
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)/Wellcome Trust Manchester
Clinical Research Facility and The Manchester Diabetes Centre, the first centre
to be established in the UK to provide specialist care and education for
diabetes patients in the North West.
It is using
"clock logic" to treat diabetes. Patients eat, sleep and take
medication at times that fit with their body clock in a bid to control the
disease. It's hoped the study will demonstrate that strengthening our internal
body clock by changing behaviour can be used to treat a condition in a similar
way to drugs and surgery.
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