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.

EIGHT OILS THAT HEAL YOUR BODY

Using an adequate amount of the right kinds of fats and oils can play a pivotal role in slowing down the ageing of your body.

Good fats provide the body with fuel alongside the feeling of fullness. These can also stimulate fat burning.

Studies show the value of supplementing our diet with additional essential fats to prevent and treat a broad spectrum of diseases.

Distinguishing good fats from bad fats can be tricky, so here are the top eight healthy fats and oils, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Coconut Oil: It has rightly earned the title of a ‘superfood’ and it is consumed in large amounts by some of the healthiest populations around the world. It is also brilliant for those looking to lose or maintain their weight. The fatty acids in coconut oil have been shown to speed up overall metabolism, helping people expend more energy compared with long-chain fats.

It can also help with neurological disorders and can significantly benefit common skin issues. It also helps in reducing scars and marks on the body.

Borage Oil: Borage seed oil has one of the highest amounts of linolenic acid and is widely used as an anti-inflammatory support for a number of conditions including eczema, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. It can be hard to track down, so try taking it in supplement format.

 Hemp Seed Oil: Hemp oil or hempseed oil is obtained by pressing hemp seeds. It is named to be nature’s perfect food due to its balanced concentrations of Omega fatty acids 3, 6 and 9. Studies have shown it can help support heart health and promote proper cardiovascular function. It has a beneficial effect on hair, skin and nails, with people who regularly use and consume hemp oil reporting thicker and shinier hair, softer skin and stronger nails.

 Flax Seed Oil: This oil contains the highest concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids and the right amount of consumption has been shown to improve cardiovascular health as well as exhibiting chemo-preventative effects against colon tumour developments.

 Pumpkin Seed Oil: A great one for both men and women, research has found that it can significantly help improve prostate health due to its richness in zinc, and also help women with menopause as it can decrease blood pressure, hot flushes, headaches and other menopausal symptoms.

Avocado Oil: This is known for its skin-boosting effects. In addition to its nourishing, moisturising and protective fats, it also contains significant levels of antioxidants, such as Vitamin E, which help keep skin supple and smooth.

Omega 3 Fish Oil: Arguably the best type of fat, the fats produced by oily fish contain the highest concentrations of Omega 3 fatty acids which is proven to make a positive difference to heart and brain health as well as improving the skeletal system.

 Olive Oil: It is an integral part of the traditional ‘Mediterranean Diet’ which is associated with vitality, longevity and low incidence of chronic disease. Olive oil is prized for its health-promoting properties and is particularly helpful in promoting optimal cardiovascular function, maintaining good blood flow and bettering cognitive function.

BODY WEIGHT HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY GUT MICROBES

Our genetic makeup influences whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our body, according to a study by researchers at King's College London and Cornell University.

By studying pairs of twins at King's Department of Twin Research, researchers identified a specific, little known bacterial family that is highly heritable and more common in individuals with low body weight. This microbe also protected against weight gain when transplanted into mice.

The results, published today in the journal Cell, could pave the way for personalised probiotic therapies that are optimised to reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases based on an individual's genetic make-up.

Previous research has linked both genetic variation and the composition of gut microbes to metabolic disease and obesity. Despite these shared effects, the relationship between human genetic variation and the diversity of gut microbes was presumed to be negligible.

In the study, funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers sequenced the genes of microbes found in more than 1,000 fecal samples from 416 pairs of twins. The abundances of specific types of microbes were found to be more similar in identical twins, who share 100 per cent of their genes, than in non-identical twins, who share on average only half of the genes that vary between people. These findings demonstrate that genes influence the composition of gut microbes.

The type of bacteria whose abundance was most heavily influenced by host genetics was a recently identified family called 'Christensenellaceae'. Members of this health-promoting bacterial family were more abundant in individuals with a low body weight than in obese individuals. Moreover, mice that were treated with this microbe gained less weight than untreated mice, suggesting that increasing the amounts of this microbe may help to prevent or reduce obesity.

Professor Tim Spector, Head of the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, said: 'Our findings show that specific groups of microbes living in our gut could be protective against obesity -- and that their abundance is influenced by our genes. The human microbiome represents an exciting new target for dietary changes and treatments aimed at combating obesity.

'Twins have been incredibly valuable in uncovering these links -- but we now want to promote the use of microbiome testing more widely in the UK through the British Gut Project. This is a crowd-sourcing experiment that allows anyone with an interest in their diet and health to have their personal microbes tested genetically using a simple postal kit and a small donation via our website . We want thousands to join up so we can continue to make major discoveries about the links between our gut and our health.'

Ruth Ley, Associate Professor at Cornell University in the United States, said: 'Up until now, variation in the abundances of gut microbes has been explained by diet, the environment, lifestyle, and health. This is the first study to firmly establish that certain types of gut microbes are heritable -- that their variation across a population is in part due to host genotype variation, not just environmental influences. These results will also help us find new predictors of disease and aid prevention.'