Health Watch

Turning bad fat into good fat to fight obesity

Drucilla Dyess

New hope for battling obesity has sprung from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where researchers may have discovered a way of transforming bad, white fat in the body into brown fat that can burn off more calories and weight. Although the breakthrough findings are currently only applicable to rats, the research may pave the way for future treatment of obesity among humans. The results of the research can be found in the journal Cell Metabolism.

In a study involving appetite regulation in rats led by Dr. Sheng Bi, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, the discovery was made that by switching off a protein in the rats' brains, ordinary white fat, including stubborn belly fat, was turned into energy burning brown fat. Regarding the discovery, Bi pointed out, "If we could get the human body to turn 'bad fat' into 'good fat' that burns calories instead of storing them, we could add a serious new tool to tackle the obesity epidemic in the United States."

Although infants are known to have an abundance of brown fat tissue that generates heat to help them stay warm, it has long been thought that brown fat diminishes as we grow older and seems to vanish completely by the time we reach adulthood.

However, research recently revealed that adults do retain a certain amount of this healthy brown fat. By increasing the amount of brown fat a person stores, an effective weapon for fighting obesity may result.

However, given that the discovery of fat transformation was made while altering the brains of rats, there will be the need for a great deal more research into the development of an alternative method for initiating the conversion of non-healthy white fat into energy burning brown.

The initial focus of the study was on a brain protein known as neuropeptide Y that regulates appetite. The research team set out to confirm their suspicions that by suppressing the protein, they would cause the rats to eat less.

To test their theory, the rats were divided into two groups, with one group serving as the control group, while the other group was treated with a virus to inhibit neuropeptide Y. Findings showed that after five weeks, the virus-treated group had eaten less and weighed less than the control group. Further findings showed that when both groups were provided a high fat diet, the virus-treated group also gained less weight than did the control group. Although these results were not surprising, when the researchers dissected the rats, the startling discover was made that white fat had been replaced with brown fat in some areas of the bodies of the virus-treated rats. In addition, the researchers found that the virus-treated rats generated more heat when exposed to cold for six hours than did the control group.

Although brown fat seemingly vanishes with age, it may be that stems cells of the brown fat remain. If this is the case, the researchers hypothesize that by suppressing neuropeptide Y in the brains of the rats, brown fat stem cells stored in the white fat tissue were activated and developed into brown fat.

The researchers also noted that one possible method for generating stem cell development in human adults to stimulate weight loss could be an injection of brown fat stem cells under the skin.

The researchers will continue their studies to lean more about how brain signals can set off the transformation of white fat into brown fat.

If identification of the molecules responsible for the change can be made, there is the hope of developing methods for targeting these molecules as treatment for obesity.

Malaria walk in Polonnaruwa, a success

Sarvodaya Community Health Unit together with the central and provincial Malaria offices successfully conducted a walk and seminar in the Polonnaruwa town on May 13 to raise awareness on Malaria and get community involvement to eradicate it from Sri Lanka.

A large number of volunteers of Sarvodaya Movement, officers of the regional anti-malaria office, representatives of other governmental and non-governmental organizations, journalists as well as members of the general public and armed forces actively participated in the walk. Health Minister of North Central Provincial Council Peshala Jayaratne and Sarvodaya Community Health Unit Director Dr Lalith Chandradasa also took part in the programme encouraging the participants.

The event made a spectacular scene in the calm Polonnaruwa town with participants distributing leaflets to enlighten the general public and street dramas being shown to convey the message of eradicating Malaria.

The walk started at 8.30 am at Buddhi Mandapa and proceeded via the Travel Police roundabout and came to the Batticaloa Road and ended at the Polonnaruwa General Hospital. A seminar on the Importance of Community Involvement to eradicate Malaria was held at the Polonnaruwa General Hospital Main Hall after the walk.

Dr Lalith Chandradasa speaking at the seminar, emphasized the need for the community to actively participate in the programmes to protect community health. He further said that such programmes cannot be made successful with the effort of the government alone, thus pointing out the need for the community to come forward for their own wellbeing.

The walk was part of a range of activities conducted by Sarvodaya to eradicate malaria which is funded by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). Sri Lanka has now reached the stage of eradicating Malaria, and to achieve this objective, Sarvodaya Community Health Unit conducts various activities to raise awareness, empower communities, increase community involvement and educate the public.

Sarvodaya has also organized walks and other awareness building programmes in other malaria-prone areas in the country as well, which will be held in Batticaloa on May 24 and in Moneragala on May 27. A walk held on April 29 in Kurunegala with a highly enthusiastic participation from many governmental and non-governmental organizations and the general public.

Healthy flood in Soysapura flats

Edward Arambewala

There was a minor flood yesterday in some of the blocks in Soysapura flat B2, caused in the course of re-connecting the flat direct to the Water Board's water supply scheme, removing the overhead tank system which prevailed in these blocks up to now.

In making this re-connection, the Water Supply and Drainage Board had to empty the overhead tanks in the block, which caused the water from the tank to spill down the staircases and flooding the first, second and third floor unit, where the occupants who were there at the time, some of them old and sick had been forced to keep pushing out the water that was coming into their units.

This had lasted for about two hours. The Water Board unit attending to this work, explained that the placing of the tanks in these blocks at the time of construction had not been properly done, giving consideration for cleaning up the tanks when needed, without causing a flood effect to the flat dwellers.

The Water Board has now resolved this problem for all time by doing away with the tank system and giving direct water supply to the stored flat units.

They said that for a long time the dwellers had been consuming unhealthy water, as the tanks had remained uncleaned since construction.

World's leading causes of death largely preventable

Susan Brady

The first annual World Health Organization's 'Global Status Report' finds that the leading killer of the world's population are non-communicable, chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease, cancers and diabetes. These types of diseases combine contribute to over 36 million deaths annually, many of which are in low- to middle-income countries.

"The rise of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) presents an enormous challenge," says WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan.

NCDs have similar risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, and poor diet.

While all of these factors are preventable, they have become a mainstay among the world's population, even with the decreased use of tobacco across the board.

Getting people to change their lifestyle can be more difficult than mass immunization against diseases such as smallpox. Approximately 30 percent of those who die from these diseases are under the age of 60, impacting economies in a major way.

"These premature deaths are all the more tragic because they are largely preventable," according to WHO assistant director-general for NCDs Dr. Ala Alwan.

WHO maintains that deaths attributed to NCDs can be prevented if existing policies that promote government-wide actions against them are more strongly enforced.

They recommend stronger anti-tobacco controls, reducing harmful use of alcohol, and promotion of healthier diets and physical activities.

WHO also believes that people's access to essential health care should also be improved which is something that is lacking in many low- to middle-income countries.

In America, the leading cause of death is heart disease, followed by cancer, not unlike the rest of the world.

Chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke and accidents round out the top 5 in the United States.

Medical Crossword No. 46 winners

Edward Aranbewala

Following are the prize winners of Healthwatch Medical Crossword Draw No. 46 held on Saturday May 14 at the Wish Institute, Delkanda.

This was held along with the audiology seminar for parents, whose children with hearing impairments have got cochlear implants done to correct the defect.

The first prize winner was picked by three year old Senerru Sethmi from Polgasovita who had come with his mother for the seminar. The winner was (Entry No.ll) Rtd Quality Controller Edward Mack from Kottawa. The second place winner of Rs 2000 was (entry No. 22 student) Harshana Dissanayaka from Kottawa.

While the third place winner of Rs 1000 was (Entry No. 88) Rtd. Science Lecturer 62 years old M H M Yakooth of the National Institute of Education.

The Consolation winners were (Entry No. 20) N S Samarasena (Rtd Teacher) from Bo-elegamuwa, (Entry No. 68) M Z Awoof from Colombo and (Entry No. 3) Housewife Nelufer Gunasekera from Siripa Road, Colombo.

Prizes were drawn by Dr Aruna Deshapriya from Meerigama Hospital, Mrs M Selvaraja Rtd. Teacher from Wattala and S M Fouze from Kohuwala, who was the third prize winner of crossword No. 45.

Daily News Editorial and Health watch crossword sponsors WISH Institute congratulate all the winners.

Burning mouth syndrome may be tied to menopause

Amanda Chan

It's a gritty, sandy, metallic, annoying sensation in the mouth. It isn't necessarily painful, but the sensation still makes the tongue feel like its burning.

The condition, called burning mouth syndrome, affects nearly 5 percent of people in the United States - and a new, small study shows that it could be partly linked with menopause.

Burning mouth syndrome affects menopausal women seven times more than it affects men, said study researcher Gary D. Klasser, an associate professor in the department of comprehensive dentistry at Louisiana State University.

There's no known cause, nor is there a cure, for the syndrome, Klasser said. But it's possible that decreasing hormone levels during menopause that affect taste buds could also increase the sensitivity of pain receptors in the mouth, leading some women to develop burning mouth syndrome, he said. Most of the women in the study who were eventually diagnosed with the syndrome experienced the onset of symptoms three years before hitting menopause and up to 12 years after.

"We certainly know that pain and taste have connections in our brains, and so that's one theory as to why menopause may be the initiating factor for having burning mouth syndrome," Klasser told MyHealthNewsDaily.

However, researchers still don't know how and why men can also develop burning mouth syndrome, he said.

Klasser looked at the health records of 49 people who were eventually diagnosed with the syndrome and found that it took an average of 41 months for the patients to be diagnosed with the syndrome. This shows that many doctors and dentists aren't familiar with the signs and symptoms of burning mouth syndrome, he said.

Burning mouth syndrome is often mistaken for other conditions such as fungal infection or an autoimmune disorder, he said. Many of the people in the study were on antifungal medications, presumably because they were misdiagnosed in the first place, Klasser said.

The syndrome is not dangerous or deadly, but it does impact quality of life, he said.

"It's not fun. You become withdrawn, don't want to socialize and you start feeling sorry for yourself," Klasser said. "You might develop a low self esteem. It spirals out of control."

There is no cure for burning mouth syndrome, but there are management strategies to keep the sensation to a minimum, he said, which include behavioral interventions and medications.

However, much more research is needed to shed light on the syndrome, Klasser said.

Bringing hope to elderly and terminally ill Indians

Sanjoy Majumder

Inside a long, poorly lit room several old men are lying on a row of bunk beds.

Many of them are so old they have to be carried out to the lunch room, where they are served a frugal meal of rice, lentils and vegetables.

This is a shelter run by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in the Indian capital, Delhi.

The men have been abandoned by their families, who can no longer support them financially, and so are dropped off here. Among them is Hira Lal, who has not got much time to live. "My two sons brought me here. I've become so old and sick that they can't look after me anymore. I would have preferred to die at home with my family - but it's God's will that I spend my last days here," he says.

The nuns at the shelter tell me his family has never been back to see him. It's the case with almost everyone here.

It's also a situation that most of India's elderly are being increasingly forced to confront.

Only the rich or privileged have access to proper health care - the rest are increasingly forced to battle alone. But 2,000km (1,242 miles) away, in Kerala, there is a ray of hope. At the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Calicut, Dr Suresh Kumar checks on a patient, a poor fisherman who is suffering from lung cancer.

Moved by the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients, the doctor gave up his job as an anaesthetist to set up a ground-breaking palliative care system that has now spread across the state. "Most of the problems faced by elderly people are not medical. A lot of the issues are social, emotional, issues of loneliness and a lack of money," he explains. BBC News

To be continued next week