Leptin And The Regulation Of Substrate Partitioning
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,876.00
Summary
The prevalence of obesity is increasing with currently 18% of adult Australians being classified as obese. Obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, is associated with high blood lipid levels and blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. In Australia, the cost of obesity is estimated to be $830 million per year. The ultimate aim of any obesity treatment programme is to reduce body fatness by burning off fat and to prevent further fat storage and so studies which focus on developing strategies to achie ....The prevalence of obesity is increasing with currently 18% of adult Australians being classified as obese. Obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, is associated with high blood lipid levels and blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. In Australia, the cost of obesity is estimated to be $830 million per year. The ultimate aim of any obesity treatment programme is to reduce body fatness by burning off fat and to prevent further fat storage and so studies which focus on developing strategies to achieve these goals are very important. We have found that subjects who fail to keep weight off after being on a weight-reducing diet are bad fat burners. These people also have low levels of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells which helps to regulate food intake. The first aim of this study is to show that leptin increases the burning of fat by regulating the production and activity of factors which decide whether fat is used for energy or is stored in the body. The second aim is to find ways in which leptin levels can be changed so that fat burning is increased. Some of the ways in which we will change leptin levels are by changing the fat content of the diet, or by drugs, or by giving leptin itself. These studies will be performed in animal models of obesity and will help us to develop strategies for the treatment and prevention of obesity in humans.Read moreRead less
Obesity: The Role Of Neuropeptide Y, Melanocortin And Serotonin Systems In Development And Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$258,000.00
Summary
This project is about the study of central regulation of energy balance contributing to protection or development of chronic high-energy diet-induced obesity. Obesity is a major predisposing factor for a variety of life threatening diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease with their enormous costs both socially and financially. Development of human obesity and its related metabolic disorders is a long term process generally develops over a long period and event ....This project is about the study of central regulation of energy balance contributing to protection or development of chronic high-energy diet-induced obesity. Obesity is a major predisposing factor for a variety of life threatening diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease with their enormous costs both socially and financially. Development of human obesity and its related metabolic disorders is a long term process generally develops over a long period and eventually becomes a chronic condition. Generally, chronic consumption of high-energy food in excess of expenditure leads to excessive fat accumulation and promotes the development of obesity. However, studies on both humans and experimental animals have revealed that not all individuals become obese on a high-energy diet; thus, individual susceptibility is an important phenomenon allowing us to search for the genes contributing to the individuals' susceptibility or resistance to diet-induced obesity and to identify for effective targets for both prevention and treatment of obesity. Using the animal models developed in our laboratory, the proposed research aims to demonstrate the differences in the central regulation between the mice resistant or susceptible to the development of chronic high-energy diet-induced obesity. Outcomes of this project will provide us with: 1) better targets for the prevention of diet-induced obesity; (2) more effective treatments for the late stage of obesity and its related metabolic disorders; and (3) a better understanding of the individual susceptibility to diet-induced obesity.Read moreRead less
Obesity Induced By Chronic High-Energy Diet: Central Influences In Development And Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$221,210.00
Summary
This project is about the study of central regulation of energy balance contributing to prevention or development of chronic high-energy diet-induced obesity. Obesity is a major predisposing factor for a variety of life threatening diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease with their enormous costs both socially and economically. Development of human obesity and its related metabolic disorders generally develops over a long period and eventually becomes a chroni ....This project is about the study of central regulation of energy balance contributing to prevention or development of chronic high-energy diet-induced obesity. Obesity is a major predisposing factor for a variety of life threatening diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease with their enormous costs both socially and economically. Development of human obesity and its related metabolic disorders generally develops over a long period and eventually becomes a chronic condition. Generally, chronic consumption of high-energy food in excess of expenditure leads to excessive fat accumulation and promotes the development of obesity. However, under these conditions, some individuals become obese, while others remain lean indicating that variation in susceptibility is an important determinant of the development of obesity. It is apparent that those individuals resistant to obesity have a more effective defence system against excessive fat accumulation. Using the animal models developed in our laboratory, the proposed research aims to search for the differences in the central regulation between the mice resistant or susceptible to the development of obesity. The outcomes we expect to achieve include: 1) better understanding of central factors controlling energy balance, 2) clarification of the central factors responsible for dysregulation of this system by chronic consumption of a high-energy diet, and 3) identification of those factors contributing to prevention against such dysregulation. Further, according to our previous study [XFH1, 2, 3], we propose to use the drugs targeting on the specific receptor subtypes to test reversibility of chronic high energy diet-induced obesity.Read moreRead less
Association Between Obesity, TGFb, Thrombospondin And Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$514,777.00
Summary
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an important cause of mortality in middle aged and elderly Australians. The incidence of AAA continues to increase despite improvements in the medical management of atherosclerosis. We postulate that obesity is important in the progression of AAA. In a community screening study we found that waist-hip ratio was independently associated with AAA. In this project we investigate the mechanisms underlying this association between obesity and AAA.
Schizophrenia: Prevention And Treatment Of Atypical Antipsychotic Drug-induced Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,862.00
Summary
Atypical antipsychotic drugs such as olanzapine, clozapine and risperidone are commonly used to treat mental illness. While these drugs are effective, their side effects of obesity and metabolic disorders are a major hurdle leading to a serious lack of compliance in taking medication. This project will define the mechanism leading to these side effects and will help to identify pharmaceutical targets for the better treatment of mentally ill patients.
Bariatric Surgery In Tasmania: Investigating Health Service Use, Costs, Patient Outcomes And Policy Options
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$667,655.00
Summary
About 1 in 20 Tasmanians are severely obese. Bariatric surgery can improve health for individuals with severe obesity but access to surgery is poor for most public patients. This study will investigate the pathways of patients referred for bariatric surgery in the Tasmanian public and private hospital systems to better understand the demand for surgery, the health outcomes, and costs associated with these different pathways. The findings will inform public policy and resource allocation.
Role Of Obesity In Impaired Treatment Response In Chronic Hepatitis C: Mechanisms And Therapeutic Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,075.00
Summary
The overall objective of this Research Project is to examine the mechanisms by which obesity and fatty liver impair the response to antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to develop specific strategies to monitor and improve the outcome of treatment. In addition, the development of non-invasive strategies and surrogate cell culture systems for the assessment and serial monitoring of the antiviral response will be of substantial benefit.