Models Of Obesity

Rationalities and models of obesity -- Energy balance, genetics and obesogenic environments -- Governance through measurement -- Inequalities -- Food and eating -- Global transformations of diet -- Obesity science and policy -- Complexity -- Systems and rationalities

Since its discovery, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has been shown to regulate many critical molecular processes in eukaryotes such as metabolism, growth, survival, aging, synaptic plasticity, memory, and immunity. In mTOR: Methods and Protocols expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly used to study mTOR. These include methods and techniques used for the study of the mTOR pathway and potential therapeutic applications of mTOR inhibitors such as, immunosuppressive and anticancer agents. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, mTOR: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study of this crucially important molecule ranging from the analysis of signal transduction events within a cell to the assessment of complex human diseases such as metabolic disorders or cancer.

Nearly one out of every three adults in America is obese and tens of millions of people in the United States are dieting at any one time. This has resulted in a weight-loss industry worth billions of dollars a year and growing. What are the long-term results of weight-loss programs? How can people sort through the many programs available and select one that is right for them? Weighing the Options strives to answer these questions. Despite widespread public concern about weight, few studies have examined the long-term results of weight-loss programs. One reason that evaluating obesity management is difficult is that no other treatment depends so much on an individual's own initiative and state of mind. Now, a distinguished group of experts assembled by the Institute of Medicine addresses this compelling issue. Weighing the Options presents criteria for evaluating treatment programs for obesity and explores what these criteria meanâ€"to health care providers, program designers, researchers, and even overweight people seeking help. In presenting its criteria the authors offer a wealth of information about weight loss: how obesity is on the rise, what types of weight-loss programs are available, how to define obesity, how well we maintain weight loss, and what approaches and practices appear to be most successful. Information about weight-loss programsâ€"their clients, staff qualifications, services, and success ratesâ€"necessary to make wise program choices is discussed in detail. The book examines how client demographics and characteristicsâ€"including health status, knowledge of weight-loss issues, and attitude toward weight and body imageâ€"affect which programs clients choose, how successful they are likely to be with their choices, and what this means for outcome measurement. Short- and long-term safety consequences of weight loss are discussed as well as clinical assessment of individual patients. The authors document the health risks of being overweight, summarizing data indicating that even a small weight loss reduces the risk of disease and depression and increases self-esteem. At the same time, weight loss has been associated with some poor outcomes, and the book discusses the implications for program evaluation. Prevention can be even more important than treatment. In Weighing the Options, programs for population groups, efforts targeted to specific groups at high risk for obesity, and prevention of further weight gain in obese individuals get special attention. This book provides detailed guidance on how the weight-loss industry can improve its programs to help people be more successful at long-term weight loss. And it provides consumers with tips on selecting a program that will improve their chances of permanently losing excess weight.

With the increasing worldwide incidence of obesity and the resulting increase in metabolic disorders such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, an understanding of the multitude of factors that contribute to obesity is crucial for researchers to develop more effective treatments. This collection of overviews and protocols provides the reader with an introduction to the major features of obesity research, including the interplay between energy balance, hormones and neurobiological networks. An overview is provided which describes the animal models of obesity most commonly utilized in research. A standardized laboratory protocol for producing diet?]induced obesity (DIO) in both mouse and rat is provided as are protocols that describe how diet formulation can be modified to generate mouse models of human metabolic pathologies. Protocols are also provided for testing the effects of dietary manipulations, caloric restriction and potential therapeutics. This e-book — a curated collection from eLS, WIREs, and Current Protocols — offers a fantastic introduction to the field of obesity research for students or interdisciplinary collaborators.

This book aims to aid the selection of the most appropriate methods for use in early phase (1 and 2) clinical studies of new drugs for diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and related cardiometabolic disorders. Clinical research methods to assess the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of new diabetes drugs, e.g. the euglycemic clamp technique, have become well-established in proof-of-mechanism studies. However, selection of the most appropriate techniques is by no means straightforward. Moreover, the application of such methods must conform to the regulatory requirements for new drugs. This book discusses the need for new pharmacotherapies for diabetes, obesity and NAFLD and the molecular targets of drugs currently in development. Emerging technologies including functional imaging, circulating biomarkers and omics are considered together with practical and ethical issues pertaining to early phase clinical trials in subjects with cardiometabolic disorders. Translational Research Methods in Diabetes, Obesity, and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is of interest to biomedical scientists, pharmacologists, academics involved in metabolic research and clinicians practicing in these specialties.

This book provides a comprehensive compilation of the evidence available regarding the role of genetic differences in the etiology of human obesities and their health and metabolic implications. It also identifies the most promising research areas, methods, and strategies for use in future efforts to understand the genetic basis of obesities and their consequences on human health. Leading researchers in their respective fields present contributed chapters on such topics as etiology and the prevalence of obesities, nongenetic determinants of obesity and fat topography, and animal models and molecular biological technology used to delineate the genetic basis of human obesities. A major portion of the book is devoted to human genetic research and clinical observations encompassing adoption studies, twin studies, family studies, single gene effects, temporal trends and etiology heterogeneity, energy intake and food preference, energy expenditure, and susceptibility to metabolic derangements in the obese state. Future directions of research in the field are covered in the book as well.