Q: Dear Will, I have noticed there has not been much for breakthroughs on the supplement front as far as weight loss of supplements for gaining muscle. Is there anything on the research front that we have to look forward to that may be the next big break through?
Stan Wesson, Jersey City, NJ
A: Dear Stan, It does seem like there has been a lull in new and useful research looking at building muscle, but it does exist. Research looking into fat loss has been a lot more interesting and there may be some very interesting natural and pharmaceutical drugs coming out in the very near future. For example, a new compound called oleylethanolamide or OEA for short looks promising. A recent study published in the journal Nature (2001;414:209-212) looked at OEA, which is a compound produced in the small intestine in response to food and may be a key to permanent fat loss and appetite control
As expected, researchers are looking to produce synthetic versions to mimic OEA that may be more potent and resist being broken down by the body which would give them a longer biological activity. Most interesting perhaps, the effects of OEA appear to be quite different from other appetite suppressants.
Most natural and pharmaceutical made appetite suppressants work at the level of the brain. However, and most interesting, OEA did not have the same effect on appetite when injected into the rats brains, which suggests that OEA acts on the brain indirectly. This is important as it may be yet another pathway to explore in appetite suppression and may have less side effects than many drugs that work directly via the brain.
The recent study in Nature found rats injected with OEA ate significantly less food and gain weight at a slower pace than rats not given OEA. It also appears OEA is regulated by food intake as rats that were given less food had lower levels of OEA. This lead the researchers to conclude that OEA is involved in appetite control and satiety (i.e., feelings of fullness). Further studies will now investigate exactly how OEA works and of course see if OEA works as well in humans.
Another one is the recent discovery that the gene PPAR-gamma, when activated, appears to be the final stage of fat production. The work was done by Bruce Spiegelman, a professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School, and was published in a recent issue of the journal Genes and Development. According to Dr. Spiegelman in a recent interview for Harvard Magazine, "Although many factors affect fat genesis, it ultimately comes down to the amount and activity of PPAR-gamma. You can call it the master regulator of turning uncommitted or unspecialized cells into fat cells." Could a magic pill be developed to block the activity of PPAR-gamma and render all diets and exercise obsolete? According to Dr. Spiegalman, the answer is probably no.
Again, human metabolism is far more complicated than that, and in truth, the production of fat is ultimately an issue of energy balance not just fat storage. Also, many people are under the false impression that fat, in particular fat cells, are just dead weight and play no role in human health and metabolism. People think of they could just get rid of all their fat cells, life would be great. Wrong. Recent research is finding that fat cells directly regulate-in conjunction with an incredibly complex feedback mechanism-our entire metabolisms.
Humans born without fat cells suffer from swollen, diseased livers, and Spiegelman's lab has made genetically engineered mice that lacked fat cells. They turn out to be very sick animals with fat filled organs, especially the liver. Dr. Speiegelman points out that if there are not enough fat cells available for energy storage, the fat simply accumulates somewhere else. It can damage organs by building up in the liver, blood vessels, or pancreas.
So, it appears blocking PPAR-gamma, via some drug or what ever, may be a bad idea. However, some partial block may prove to be both safe and effective, and you can be sure researchers are looking for that golden goose as we speak. How does one naturally down regulate PPAR-gamma? I don't know if any supplements at this time that will have that effect (though I suspect Omega-3 lipids may do it), I suspect the answer to naturally down regulating PPAR-gamma will be the same answer under everyone's nose as it always has: don't eat so freakin much food and get off the couch!
On the health front, PPAR-gamma may also have direct connections to diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
Recent research reveals that PPAR-gamma is the target of drugs currently given to more than a million diabetics, but the role of PPAR-gamma in insulin sensitivity, has not been fully elucidated. Interestingly the anti-diabetes drug rosiglitazone is being tried on prostate cancer patients to see if it can prevent progression of the disease. Scientists have found that switching PPAR-gamma production off stops fat cell production, but switching PPAR-gamma on reduces tumor growth in several different cancers including prostate cancer. Could drugs that all ready appear to affect PPAR-gamma, such as rosiglitazone, be the next big find in bodybuilding and longevity? The answer is far from known, but it should turn out to be very interesting research in the next few years.
Let's not forget leptin, which continues to be a hormone of great interest to researchers regarding its many effects on the metabolism. Another hormone that is getting a great deal of attention right now, and rightly so, is Ghrelin. Ghrelin may prove to be a most interesting hormone and a true anabolic hormone, but it will take some time to sort it all out. One recent study called "Ghrelin---not just another stomach hormone" (Wang G, Lee HM, Englander E, Greeley GH." Regul Pept 2002 May 15;105(2):75-81) suggests Ghrelin has effects on GH. Below is the abstract:
"Growth hormone (GH) secretagogues (GHSs) are non-natural, synthetic substances that stimulate GH secretion via a G-protein-coupled receptor called the GHS-receptor (GHS-R). The natural ligand for the GHS-R has been identified recently; it is called ghrelin. Ghrelin and its receptor show a widespread distribution in the body; the greatest expression of ghrelin is in stomach endocrine cells. Administration of exogenous ghrelin has been shown to stimulate pituitary GH secretion, appetite, body growth and fat deposition.
Ghrelin was probably designed to be a major anabolic hormone. Ghrelin also exerts several other activities in the stomach. The findings that ghrelin is produced in mucosal endocrine cells of the stomach and intestine, and that ghrelin is measurable in the general circulation indicate its hormonal nature. A maximal expression of ghrelin in the stomach suggests that there is a gastrointestinal hypothalamic-pituitary axis that influences GH secretion, body growth and appetite that is responsive to nutritional and caloric intakes."
That's just the tip of the iceberg looking at a wide range of hormones that may turn out to build muscle, take off bodyfat, prevent various diseases, etc. However, we have all seen the news over some big discovery over the latest greatest hormone, only to have it be a big bust when they try it out on humans. Though I am sure some day that magic pill everyone wants will be a reality, it will probably be further in the future than we would like.
Copyright: Copyright © 2006-2008 Will Brink
About the Author:| Will Brink writes for numerous health, fitness, medical, and bodybuilding publications. His articles can be found in Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Oxygen, Women's World, The Townsend Letter For Doctors and many more. His website is http://www.brinkzone.com |
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