Comments on: Blah Blah Leptin. Where's Jen Wade? http://www.bfdblog.com/2007/04/02/blah-blah-leptin-wheres-jen-wade/ We're bringing chubby back. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:02:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: diet http://www.bfdblog.com/2007/04/02/blah-blah-leptin-wheres-jen-wade/comment-page-1/#comment-48462 diet Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:22:01 +0000 http://www.bfdblog.com/?p=13#comment-48462 I have learned a lot reading your site. Thanks for posting. I have learned a lot reading your site. Thanks for posting.

]]> By: Vincenzo Klaers http://www.bfdblog.com/2007/04/02/blah-blah-leptin-wheres-jen-wade/comment-page-1/#comment-45062 Vincenzo Klaers Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:38:10 +0000 http://www.bfdblog.com/?p=13#comment-45062 Lastly, an issue that I am passionate about. I have looked for information of this topic for the last several hours. Your site is greatly appreciated. Lastly, an issue that I am passionate about. I have looked for information of this topic for the last several hours. Your site is greatly appreciated.

]]> By: La Wade http://www.bfdblog.com/2007/04/02/blah-blah-leptin-wheres-jen-wade/comment-page-1/#comment-429 La Wade Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:43:04 +0000 http://www.bfdblog.com/?p=13#comment-429 Leptin controls a lot more than hunger. Its main effects on body weight are actually on metabolic rate and activity level. And I think in your post, Regina, you are using the term "obesity" interchangeably with binge eating. You're right that binge eating is very much like an addictive behavior, but not all obese people binge. (You're also right that binge eating is an understudied and underappreciated aspect of obesity). I think the main value in understanding leptin resistance is that it will enable us to use leptin as an effective therapeutic tool for the treatment of obesity. And given the potent effects of the leptin system, I'd be shocked if it weren't useful for people who binge-eat, too. Leptin controls a lot more than hunger. Its main effects on body weight are actually on metabolic rate and activity level.

And I think in your post, Regina, you are using the term “obesity” interchangeably with binge eating. You’re right that binge eating is very much like an addictive behavior, but not all obese people binge. (You’re also right that binge eating is an understudied and underappreciated aspect of obesity).

I think the main value in understanding leptin resistance is that it will enable us to use leptin as an effective therapeutic tool for the treatment of obesity. And given the potent effects of the leptin system, I’d be shocked if it weren’t useful for people who binge-eat, too.

]]> By: Regina http://www.bfdblog.com/2007/04/02/blah-blah-leptin-wheres-jen-wade/comment-page-1/#comment-428 Regina Tue, 03 Apr 2007 12:10:35 +0000 http://www.bfdblog.com/?p=13#comment-428 I doubt leptin resistance is important to weightloss in obese people. True physical hunger has as much to do with that level of obesity as thirst has to do with alcoholism. Both are addictions. Declaring obesity an addiction won't change the moralistic way non-overweight people look at fat people (guess what? Non-alcoholics also tend to look moralistically at alcoholics). What's important about seeing obesity as an addiction is that once it's accepted as such, the ways we treat obesity will become much more effective. Obesity is caused by the brain chemistry that is set in place when food becomes the main (only?) trigger for increased dopamine levels. When eating is the only way you can feel good or even normal, you'll eat no matter how full you feel. I doubt leptin resistance is important to weightloss in obese people. True physical hunger has as much to do with that level of obesity as thirst has to do with alcoholism. Both are addictions. Declaring obesity an addiction won’t change the moralistic way non-overweight people look at fat people (guess what? Non-alcoholics also tend to look moralistically at alcoholics). What’s important about seeing obesity as an addiction is that once it’s accepted as such, the ways we treat obesity will become much more effective. Obesity is caused by the brain chemistry that is set in place when food becomes the main (only?) trigger for increased dopamine levels. When eating is the only way you can feel good or even normal, you’ll eat no matter how full you feel.

]]> By: La Wade http://www.bfdblog.com/2007/04/02/blah-blah-leptin-wheres-jen-wade/comment-page-1/#comment-427 La Wade Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:05:00 +0000 http://www.bfdblog.com/?p=13#comment-427 I haven't read this paper yet, but Michael Cowley is one of the most respected researchers studying the role of the brain in obesity. That being said, the research seems to be presented in a very simplistic way in this article. Certainly, genetics plays a big role in both mice's and humans' susceptibility to obesity, and this study underscores that. And alcoholism is a good analogy for it. But clearly, with the rates of obesity rising rapidly over a period of time too short to represent a genetic change in the population, there are clearly other factors involved. I think leptin resistance is going to be an important thing to understand and could someday be a powerful tool for developing drugs for weight loss in significantly obese people. I wouldn't say this study is a watershed, but it's another piece in the puzzle that has been coming together over the last ten years or so. I haven’t read this paper yet, but Michael Cowley is one of the most respected researchers studying the role of the brain in obesity. That being said, the research seems to be presented in a very simplistic way in this article. Certainly, genetics plays a big role in both mice’s and humans’ susceptibility to obesity, and this study underscores that. And alcoholism is a good analogy for it. But clearly, with the rates of obesity rising rapidly over a period of time too short to represent a genetic change in the population, there are clearly other factors involved.

I think leptin resistance is going to be an important thing to understand and could someday be a powerful tool for developing drugs for weight loss in significantly obese people. I wouldn’t say this study is a watershed, but it’s another piece in the puzzle that has been coming together over the last ten years or so.

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