Obese people who claim they have a “slow metabolism” may have a point after scientists discover a gene that for the first time links being overweight with reduced metabolic activity.

Researchers from Cambridge University found that mutations in a gene known as KSR2 reduce the ability of cells to metabolise glucose and fatty acids, which provide energy.

These gene mutations are also more common in people with severe obesity than in the general, non-obese population, they found.

It has long been suggested that some people may be predisposed to obesity because of a “slow metabolism” but this is the first time that scientists have been able to identify a definite genetic basis for such an idea.

“It was something that most of us didn’t quite believe could happen because there wasn’t much evidence for it until now,” said Professor Sadaf  Farooqi of the University of Cambridge.

“Up until now, the genes we have identified that control body weight have largely affected appetite. This gene also increases appetite but it is also causes a slow metabolic rate,” Professor Farooqi said.

“KSR2 is different in that it also plays a role in regulating how energy is used in the body. In the future, modulation of KSR2 may represent a useful therapeutic strategy for obesity and type-2 diabetes,” she said.

Working with Ines Barroso of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge, Professor Farooqi sequenced the DNA from over 2,000 patients with severe, early onset obesity, and found that about 2 per cent of them had multiple mutations in the KSR2 gene – more than twice the rate found in non-obese people.

The study, published in the journal Cell, follows earlier work on mice that established the link between the gene and obesity. Mice that lacked the gene became severely overweight.

The KSR2 gene is responsible for some of the “scaffolding” proteins of the cell which play a crucial role in ensuring that signals from hormones such as insulin are correctly processed in the body to regulate how cells grow, divide and use energy.

The scientists found that patients with mutations in the KSR2 gene reported that they had an increased drive to eat when they were children but also a reduced metabolic rate, which meant they were unable to burn off all they energy they consumed.

Low metabolic rate is often linked with an underactive thyroid gland, but in these people their thyroid levels were within normal range, which meant that their metabolic deficit was caused by something else, such as defected KSR2 genes.

“This work adds to a growing body of evidence that genes play a major role in influencing a person’s weight and may be useful for developing new ways to treat people who are heavy and develop diabetes,” Professor Farooqi said.

It is a slow metabolism after all: Scientists discover obesity gene – Science – News – The Independent

Consumer appliances are now becoming activated and “smart.” RFID chips and wireless internet connections enable devices like televisions, refrigerators, printers, and computers to communicate with each other and generally make life easier for us. This comes at a price, however. Your privacy is eliminated.

A detailed multi-dimensional image of our daily lives will be built with this system. Individuals to entire group dynamics will be tracked. It will be unparalleled in history. Everything from daily travel routes to eating habits will be traceable. Every day objects will be transmitting data 24/7.

Now, insurance companies are anticipating this hyper-connected future. Will they spy on your eating habits and hike your health insurance costs?

As Mike Adams reported in March of this year, grocery store loyalty cards are being tracked by insurance companies to deny claims and raise health insurance rates. As the Wall Street Journal reported in early 2013,

Your company already knows whether you’ve been taking your meds, getting your teeth cleaned and going for regular medical checkups. Now some employers or their insurance companies are tracking what staffers eat, where they shop and how much weight they’re putting on — and taking action to keep them in line.

In the November-December issue of The Futurist, Richard Yonck writes, “In a world of total connectivity, the rate at which a household consumes sugar, salt, tobacco, and alcohol would potentially be an open book to insurers seeking to control costs.”

With the internet of things, spying on “unhealthy” habits will be a cinch. Wi-fi enabled refrigerators will read RFID tags on grocery products that are placed your fridge, and in turn send that data to the internet cloud. Are you eating a government approved diet? Taking your meds? If not, you will be paying a price for it in this nightmarish science fiction future that is soon to be science fact.

» Will Insurance Companies Use Smart Appliances to Monitor “Unhealthy” Habits? Alex Jones’ Infowars: There’s a war on for your mind!

One reason the consumers may not have realized that it was a bad deal health-wise was that the public health community was focused not on sugar but on fats — warning Americans against eggs, cheese, cream and meat. In 1977, Sen. George McGovern’s Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs issued guidelines urging a major reduction in fats and an increase in complex carbohydrates.Industry responded with an array of low-fat and fat-free products: cake, cookies, bread, ice cream and beverages.

Americans did cut down proportionally on fats but, ironically, they started to get fatter — ” much fatter. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that rates of obesity in children and adults, which had been climbing through the ’70s, started to shoot upward around 1980. For children, obesity tripled from about 5 percent in 1980 to about 15 percent in 2000.

Although Harvard’s Jou noted that there was “no one culprit or explanation” for the startling rise, Gary Taubes, author of “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” emphasizes the effect of the anti-fat campaign. With eggs and bacon off the menu, he argued, many Americans ate more cereal and other foods high in carbohydrates. Furthermore, the new low-fat substitutes were often laden with high-fructose corn syrup and starch. Portion sizes grew.

At the same time, schools all over the country were allowing vending machines into their hallways, and cafeterias were coming to resemble shopping-mall food courts. Part of the reason was financial: They attracted paying students. Fast-food and soda companies also offered funding in exchange for adding their logos to, say, football scoreboards. But such contracts “turned out to be a bargain with the devil,” said Kelly Brownell, a Duke University expert on obesity. Add in the aggressive food advertising on television and online, he said, and kids of the 1980s and ’90s faced a “toxic food environment.”

Behind all the food issues was another threat to fitness: Children were getting less exercise. For reasons including suburban sprawl and safety concerns, fewer students were walking and biking to school. Many schools cut out physical education and reduced recess time. “Atari and Nintendo and the Internet exacerbated that,” Jou said.

By the time first lady Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” campaign in 2010, it was almost impossible for anyone paying attention to be unaware of the crisis. The attention has had some effect, with recent studies showing the first signs of a leveling off of childhood obesity. But the battle is far from over.

How America cultivated a generation of obesity – TwinCities.com

“I think the mayor is right and I would continue the legal process. We have to, of course, look at the specifics with our own lawyers to handle the mechanics, but there’s no question I want to see this rule go through,” the front-running candidate told reporters at a rally with Chinese-American supporters.

Yesterday, Mr. de Blasio’s spokesman, Dan Levitan, told The New York Times the candidate would “review the status of the city’s litigation” if elected.

Mr. Bloomberg’s proposed ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces was struck down by a lower court earlier this year, following an intense lobbying effort from the soda industry, small business owners and some elected officials. The Bloomberg administration, however, appealed the decision to the state’s highest court, which agreed to hear the appeal yesterday.

Mr. de Blasio concurred with the mayor that the ban would help combat childhood obesity in particular.

“Right now it’s hard to be a parent in New York City. I have two teenagers, I’m surviving the experience, and Chirlane and I spent a lot of time working to make sure Chiara and Dante are healthy. That means encouraging nutrition, that means encouraging exercise. But, you know, it takes a lot of energy to keep on top kids and make sure they do the right thing,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Unfortunately, as parents, it feels like every day we’re fighting an enemy and that is the growing availability of bigger and bigger sugary drinks.”

Though Mr. de Blasio is a frequent critic of the Bloomberg administration and based much of his mayoral bid on promising a “clean break” with Mr. Bloomberg, the two often see eye-to-eye when it comes to matters of public health.

“I’m not ever afraid to disagree with Mayor Bloomberg when I think he’s wrong, but when I think he’s right, my job as public advocate has been to support policies that have been good for the people and I think as a parent especially, I feel we have been losing the war against obesity,” he said.

Bill de Blasio Will Fight to Keep Michael Bloomberg Soda Ban | Politicker

Some Albertans are getting their fat frozen in an attempt to lose weight.

“Coolsculpting” is a relatively new technique and it is gaining popularity here. It’s based on the scientific principle that when fat cells freeze they die and eventually are absorbed by the body.

Lyann Ross-Lamb, who watches her diet and exercises regularly, wanted to get rid of some stubborn stomach fat. She opted to try the procedure instead of turning to liposuction.

“I exercise a lot and I try to eat right so anything thats non-invasive that makes me look a little better, my pants fit a little looser, thatd be great.”

Calgary dermatologist Andrei Metelitsa performs the procedure in Calgary. CBCCalgary dermatologist Andrei Metelitsa says fat freezes at a higher temperature than surrounding tissues.

“Usually within three months most of the patients acquire approximately 20 to 25 per cent reduction in the amount of fat thickness layer.”

And though Coolsculpting appears safe, some, like Edmonton dermatologist Mariusz Sapijaszko, want to see more long-term studies.

“People having irregularities or infections or difficulties with nerves or circulation — we just dont know that yet,” says Sapijaszko.

There have been roughly 500,000 fat freezing procedures done worldwide.

Since the machine was approved in Canada in 2008 there have been three reports of problems. In each case Health Canada reports corrective surgery was required.

Albertans freeze fat in attempt to lose weight – Calgary – CBC News

Opened in 2011 by founder Francis Wisniewski, the Chicago-based gym caters to the obese. Not just the marginally overweight — the mom returning after a pregnancy and the dad carrying some sympathy weight — but rather, the people who need transformations. They didn’t simply miss an exit somewhere; they’re speeding in the wrong direction. Downsize Fitness members need help relearning how to live healthy, and the gym’s owners say the best way to get there is through community.

“Anyone who goes through a transformation like that,” says Downsize CEO Kishan Shah, “it is so vast that it changes your entire outlook and makes you want to help others.”

Shah was heavy once — 400 lbs. to be exact. He’s since cut that number in half and has spent the last nine-and-a-half years devoting his life to fitness and personal health. He has visited 100 different gyms in 30 countries strictly to enrich Downsize’s vision — only after he had lost the weight, he says; before, it was impossible to ride a plane without buying two seats.

Since November of 2011, the gym’s members have lost a total of 5,500 lbs., Shah says. “They’re literally living before and after pictures.” One man used to receive insulin injections before losing 100 lbs. Now he runs marathons. Similar success stories abound.

But the stories are anything if record-breaking. Shah emphasizes that new members aren’t joining in the hopes of climbing mountains or competing in the Ironman. Sure, they may get there eventually, but first they’re focusing on fitting into roller coaster seats, or walking a block without getting winded. The ultra-tough gymnastic-weightlifting hybrid, CrossFit, is based on functional movement performed at high intensity. Downsize Fitness says, “Let’s just focus on the movement part for now.”

“What we do at Downsize is focus on functional fitness – broadly defined as anything that helps you live and meet a healthy life,” Shah told the Daily Beast. “The primary consideration people have when joining is not because they’re interested in looking better. It’s generally that they want to be able to get up off the floor, or keep up with their kids, or live to see their grandchildren.”

Downsize Fitness Only Lets Overweight People Join: New Members Must Have 50 Lbs. To Lose And BMI Over 30

While the story is unfolding, this approach seems perfectly in order. After all, we’ve been educated to understand that it’s wrong to question the life-choices of the generously proportioned. Hollywood is surely to be commended for giving body fascism a biff. But then the credits roll. They begin with a dedication. “For Jim”.

That’s James Gandolfini, the actor renowned for playing one of the most memorable characters in screen history, Tony Soprano. In Enough Said, he plays Albert. After shooting another film, he went on holiday to Italy. In Rome on 19 June he died, at the age of 51.

The cause of death was a heart attack. And the cause of that seems to have been his weight, at least in part. Gandolfini didn’t need a fat suit to play Albert. He’s believed to have tipped the scales at around 20 stone at the time of his death.

“He was a walking time bomb,” according to Dr Chauncey Crandall, the head of heart transplants at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic. Crandall suggests that Gandolfini’s size may have given him high levels of blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol, and perhaps also sleep apnoea, a disorder that increases cardiac risk. “Unfortunately, this was a sad case that had clear warning signs.”

So if Enough Said is “for Jim”, what is it likely to do for those still alive who share his proclivity? This isn’t the only film calculated to make men feel better about being fat. The likes of Up, Cyrus and Paul Blart: Mall Cop have done their bit for the bigger boys. It’s not just Hollywood either: Mexico’s Paraiso, for example, currently offers us a happy, portly couple whose marriage breaks down as soon as they attempt to diet. However, it’s far from clear that big-screen indulgence of obesity does the obese much of a favour.

Obesity causes not just heart disease, but diabetes, osteoarthritis and cancer as well. It can damage the liver, kidneys and brain. It even causes further obesity, and this effect can’t be reversed through dieting. It’s as clear a cause of harm as cigarettes, which have been almost purged from cinema, except as a grim reminder of the folly of our forbears.

Oddly, though fatness is smiled upon, undue thinness is decried on film. Keira Knightley (who’s believed to weigh around seven stone) has been continuously attacked on this count. After all, people could try to emulate a screen idol; that might lead to anorexia, a condition that can prove fatal. Yet obesity kills many more than anorexia.

While actors like Knightley arouse disdain, those who fatten up for a part are applauded. Renée Zellweger was congratulated for putting on 30 pounds (just over two stone), twice, for the two Bridget Jones films. After Robert De Niro put on 60 pounds for Raging Bull, critics acclaimed his “transformative” achievement.

Tom Hanks gained 30 pounds for A League of Their Own. Last week he said that conforming to such requirements “may have had something to do” with his developing type 2 diabetes, “because you eat so much bad food and you don’t get any exercise when you’re heavy”.

Still, when producers suggested that Jennifer Lawrence might actually lose a bit of weight, they found her less co-operative. “If anybody even tries to whisper the word ‘diet’, I’m like, ‘You can go fuck yourself’,” she’s just told an admiring world. Yet a slim frame would hardly have been out of place in a film entitled The Hunger Games.

Understandably, Gandolfini’s untimely death provoked a tidal wave of grief. It’s a pity it didn’t also prompt a little bit more reflection.

Is Enough Said in films about the dangers of obesity? | Film | theguardian.com

New figures yesterday showed almost 1,000 children were sent to hospital in the last three years over fears about their weight.

Shocking statistics show a fifth of four-year-olds are now overweight or obese – a problem estimated to cost the NHS £5billion a year for all ages. According to figures obtained using the Freedom of Information Act, 932 children under the age of 15 were admitted to hospital with a ­primary diagnosis of obesity.

They included 283 primary school-age children and 101 under the age of five.

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said it had admitted the 10-month-old for obesity in the past year, while Mid Staffs NHS Trust said a one-year-old girl was sent to it by a worried doctor.

At Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, there were 172 children diagnosed with obesity, while Great Ormond Street Hospital in London admitted 97 ­children.

Dr Mars Skae, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “I am increasingly being referred children as young as four years of age in our specialist obesity clinics.

Overweight 10-month baby caught up in obesity epidemic sparks crisis warning | Health | News | Daily Express

Primary care physicians and doctors in training should be equipped with a veritable bag of tricks they have handy to treat obese patients, experts suggested.

Healthcare professionals should have “a rigorous background in the biologic and pathophysiological foundations of obesity,” a core understanding of nutrition, and the ability to sufficiently motivate and follow up with patients in maintaining treatment, according to James Colbert, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Sushrut Jangi, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, both in Boston.

“The front lines of the obesity epidemic often lie in a primary care doctor’s office,” despite how overworked and “focused on pharmacologically treatable conditions” primary care doctors are, they wrote in a perspective piece in the Oct. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In addition, Colbert and Jangi suggested that healthcare professionals learn to function as part of an interdisciplinary care team consisting of physicians, nurses, medical assistants, social workers, nutritionists, and behavioralists, adding that learning to function in such a coordinated effort is a necessity to “replace the antiquated model of the solo physician and patient.”

The recommendations are “far too ambitious,” commented David Katz, MD, MPH, of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in Derby, Conn.

“Obesity is not really a clinical problem — it’s a cultural problem,” Katz told MedPage Today, adding that the “remedy” for it is also cultural. “Doctors need to be trained to facilitate the solution, but the notion that doctors will bring the obesity epidemic under control is symptomatic of our tendency to over-medicalize everything,” he said.

Katz did note that “relatively little constructive intervention” occurs in the primary care field and that doctors could play a bigger role in getting patients to adhere to a lifestyle not conducive to growing waistlines.

The authors noted that — like interventions for obesity — education in treatment for the condition should begin while both patients and practitioners “are young and lifestyles and behaviors are easier to change.”

The need for change and education were echoed by Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y.

Docs Need Tools, Training to Help Manage Obesity