Understanding The Mechanisms For Ameliorating/preventing Antipsychotic-induced Obesity In Early Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$576,496.00
Summary
There has been a sharp worldwide increase during the last decade in antipsychotic prescriptions (mostly “off-label”) to paediatric patients. One important issue is that antipsychotic drugs were developed for adult patients and normally have serious side-effects. This project will not only reveal the mechanisms of antipsychotic-induced obesity side-effects in youth, but will also explore intervention strategies for preventing antipsychotic-induced weight gain/obesity in paediatric patients.
Does Early Overnutrition Differentially Alter Hypothalamic Neuropeptides That Regulate Food Intake In The Rat
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,250.00
Summary
In Australia the incidence of obesity, in particular childhood obesity, is increasing dramatically, and the possible long term consequences of this are of great concern. The brain regulates appetite through a number of chemical transmitters such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) which is present in the brains of mammals and causes increased food intake. The effects of overeating from a young age on these brain transmitters has been largely ignored although this may impact on subsequent eating behaviour. I ....In Australia the incidence of obesity, in particular childhood obesity, is increasing dramatically, and the possible long term consequences of this are of great concern. The brain regulates appetite through a number of chemical transmitters such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) which is present in the brains of mammals and causes increased food intake. The effects of overeating from a young age on these brain transmitters has been largely ignored although this may impact on subsequent eating behaviour. In addition to NPY we will study other transmitters in the brain that have profound effects on appetite, some increasing, and others decreasing, food intake. These may form useful therapeutic targets for new drugs for obesity. Key targets we will study include melanocortins, glucagon-like peptide 1, urocortin, melanin concentrating hormone, agouti related peptide, and NPY. We will determine whether overnutrition from birth to weaning leads to changes in these appetite regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, and monitor the hormonal signals that impact on their activity. We will also determine whether early overnutrition exacerbates the subsequent responses to a high fat diet by comparison with rats made obese as adults. We will measure brain concentrations of the neurotransmitters, the amount released from the brain, and determine whether the feeding responses to injections of these agents is altered in obese animals. We have evidence that these transmitters interact in a co-ordinated fashion to affect feeding; this project will examine whether these interactions are maintained in the various types of obesity. Rats are commonly used for this type of study as the processes regulating feeding are very similar to those in humans and these agents cause similar effects in rats and humans. It is hoped that this information will provide new insight into the way brain adapts to overnutrition, and provide potential treatments for obesity and other feeding disorders.Read moreRead less
Improving Weight Loss By Intermittent Use Of Very Low Energy Diet: The TANGO Diet Trial (Temporary Phases Of Accelerated Weight Loss For Noticeably Greater Outcomes)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$660,736.00
Summary
Very low energy diet (VLED) is being increasingly used for the treatment of obesity, but the resultant weight loss is usually transient, partly because it induces powerful adaptive responses that inhibit weight loss and promote regain. We have shown that 'taking a break from dieting' for 2 weeks reduces these adaptive responses. In this project we will thus test whether weight loss outcomes with VLED can be improved via intermittent use, where periods on the VLED are alternated with 'breaks'.
Effects Of Fast Versus Slow Weight Loss On Fat, Muscle And Bone In Postmenopausal Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,450.00
Summary
Very low energy diets (VLED) are increasingly used to treat obesity. Of concern is the fact that VLED induce adaptive responses that can inhibit loss of, and promote regain of, abdominal fat while decreasing lean body mass, muscle strength and bone density. This project will therefore determine whether VLEDs could have negative effects on body composition that increase the risk of metabolic disease, sarcopenia or osteoporosis, and if so, what mechanisms are involved.
This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrat ....This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrate, typical of many Western countries, inevitably requires the ingestion of additional energy to maintain protein intake constant, thus driving weight gain. Conversely, the consumption of a diet that is relatively high in % protein requires the ingestion of lower levels of energy, creating the potential for weight loss. Preliminary experimental and population-level nutritional survey data support the PLH, as does the finding that protein is more satiating than other macronutrients. If, as predicted, small changes in the proportion of protein in diets described in the current study are found to impact on total energy intake there will be significant implications for weight control strategies. Thus, if the PLH is confirmed, public health dietary recommendations and government policy settings for the food industry will need to change. Large-scale intervention studies aimed at demonstrating the longer term impact on body weight will also be required.Read moreRead less
An In Depth Analysis Of Clinical And Virological Outcomes Of 2 Strategies For The Antiretroviral Salvage Of First-line Regimen Virological Failure For HIV-1 Infection Tested In An Australian-led Randomised, International, Multi-centre Clinical Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,747.00
Summary
The recently completed Australian-led SECOND-LINE trial is the first high quality study to provide reliable evidence for policy recommendations for the composition of anti-HIV drug cocktails after standard initial treatment has failed. This award will support the researcher in further refining our understanding of how to manage second-line therapy including proposals to test the use of low-cost technologies for application in resource-limited settings where the majority of people with HIV live.