�Percent Daily Intake� Versus �Equivalent Walking Time�: Making Sense Of The Kilojoules On Food And Drink Labels
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$108,350.00
Summary
We have already established through a series of eight qualitative focus groups plus a pilot survey using a convenience sample that the Equivalent Walking Time (EWT) food label is considered more informative, useful, and difficult to ignore than other labelling systems. As such we now seek to test the EWT against other labelling systems in a more objective and robust fashion, using a much larger, representative sample.
It is clear that the rate of obesity is increasing dramatically. Better therapeutic strategies are required to treat this debilitating disease. In this study we will determine the effects of sugary drinks on the amount of food eaten and subsequent changes in weight gain. By understanding how sugary drinks affect rates of weight gain we will be able to formulate better strategies to combat obesity.
Physical Activity Restores Energy Homeostasis In Obesity Through Hypothalamic Neurogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,053.00
Summary
The sensing of blood-borne signals by the brain is an important event in regulating appetite and energy expenditure. This sensing is blunted in obesity and contributes to over-eating. The aim of this research is to determine whether the sensing of these blood-borne signals can be restored in obesity by creating new cells in the key appetite controlling centres of the brain. The outcomes of this research will lead to a better understanding of how feeding behaviour can be modified to treat obesity ....The sensing of blood-borne signals by the brain is an important event in regulating appetite and energy expenditure. This sensing is blunted in obesity and contributes to over-eating. The aim of this research is to determine whether the sensing of these blood-borne signals can be restored in obesity by creating new cells in the key appetite controlling centres of the brain. The outcomes of this research will lead to a better understanding of how feeding behaviour can be modified to treat obesity.Read moreRead less
Diet-induced obesity is the foremost health concern in today�s society and causes many metabolic problems that lead to type diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This grant identifies ghrelin resistance, as a novel metabolic adaptation during obesity. Ghrelin is a hormone that normally stimulates food intake and body weight gain, however during obesity ghrelin does not stimulate food intake. Artificial induction of ghrelin resistance will restrict the development of diet _induced obesity.
Obesity is a looming health crisis for Australians; it increases the chances of many serious diseases including diabetes, cancer, stroke and heart disease. Obesity occurs when the amount of energy consumed in food is greater than the energy used over an extended period. Because human beings usually get most of their food in a few meals each day, the size of those meals is very important. Deciding when to stop eating can exert a powerful control on energy intake. It is well known that nutrients r ....Obesity is a looming health crisis for Australians; it increases the chances of many serious diseases including diabetes, cancer, stroke and heart disease. Obesity occurs when the amount of energy consumed in food is greater than the energy used over an extended period. Because human beings usually get most of their food in a few meals each day, the size of those meals is very important. Deciding when to stop eating can exert a powerful control on energy intake. It is well known that nutrients reaching the gut cause the release of hormones from cells in the lining of the stomach and intestine. These hormones tell the brain when enough food has been consumed. It used to be thought that the hormones travelled in the blood stream to affect the brain directly. Recently, it has become clear that much of their effect is actually carried by sensory neurons with endings in the lining of the gut. The hormones have a powerful effect the sensory nerve fibres which then send electrical signals in nerve fibres running in the vagus nerve to the brain. Here they make connections which eventually influence the centres that control feeding. There is much to understand about how hormones affect the sensory nerve endings in the wall of the gut, whether all nerve fibres are affected the same way and what sort of information is conveyed to the brain. This project will use electrophysiological methods to identify which nerve fibres are activated by hormones, whether different hormones affect different nerve fibres, which nutrients activate particular nerve fibres and whether nerve fibres make selective contacts with particular hormone-releasing cells. These questions are important for understanding how we normally stop feeding and how drugs might be designed to cause feelings of fullness earlier in each meal.Read moreRead less
Relationships Between Diet And Gastric Motor Function In Functional Dyspepsia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$220,500.00
Summary
Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a condition characterised by abdominal symptoms without a cause that is identifiable by conventional diagnostic tests. Symptoms (eg fullness, bloating) are frequently induced by eating. 20 - 40 % of the adult population in Western countries are affected by FD, and the condition, therefore, represents a considerable financial burden to the health care system. FD affects quality of life adversely. In many people with FD, stomach contractions and the 'sensitivity' of th ....Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a condition characterised by abdominal symptoms without a cause that is identifiable by conventional diagnostic tests. Symptoms (eg fullness, bloating) are frequently induced by eating. 20 - 40 % of the adult population in Western countries are affected by FD, and the condition, therefore, represents a considerable financial burden to the health care system. FD affects quality of life adversely. In many people with FD, stomach contractions and the 'sensitivity' of the stomach are abnormal. Often, people with FD avoid fatty foods in the belief that these cause or exacerbate symptoms. There is, however, little information about the potential role of dietary habits in causing symptoms, the relationship between eating and disturbances in stomach function, and the impact of dietary changes on symptoms. Our previous studies suggest an important role for nutrients, particularly fat, in FD. We will address the hypothesis that dietary factors, particularly fat intake, have substantial implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of FD. Our studies will involve physiological (stomach emptying, appetite and food intake) and epidemiological (dietary habits, dyspeptic symptoms and quality of life-related aspects) measurements. The subjects-patients with FD will receive standardised test meals of varying nutrient composition, and we will study the effects on their stomach and on symptoms. We will also test some medications in an attempt to alleviate symptoms during and after food ingestion, particularly after fatty foods. Other studies will assess the dietary habits of patients with FD in relation to symptom occurrence and investigate the possibility that dietary intervention (reduction of fat content in the diet, exclusion of offending foods) will benefit these patients. The proposed studies will provide the most comprehensive studies to date of the relationship between symptoms in patients with FD with dietary habits and stomach function.Read moreRead less
Effects Of The Fatty Acid, Lauric Acid, On Energy Intake And Gut Motor And Hormonal Function In Health And Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$744,645.00
Summary
Obesity is largely due to energy intake exceeding energy expenditure, thus, strategies that reduce energy intake will result in weight loss. We discovered recently that the fatty acid, lauric acid, markedly reduces energy intake. Our studies will determine the effects of lauric acid on energy intake and body weight reduction in obese subjects. The research is a new initiative and explores the potential of lauric acid as a novel, nutrient-based and side-effect free approach to obesity management.
A Neurogenic Basis Of Obesity Hypertension: Role Of Adipokines And Ghrelin In Regulating Sympathetic Vasomotor Activity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,035.00
Summary
During the development of obesity, brain centres are inappropriately activated by factors such as leptin which are released by excess fat accumulation. This reults in high blood pressure. We seek to determine which chemical type of brain neuron is responsible for receiving these signals in a specific brain region in an animal model that closely resembles the human form of the disease. We will focus specifically on areas known to control the sympathetic nervous system.
Effects Of Dietary Protein On Gastrointestinal Function: Implications For The Regulation Of Energy Intake In Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$677,157.00
Summary
Obesity is largely due to energy intake exceeding energy expenditure. The CI has reported that dietary protein markedly reduces energy intake but the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unknown. The proposed studies will determine whether gastrointestinal mechanisms are involved in the regulation of appetite and energy intake and how they relate to body weight reduction in obese subjects. The research represents a unique approach to the management of obesity and health.