Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Caloric Restriction by Drugs Another Gift from our Microbiome
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1011 Caloric Restriction by Drugs Another Gift from our Microbiome
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m. Dr. David Niesel.
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog.
A lot more of us could be healthier if we ate less, and studies with animals show calorie restriction or CR can help them live longer.
CR is eating fewer calories than the body needs while still getting enough nutrients. In animals from yeast to flatworms and monkeys, CR extended life and lowered risks for cancer and heart disease.
CR puts the body into a mild “stress” mode, where cells become more efficient and resist damage. Scientists are studying whether a pill could mimic the same effects. I’d be first in line, Dave.
No kidding! I like food too much, so hand over a pill! We already have several promising drugs from the past decade. One is the diabetes drug, Metformin, which lowers blood sugar and activates an enzyme called AMPK that senses when energy is low. It signals the body to burn fat and reduce inflammation — all things that CR does naturally.
Another is rapamycin which blocks a pathway called mTOR. The body goes into a fasting-like mode and the lives of lab mice were extended by the equivalent of twenty human years!
Now studies are looking into other chemicals. An analysis of hundreds of chemicals elevated in the blood of CR mice showed that Lithochlic acid signals the body to burn fat. In lab mice, the animals’ cells produced more energy and responded better to sugar.
But these mice didn’t live longer, so more work is needed. If we can find a way to eat less and make the body burn more calories, we could meaningfully extend human life.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast.
