Jim
This is a University of Wisconsin mouse study that gives rise to a
genetic basis for the conversion of processed carbs into fat. It may
leave open that mythical person who can eat tons of carbs and never get
fat. - just burning most of them right off.
Link to Univ of Wisconsin press release here for earlier work in 2002:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/7709
Their 2007 data publication is cited below:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/282711
> Switching off one key gene in the liver can virtually halt the conversion of carbohydrates into body fat, a U.S. study suggests.
>
> While the SCD-1 gene exists in every cell in the body, the University of Wisconsin research says its specific actions
> in the liver are essential for the production of body fat from high carbohydrate intakes – a primary source of the
> obesity epidemic sweeping the globe.
>
> "I would say it is a switch-off gene," says James Ntambi, a biochemist at the Madison school and the lead author of the study in mice.
>
> "If you take the SCD-1 specifically out of the liver ... the high fat (gain) as a result of high carbohydrates is prevented."
>
> The study, which appears in the December issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, was released yesterday.
> ..... snipped
which gives more details
============== End Comment ==================
http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=A840A8DD-E7F2-99DF-344B5E84AD578646
60-Second Science - December 5, 2007
Gene Helps Turn Carbs Into Fat
A gene determines whether highly processed carbs get stored as fat or
burned away. But deactivating the gene to prevent fat build-up has its
own problems. Cynthia Graber reports.
It’s no secret that there’s an obesity epidemic going on. Many
researchers blame highly processed carbohydrates, such as high-fructose
corn syrup and white flour. Now scientists at the University of
Wisconsin in Madison have started to tease out the role of the liver in
converting those calorie-rich foods into fat. The researchers isolated a
gene in the liver called SCD-1. The gene codes for an enzyme that
synthesizes fatty acids. Mice with the normal gene were fed a diet high
in processed carbs. The mice converted those carbs into fat and stored
that fat in the body. But mice that lacked that SCD-1 gene just burned
all those carb calories. And stayed skinny.
This finding reveals that the liver determines whether or not eating
refined carbohydrates will lead to fat gain. The researchers say this
system is a good example of a direct diet-gene interaction. But they
also say that a drug to turn off that fat-making liver gene wouldn’t be
a good idea. Without that gene, the mice could no longer make glucose.
They ended up hypoglycemic—suffering from low blood sugar. So the
solution is, sadly, what you already knew: eat fewer processed
carbohydrates.
genetic basis for the conversion of processed carbs into fat. It may
leave open that mythical person who can eat tons of carbs and never get
fat. - just burning most of them right off.
Link to Univ of Wisconsin press release here for earlier work in 2002:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/7709
Their 2007 data publication is cited below:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/282711
> Switching off one key gene in the liver can virtually halt the conversion of carbohydrates into body fat, a U.S. study suggests.
>
> While the SCD-1 gene exists in every cell in the body, the University of Wisconsin research says its specific actions
> in the liver are essential for the production of body fat from high carbohydrate intakes – a primary source of the
> obesity epidemic sweeping the globe.
>
> "I would say it is a switch-off gene," says James Ntambi, a biochemist at the Madison school and the lead author of the study in mice.
>
> "If you take the SCD-1 specifically out of the liver ... the high fat (gain) as a result of high carbohydrates is prevented."
>
> The study, which appears in the December issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, was released yesterday.
> ..... snipped
which gives more details
============== End Comment ==================
http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=A840A8DD-E7F2-99DF-344B5E84AD578646
60-Second Science - December 5, 2007
Gene Helps Turn Carbs Into Fat
A gene determines whether highly processed carbs get stored as fat or
burned away. But deactivating the gene to prevent fat build-up has its
own problems. Cynthia Graber reports.
It’s no secret that there’s an obesity epidemic going on. Many
researchers blame highly processed carbohydrates, such as high-fructose
corn syrup and white flour. Now scientists at the University of
Wisconsin in Madison have started to tease out the role of the liver in
converting those calorie-rich foods into fat. The researchers isolated a
gene in the liver called SCD-1. The gene codes for an enzyme that
synthesizes fatty acids. Mice with the normal gene were fed a diet high
in processed carbs. The mice converted those carbs into fat and stored
that fat in the body. But mice that lacked that SCD-1 gene just burned
all those carb calories. And stayed skinny.
This finding reveals that the liver determines whether or not eating
refined carbohydrates will lead to fat gain. The researchers say this
system is a good example of a direct diet-gene interaction. But they
also say that a drug to turn off that fat-making liver gene wouldn’t be
a good idea. Without that gene, the mice could no longer make glucose.
They ended up hypoglycemic—suffering from low blood sugar. So the
solution is, sadly, what you already knew: eat fewer processed
carbohydrates.
