Lap Bands, Red Wine and Fat Cells

Dr. Paul O’Brien is right! We do get to have our glass of red wine with a Lap Band! Not that I’m much of a drinker, but I would like to live longer. Being an American with no health insurance, I get scared sometimes.

I was googling “weight loss” + genetics + fat and found this study from researchers at Oregon State University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Ottawa about SIRT-1 - a gene which can reduce the development of new fat cells and increase metabolism. Ooooo la la! Well, it seems this gene’s activities can be increased by resveratrol, a compound found in grape skins.

The study was done with mice as a research model, and a remaining challenge will be to see if the same results are observed in a higher vertebrate model, including humans.
The research outlined the processes of fat formation and usage at a cellular and genetic level. It also analyzed the metabolic function of resveratrol, a polyphenol and antioxidant found at high levels in grape skins.

“When cells were exposed to resveratrol, our studies showed a pretty dramatic reduction in the conversion to fat cells and a lesser but still significant increase in the mobilization of existing fat, or the rate at which the cells metabolized stored fat,” said Mark Leid, a professor of pharmacology in the OSU College of Pharmacy. “This clearly could be one of the explanations for the health benefits that some researchers believe can be linked to moderate red wine consumption.”

And…

n trying to determine the molecular basis for this genetic link to longevity, the new study found that SIRT1 increases the use of fat and reduces the formation of new fat cells – apparently it represses one or more fat-regulating proteins and other genes that drive fat storage following calorie restriction. This may have been an evolutionary adaptation for the body to sense short term famine and counter it by increasing the burning of stored body fat, researchers say.

So, there ya go - I get to have a glass of red wine while I’m blogging and you get to have a glass of red wine while you’re reading my blog.

One more in my series Why You Can’t (Or Don’t) Lose Weight and Keep It Off. I’ve got more to report comin’ up in the next few days.