NIH Radio
NHLBI, NIDDK Issue Statement on NIH Research Into Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
Brief Description:
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, approximately one-third of the adult population is obese and less than half of American adults are at a healthy weight.
Transcript:
Thornton: Obesity and type 2 diabetes are major health problems in the United States. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, approximately one-third of the adult population is obese and less than half of American adults are at a healthy weight. Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, Director of the NHLBI, talks about a hormone that is related to obesity.
Nabel: Leptin is a hormone which signals to the brain to turn off one's appetite for eating. Common forms of obesity are likely to be associated with a resistance to leptin's actions, because most obese people have very high levels of leptin. Scientists now are currently delving into the molecular mechanisms by which leptin transmits its signal. This research is casting light on how obesity may develop and might be tested.
Thornton: Dr. Nabel and Dr. Allen M. Spiegel, Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases wrote an article appearing in the January issue of Nature and Medicine discussing the NIH research portfolio on obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Matt Thornton in Bethesda, Maryland.
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