- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- Know Your Asthma Triggers
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Indian Spice May Thwart Liver Damage
- Birds Don't Miss a Beat
- Naprapathy: A Hands-On Approach to Pain Management
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Human Ancestors Put Best Foot Forward 1.5M Years Ago
- Many Americans Fall Short on Their Vitamin D
- Health Tip: Alleviating Rheumatoid Arthritis
- CANCER
- Women Smokers Lose 14.5 Years Off Life Span
- Yoga Eases Sleep Problems Among Cancer Survivors
- Red Meat No No No But Oily Fish Yes Yes Yes
- CAREGIVING
- Transition From Home to Hospital Rarely Seamless
- Newborn Screenings Now Required Across U.S.
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as Deadly as Ever
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Migraines in Pregnancy Boost Vascular Risks
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- Exercise Extends Life of Kidney Patients
- COSMETIC
- Gum Chewing May Cut Craving for Snacks
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Periodontal Disease Impacts Whole Health
- Laser Technology Spots Cavities Before They Start
- Hormones May Be to Blame for Women's Cavity Rates
- DIABETES
- Coffee, Tea Might Stave Off Diabetes
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- Formula Puts Doctor, Patient Glucose Readings on Same Page
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Oregano Shown to be the Most Powerful Culinary Herb
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Lead Exposure in Childhood Linked to Criminal Behavior Later
- Plastics Chemical Tied to Aggression in Young Girls
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Kids' Eye Injuries From Golf Clubs Rare But Severe
- Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
- Antioxidant-Rich Diet May Protect Against Eye Disease
- FITNESS
- Fall Cleanup Is a Prime Time for Accidents
- Exercise in Adolescence May Cut Risk of Deadly Brain Tumor
- Run for Your Life
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Daylight Savings: Not a Bright Time for All
- Less Education May Mean Poorer Health
- Eating Nuts May Help Cholesterol Levels
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- Airport Full Body Scanners Pose No Health Threat: Experts
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Cherry-Enriched Diet Cut Heart Risks in Rats
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- KID'S HEALTH
- Boosting Kids' Stroke IQ May Save Lives
- Decline of Underweight Children in U.S. Continue to Fall
- Even Young Kids Can Learn CPR
- MEN'S HEALTH
- The Dark Side of Vegetarianism
- Drinking Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Men's Heart Attack Risk
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Breast-Fed Baby May Mean Better Behaved Child
- Vitamin C Protects Some Elderly Men From Bone Loss
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- PREGNANCY
- Before Conceiving, Take Folic Acid for One Full Year
- Yoga's Benefits Outweigh Risks for Pregnant Women
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- SENIORS
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
- For Older Walkers, Faster Is Better
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
Fatty Acid in Olive Oil Wards Off Hunger
By eHolistic.com Published: 10/07/2008
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A fatty acid found in olive oil and other heart-healthy monounsaturated fats wards off hunger pangs, a new study suggests.
The findings might one day lead to the development of new drugs to limit, or even enhance, appetite, the researchers said.
Daniele Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, and his colleagues infused the fat -- called oleic acid -- into the intestines of laboratory rodents and found that it was converted into a fat messenger called oleoylethanolamide (OEA).
"This OEA activates a receptor protein causing a specific type of satiety," Piomelli said. "This protein initiates a series of physiological events that lead to activation of nerves in the intestine."
The result: A message goes up to the brain and tells the body, in effect, that it's full. "This is different than compounds that make you eat less at a given meal," he said.
Piomelli and his team surgically infused the fat directly into the animals' intestines, then measured appetite. "The animals eat less," he said.
To further test the mechanism, they injected the fat into mice altered so they couldn't make OEA. "When you infuse the fat into these mice, they don't get the decreased hunger," he said.
The practical application? To someday make a drug that would slow OEA from being broken down in the body, thus extending the feeling of fullness. Likewise, OEA levels might be adjusted to help people who have decreased appetite, Piomelli said.
The findings are published in the October issue of Cell Metabolism.
Roger Clemens, director of regulatory science at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy and a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, said, "From a basic science perspective, it [the new study] is fascinating. It shows the importance of oleic acid."
And while the new research confirms previous work, Clemens said the practical applications remain in the future.
But he added this caution: Eating extra olive oil isn't a route to curbing hunger. While considered a heart-healthy fat, it contains calories that can add up quickly.
More information
For more on olive oil, visit the American Dietetic Association.
SOURCES: Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., professor, pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, and director, Unit of Drug Discovery and Development, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy; Roger Clements, Dr.P.H., spokesman, Institute of Food Technologists, and director, regulatory science, and professor, School of Pharmacology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; October 2008 Cell Metabolism
Last Updated: Oct. 07, 2008
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