New Evidence Is Helping Explain Additional Health Benefits Of Aspirin
Researchers in Canada, Scotland and Australia have discovered that salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin, directly increases the activity of the protein AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a key player in regulating cell growth and metabolism. AMPK which is considered a cellular fuel-gauge is switched on by exercise and the commonly used anti-diabetic medication metformin. The research from scientists at McMaster University, the University of Dundee and the University of Melbourne is published in the journal Science.
Molecular Switch That Controls Liver Glucose Production May Lead To Treatment For Insulin-Resistant Type II Diabetes
In their extraordinary quest to decode human metabolism, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered a pair of molecules that regulates the liver's production of glucose - the simple sugar that is the source of energy in human cells and the central player in diabetes. In a paper published in Nature, the scientists say that controlling the activity of these two molecules -- which work together to allow more or less glucose production - could potentially offer a new way to lower blood sugar to treat insulin-resistant type II diabetes.
Encouraging Healthy Eating To Avoid Childhood Obesity
Obesity among children has long been a rising problem in large parts of the world. Parents play a crucial role in shaping good childhood eating habits, according to new research from the University of Stavanger. Providing youngsters with fruit and vegetables, involving them in buying and cooking healthy food, and encouraging them to eat it are key elements for creating healthy eating habits, this study finds. But nutritionist Elisabeth Lind Melbye at the University of Stavanger, who did the work, warns against strict rules on what children can or cannot eat.