Japan researchers identify fat-burning proteins

so basically, the more you exercise in the long run, the more your body improves in burning fuel. I see this as a complete win for me. Instead of prescribing pills, doctors could probably just prescribe hitting the gym or the road and break a sweat.

protein variants that increase during exercise and help burn fat, possibly opening a path to developing a new drug

No judgement if you're really averse to exercise, but relying on drugs to do all the things we're naturally able to do seems like a losing proposition over the long term.

Sounds like a win to me! As much as I watch my diet and exercise, sometimes it seems like just breathing air puts on weight. :) I'll take any help as long as it's safe.

Who doesn’t exercise for the natural feeling of well-being (“high”) it usually delivers?

I understand it is hard for those who enjoy eating a little too much to start exercising because all that eating comes with the feeling of being lethargic. This new drug would be a good way for those individuals to get something started but when they do cut down to a moderate weight, I agree with comments above in that they should still try to watch their diet and exercise. The benefits of exercising cannot be matched by supplements.

I guess that if a drug with this protein is finally made will be specially for people who is struggling with weight loss or can't exercise due to long-term injuries or having a "rebound effect" even if they are already working out. At least that is what I would recommend.

Basically increases metabolism?

Would still need exercise to maximize energy use and fat burning.

Of course it may be possible to reduce weight without exercise as there are people who eat a lot and don't exercise but don't gain weight

True. But the semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic were originally meant to treat type 2 diabetes, and now are handed out to any early-twenties influencer looking to shed 7 pounds for their next perfectly staged swimwear shoot.

For all drugs there are misuse, that does not make semaglutides less effective reducing health risks (specially when used responsibly). The advantage compared with these proteins is that semaglutides do not replace diet and excercise, they simply make it easier to stick with the lifestyle changes.

A Japanese research team has found protein variants that increase during exercise and help burn fat, possibly opening a path to developing a new drug that helps people lose weight without dieting.

Why not just increase your exercise? Unless you're bedridden or physically limited, I don't recommend increasing drug intake. Just get out and move.

Speed

Today 02:47 pm JST

A Japanese research team has found protein variants that increase during exercise and help burn fat, possibly opening a path to developing a new drug that helps people lose weight without dieting.

Why not just increase your exercise? Unless you're bedridden or physically limited, I don't recommend increasing drug intake. Just get out and move.

Increased exercise would be of minimal help if one has/produces low levels of the variants.

Intake of the drugs if available plus exercise would maximize benefit

When the team examined skeletal muscle in humans, alternative PGC-1a variants also increased during exercise. It said production of the variants differ by individual, leading to a gap in weight loss even when people do the same exercise.

Scientifically, what you eat is what makes you get overweight if too little energy is spent. You lose energy by far above anything else using your muscles.

No one is obese in famine torn zones.

It is a rich people's problem.

I eat a lot but do a lot of moves and sports. Then people tell I don't put on weight.

Learn how things work instead of staying ignorant.

Find something you like eating with low calory intake, do a small hobby which asks you to move a little but long time, don't use your car but your feet, etc.

Life is easier remaining healthier so move your a.. ;)

possibly opening a path to developing a new drug that helps people lose weight without dieting.

And there is your problem and why I never trust “researchers” when it comes to health. It’s all funded by drug companies to make money.

Honest doctors have been saying the same thing for decades: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to eat more vegetables and fiber, eat less animal products and processed foods, and exercise regularly. It’s that simple.

The thing is, drug companies can’t sell those recommendations. So we are stuck with being givennadvice that makes us sick so we can be sold drugs to fix that sickness. And it NEVER works! More death from diet than ever before.

Nibek32

Today 06:54 pm JST

possibly opening a path to developing a new drug that helps people lose weight without dieting.

> And there is your problem and why I never trust “researchers” when it comes to health. It’s all funded by drug companies to make money.

Which drug companies funded this research?

Sounds like a win to me! As much as I watch my diet and exercise, sometimes it seems like just breathing air puts on weight.

What do you mean by "watch my diet"?

Who doesn’t exercise for the natural feeling of well-being (“high”) it usually delivers?

That will come from another pill!

I bet that just like the semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, any drug will have to be taken for life.

And there is your problem and why I never trust “researchers” when it comes to health. It’s all funded by drug companies to make money.

Yes, if it is funded by pharma, best to be very skeptical.

Honest doctors have been saying the same thing for decades: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to eat more vegetables and fiber, eat less animal products and processed foods, and exercise regularly. It’s that simple.

Qualified doctors say: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to cut the carbs. It’s that simple.

Raw Beer

Today 08:09 pm JST

And there is your problem and why I never trust “researchers” when it comes to health. It’s all funded by drug companies to make money.

> Yes, if it is funded by pharma, best to be very skeptical.

> Honest doctors have been saying the same thing for decades: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to eat more vegetables and fiber, eat less animal products and processed foods, and exercise regularly. It’s that simple.

> Qualified doctors say: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to cut the carbs. It’s that simple

Qualified doctors say that?

Avoiding all that just by cutting carbs?

And that simple?

Doesn't sound like you avoided the last one

Yes, if it is funded by pharma, best to be very skeptical.

If you can't identify problems with the data or the methods there is no problem with funding, COIs are important when you have to trust something about reports, for example when they don't detail how they got their conclusions or make logical jumps not supported with the evidence (or when problems with their analysis are identified)

Qualified doctors say: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to cut the carbs. It’s that simple.

Not completely, just to healthy levels in a balanced diet. For example diets that depend on cutting them completely are considered unhealthy and come with extra risks to the health that are completely unnecessary.

Qualified doctors say: if you want to be healthy, avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, then you need to cut the carbs. It’s that simple.

That whole non carb diet (Atkins diet) was debunked years ago. All the meat, fat and cholesterol was the perfect recipe for heart disease and colon cancer. Ever notice who lives the longest healthiest lives? Look at the blue zones, which includes Okinawa. Lots of carbs, lots of vegetables, grains, fruits, legumes, little meat and no processed foods.

I bet that just like the semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, any drug will have to be taken for life.

You mean a metabolic disease has to be treated for life? who would have thought!

All treatments are to be continued for life, this includes lifestyle changes, semuglutide at least have the advantage of being effective (in their facilitation of those changes) for months after being abandoned, so it is possible that they can be taken for periods intercalated with no pharmacological intervention depending on how the patients react.

Against the alternative (trying and failing repeatedly to change lifestyle) that is still a much better option. Maybe even these proteins can be used to complement semaglutides or other forms of treatment for better results.

There are people who exercise daily, eat just above starvation levels of food and still their bodies won't drop the excess fat. I know a few people like that.

I'm lucky.

Cutting back on calories, eating the right mix of calories (50% non-root veggies) and exercising 3+ hrs a day with 1 day off a week and I can lose weight until my natural "set point". After that, nothing I do will lose the remaining fat and for 6+ months, I'll actually gain weight as more muscle is added. My set point is more like an NFL running back weight, though I'm able to jog 5 miles in mountains without breaks at that weight carrying a 20lb (9kg) weighted pack. If I reduce the amount of exercise below 3 hrs a day, I'll gain weight, regardless of my diet, which is usually between 1500-1700 daily calories to prevent the body going into starvation mode. I have to weigh and measure all foods when under this strict plan.

It a pill were available and proven to be harmless and cheap, I'd ask my doctors about it.

Great claims require impressive evidence. That is always the situation.

Calories in and calories out turns out to be only mostly true. There are different sorts of calories. This has been learned in the last 10 yrs through double-blind studies. There are other nutrients required for weight loss and while for most people the calorie in/out method is sufficient, it doesn't work for everyone.

The people who claim “it’s simple, just take in less calories than you expend” are never able to explain why everyone isn’t skinny if it’s so simple.

Yes, let's take more drugs... FFS

Raw BeerSep. 24 08:09 pm JST

you need to cut the carbs. It’s that simple.

It's true that the Western diet is too heavy on carbs, but people might misconstrue this as meaning that "carbs are bad", which they absolutely are not. The human body need carbs for energy, just like we need fats and protein to function properly

Cutting carbs is a clever strategy to lower overall caloric intake, but they should certainly not be omitted from a diet completely. At least not over a prolonged period of time.

StrangerlandToday 01:21 am JST

The people who claim “it’s simple, just take in less calories than you expend” are never able to explain why everyone isn’t skinny if it’s so simple.

The science is simple, however the practice isn't. At least for some folks. People overeat for a myriad of reasons.

Metabolism is negatively impacted when a person does not move enough. As people age, they tend to get less active, while continuing to take in the same or even more calories than they did when they were younger. Less activity means less muscle mass, means a lower base metabolic rate, means fewer calories (energy)

It really is as simple as energy in vs. energy out.

For people who struggle with eating intuitively, counting calories can be a great tool. People have the tendency to underestimate (or outright lie to themselves about) how many calories they are actually consuming daily. Not all 'handfuls', 'tablespoons', or 'cups' are created equally. Not to mention how many people seem unaware of how many liquid calories they take in on top of their meals and snacks.

The science is simple, however the practice isn't. At least for some folks.

Or maybe the science isn't as simple as the simple people who think it's simple think.

StrangerlandToday 12:01 pm JST

Or maybe the science isn't as simple as the simple people who think it's simple think.

Now that's simply absurd :P

It's true that the Western diet is too heavy on carbs, but people might misconstrue this as meaning that "carbs are bad", which they absolutely are not. The human body need carbs for energy, just like we need fats and protein to function properly

The body makes all the carbs that are needed; no need to eat any.

Those who are very active can better handle high carbs, but they are best avoided. Small amounts are OK, but not necessary.

The body makes all the carbs that are needed; no need to eat any.

The scientific consensus is that a balanced diet that includes carbohydrates is much more healthy than abstaining completely. Just claiming the consensus is wrong without any evidence of this being the case (nor scientific arguments to refute the proof that the consensus is right) becomes a baseless claim without value.

Those who are very active can better handle high carbs, but they are best avoided. Small amounts are OK, but not necessary.

The experts in the field do recommend carbohydrates to be included and have demonstrated that diets that depend on complete or almost complete absence of carbohydrate cause unnecessary risk for the health of the patients, so this approach is unhealthy.

One thing is for sure: people not on the Keto diet don't have to check their ketone levels to avoid a potentially dangerous condition.

One thing is for sure: people not on the Keto diet don't have to check their ketone levels to avoid a potentially dangerous condition.

Even worse, checking ketone levels is not enough to prevent some of the increased metabolic risks that come with the diet. And most people abandon it any way in less than one year (may have to do with the many negative side effects) so that is not an advantage either.

You have yet to provide any evidence that cutting carbs is unhealthy. It is just your personal, unscientific opinion and/or an appeal to authority.

You have yet to provide any evidence that cutting carbs is unhealthy. It is just your personal, unscientific opinion and/or an appeal to authority.

An appeal to authority is a perfectly valid argument, that is why authority in medical or scientific matters exists in the first place. They are the experts with demonstrated careers that bring weight to what they say because they are professionals in examining the best available evidence. You go to a doctor to get a diagnosis and treatment for a disease precisely because it is an authority.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-what-happens-when-you-stop-eating-carbs

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/low-carb-diet/art-20045831

If you limit carbs in the long term, it may cause you to have too little of some vitamins or minerals and to have digestive issues. Some health experts think that if you eat large amounts of fat and protein from animal sources, your risk of heart disease or certain cancers may go up.

So both claims are wrong, the experts are the ones that have proved beyond reasonable doubt that is unhealthy to completely cut carbohydrates, and making an appeal to their authority is not something to criticize, it is their field and they have the expertise to know what they talk about. The fallacy happens when the authority is fake or is in an unrelated field, which is not what happens here.

If you limit carbs in the long term, it may cause you to have too little of some vitamins or minerals and to have digestive issues.

Oh please do tell, which vitamins are provided by carbs? There are no vitamin deficiencies on low carb.

Digestive issues only occur if you suddenly overnight switch from a high carb life style to low carb one.

One thing is for sure: people not on the Keto diet don't have to check their ketone levels to avoid a potentially dangerous condition.

Yeah, some are indeed obsessed with remaining in dietary ketosis because they want to take full advantage of all the benefits of being in ketosis. There are no potential dangers or risks of being in dietary ketosis, only benefits. Seems some of you are confusing dietary ketosis with diabetic ketoacidosis. The latter has risks and is something that may happen to those who keep stuffing themselves with carbs.

Oh please do tell, which vitamins are provided by carbs? There are no vitamin deficiencies on low carb.

Are you under the impression I was the expert being quoted in the source? or is it again that you keep writing without actually reading them to pretend they are not completely contradicting your personal belief?

There are no potential dangers or risks of being in dietary ketosis, only benefits

This is again false and the scientific consensus do say keto is unhealthy and bring risks I have already provided you with references that prove it, pretending this is not the case weakens a lot the point you try to make since it makes it obvious you could not refute them so you choose to ignore them

https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/health-and-wellness-articles/2023/january/ketogenic-diet-what-are-the-risks

The keto diet could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause social isolation or disordered eating.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dangers-of-keto-diet

Some evidence suggests that high fat, low carb diets that focus on animal foods may lead to poor health outcomes, while diets that emphasize vegetable sources of fats and proteins provide benefits

A long-term observational study in over 130,000 adults linked animal-based low carb diets to higher rates of death from heart disease, cancer, and all causes

On the other hand, vegetable-based low carb diets were associated with a lower rate of death from heart disease and all causes

Another study in over 15,000 adults found similar results but tied both low and high carb diets to a greater all-cause death rate, compared with moderate carb diets in which carbs comprised 50–55% of total daily calories

Whenever we look closely at studies like the one you listed, we generally discover important details like meat consumption being heavily associated with smoking, alcohol, being sedentary... I.e. confounders. Those who cared about their health followed the "experts'" recommendations: exercise, no smoking, no drinking, low fat, eating fresh fruits and vegies...

Now, people are increasingly doing their own research (AKA reading) and figuring out that the best way to be healthy is to eat low carb, high fat, and combine that with exercise, no alcohol...

Also, what those studies consider as meat are things like pepperoni pizza, pasta with meat sauce, hotdogs and other processed meats.

Oh please do tell, which vitamins are provided by carbs? There are no vitamin deficiencies on low carb.

Are you under the impression I was the expert being quoted in the source?

Well why did you paste it if you did not understand and agree with it? As I said above, appeal to authority...

Whenever we look closely at studies like the one you listed, we generally discover important details like meat consumption being heavily associated with smoking, alcohol, being sedentary... I.e. confounders. 

Which confounder did you discovered and how do you explain that the scientific consensus of the world still holds the keto diet and similar as unhealthy and with unnecessary health risks? is your argument now that you have a higher degree of expertise than the full global consensus? because that is not believable, specially when you bring zero specific to refute the conclusions.

Now, people are increasingly doing their own research

Without the actual capacity to do it, ending up with false ideas that lead to completely wrong conclusions, the experts of course can easily destroy those ideas with proper actual research that ends up supporting the consensus instead of the wrong ideas.

Also, what those studies consider as meat are things like pepperoni pizza, pasta with meat sauce, hotdogs and other processed meats.

Without evidence this is of course completely baseless, are you saying the keto diet can't be followed without ultraprocessed food? because the diet is the one under examination, not "any kind of meat" as you try to misrepresent.

Well why did you paste it if you did not understand and agree with it? 

Who say I don't understand it or don't agree with it? you wrote your comment as if I was the one writing the reference which of course it is not the case, the reality is that you were trying to challenge an expert opinion by pretending it was mine when it was not the case, it was not even the only reference that said the diet bring risks of dietary defieciencies.

As I said above, appeal to authority...

Yes, which is the same as saying "appeal to scientific evidence" or "appeal to valid arguments", it is done on purpose because that is what people are supposed to do, you have never proved the scientific consensus is not a valid authority on its field, so the argument remains valid.

Oh please do tell, which vitamins are provided by carbs?

Don't you know? The scientific consensus in all the health institutes of the world is that pasta, rice, and sugar are rich in vitamins!

Don't you know? The scientific consensus in all the health institutes of the world is that pasta, rice, and sugar are rich in vitamins!

There is enriched pasta, but of course to say carbohydrates are the ones providing vitamins is just nonsense, that the unhealthy diets correlate with lack of vitamins is of course true, which is why this is mentioned as a frequent risk for them and why the experts recommend actually balanced diets instead.

Let’s not forget there are different kinds of carbs, such as fruit and vegetable fibre, which doctors recommend most for diabetics to manage blood sugar.

And while the fibre itself is not a vitamin, fruit and vegetables are the best source of it so the healthy fibre in fruit and vegetables is accompanied with vitamins.

Let’s not forget there are different kinds of carbs, such as fruit and vegetable fibre, which doctors recommend most for diabetics to manage blood sugar.

If someone with diabetes is told by their doctor to eat fruit, time to find another doctor.

I have diabetes and eat fresh fruits. Yesterday in my blood test my blood sugar level was normal.

that the unhealthy diets correlate with lack of vitamins is of course true, which is why this is mentioned as a frequent risk for them and why the experts recommend actually balanced diets instead.

There is nothing unhealthy with low carb. The rampant obesity and diabetes/pre-diabetes in the US is primarily due to carbs. Reducing carb intake to 50g / day (or less) would certainly be a step in the right direction, not something to be avoided.

I also eat carbs. 400 gms so far this week.

I have diabetes and eat fresh fruits. Yesterday in my blood test my blood sugar level was normal.

Do you take any medical products for the diabetes?

The rampant obesity and diabetes/pre-diabetes in the US is primarily due to carbs.

That's equivalent to saying "people are overweight because they eat too much". To which: Duh, ya think?

Yeah, nut people are much more likely to eat too much if they eat carbs...

Reducing carb intake to 50g / day (or less) would certainly be a step in the right direction

That's equivalent to saying "if you eat less you will lose weight". To which: Duh, ya think?

Yeah, which is much easier to do if you limit your carbs...

Do you take any medical products for the diabetes?

No.

I eat nuts every day with my salad and fish lunch.

If someone with diabetes is told by their doctor to eat fruit, time to find another doctor.

Making false appeals to authority from an anonymous account makes no sense. As long as the doctor can back up the recommendation with scientific data there is nothing wrong with listening to them instead of random people on the internet.

There is nothing unhealthy with low carb. 

To levels below what the consensus recommend? yes, that is what can be proved, you have not been able to refute the references that prove reducing carbohydrates below healthy levels is, obviously, unhealthy.

The rampant obesity and diabetes/pre-diabetes in the US is primarily due to carbs.

That every country subsist on diets rich on carbohydrates disproves this flawed explanation. The factors of the epidemic of obesity on the US is much more complicated and do not depend on something shared with countries that do not have that problem.

Yeah, which is much easier to do if you limit your carbs...

To healthy levels, as recommended by the experts.