'Love Hormone' Nasal Spray Could Reduce Calorie Intake in Men

A study has found that a single dose of nasal spray containing the hormone oxytocin led to reduced caloric intake in healthy men. In particular, the synthetic nasal formulation reduced the consumption of fatty foods.

The findings were presented at the 97th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society and confirmed the findings of previous animal studies demonstrating that oxytocin reduces food intake.

"Our results are really exciting," says lead investigator Dr. Elizabeth Lawson of Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. "Further study is needed, but I think oxytocin is a promising treatment for obesity and its metabolic complications."

As well as reducing the number of calories that men consumed at a subsequent breakfast, the oxytocin nasal spray also improved certain metabolic characteristics such as insulin sensitivity - the body's ability to clear glucose from the bloodstream.

Oxytocin is widely referred to as "the love hormone" due to its association with parts of the brain involved in emotional, cognitive and social behaviors. Acts of intimacy, such as sexual intercourse and holding hands, stimulate the release of oxytocin in both men and women.

Experts have also demonstrated that oxytocin interacts with the same reward system that many drugs taken to produce euphoria act upon. This system is driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine.

While the oxytocin nasal spray used in the study has been approved for use in Europe, in the US, it can only be used in clinical trials. Oxytocin is, however, available for use in the US as a drug to induce labor.

Fewer calories consumed on average after using nasal spray compared with placebo

For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 25 healthy men with an average age of 27 to take a dose of either oxytocin nasal spray or a placebo after fasting. While otherwise healthy, 12 of the participants were overweight or obese and 13 had a healthy weight.

One hour after self-administering their treatment, the participants were served a breakfast of their choice, selected from a menu. Each meal option contained double portions, and after the meal was finished, the researchers measured how many calories each participant had consumed.

The participants then returned at a later date, and the experiment was repeated, with each participant receiving the opposite treatment to that they had previously received. In the 3 days preceding each experiment, the participants reported eating the same amount of food.

On average, the researchers found that the men ate 122 fewer calories and 9 g less fat at the meal after administering a dose of the oxytocin nasal spray in comparison with the placebo. The oxytocin nasal spray also appeared to increase the use of body fat as a fuel for energy.

The spray did not affect the participants' self-reported appetites or the levels of appetite-regulating hormones found in their bloodstreams. The researchers are, therefore, unsure precisely how the oxytocin affected the men's caloric intake.

Although the treatment that the participants received was randomized, the study is limited by its relatively small number of participants, its short testing duration and its observational nature, meaning that the researchers cannot determine the causes of their findings.

Dr. Lawson states future research will need to examine the effects of the nasal spray among women, as oxytocin has been demonstrated to have sex-specific effects. The effects of the nasal spray should also be tested for an extended treatment duration.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Dr. Lawson received additional funding from a Massachusetts General Hospital Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award.

Recently, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that oxytocin may have a sobering effect against alcohol.

Written by James McIntosh

Copyright: Medical News Today

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Source:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290599.php


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Crowd Funding For Obesity After Thyroid Cancer

After being diagnosed almost twenty years ago, Ms. Edwards decided to perform a case study on obesity and autoimmune diseases, which sometimes develop after having major surgery to have the thyroid removed. Thyroid cancer survivor, DaVida Edwards, is fundraising to create awareness about thyroid issues and the health ailments associated with this type of illness.

As a result she started a fundraising campaign which will provide help to those with obesity and thyroid issues who want to get healthy and stay healthy. Starting with a small garden in her back yard she plans to expand her vegetable garden in order to supply much needed organic meals to families in the community who otherwise may not be able to afford them.

Since her diagnosis Ms. Edwards researched all healthy natural products that don’t include any harmful chemicals or hard to pronounce toxic ingredients. She plans to make those all natural products such as deodorant and shampoo, readily available to the public by launching a new website via this crowd funding campaign.

Visitors to the site will also have the opportunity to apply for grants to help with any obese or thyroid related health issues they may have, for instance, loosing a lot of weight after being obese leaves behind excessive skin that needs to be surgically removed. In the event this procedure is not covered under their medical insurance, people can go to the site helpwiththyroidissues.blogspot.com (just an example) to seek the assistance needed.

After the tragic incident with Mr. Eric Garner, city medical examiners concluded that Garner was killed by neck compression, along with "the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police"; however, contributing factors included bronchial asthma, heart disease, obesity, and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Obesity is an epidemic.

When asked why she started this fundraiser her response was, “I’m a Philadelphian and studies have shown that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is home to more than 1.5 million residents, is tackling obesity throughout the community. Approximately 67.9% of adults in the city and approximately 41% of youth aged 6-17 are overweight or obese. Additionally, nearly 70% of youth in North Philadelphia, the majority of whom are black or Hispanic, are overweight or obese, which is nearly double the obesity and overweight rate for youth in the United States. Fruit and vegetable consumption is a challenge for residents, with nearly 25% of youth and 30% of adults getting only one serving or less per day. Further, approximately 25% of youth do not get sustained physical activity even once a week.”

Upon being contacted by The Doctor Oz Show in regards her thyroid issues, Ms. Edwards decided to seek support among the medical community from doctors and dieticians who specialize in treating patients with thyroid issues, obesity, arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, gum disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, depression and eating disorders. These doctors would then become a part of her efforts to help others with obesity and thyroid issues to not only get healthy, but encourage them to stay healthy as well.

U.S. health care spending has spiraled to $3 trillion this year, a 42 percent jump since 2006 according to CBS News. UnitedHealthcare (UNH), the biggest U.S. health insurer, is taking aim at controlling costs of cancer treatment with a new pilot program that will provide a set sum for a patient's coverage. The program will focus initially on patients with head and neck cancers, although the company said it may eventually expand the pilot test to include other cancers and to start pilots with other large cancer centers in the U.S. Recent studies have also shown American patients and their insurers shelled out $37.2 billion for oncology treatments in 2013. Prices in the U.S. are higher than in Europe, where medications can cost as much as 38 percent lower.

Donate to this campaign and go with Ms. Edwards on her journey to visit Dr. Sircus in Brazil and find out how his all natural treatments work out as she creates a video documentary on her wellness quest showing what remedies she sought out to get healthy and which ones she avoided.

The fundraising goal is $100,000. As she performs her case study on obesity and thyroid cancer and how to possibly prevent or overcome any autoimmune diseases by teaching others what she did to overcome and/or avoid such ailments altogether. Once Ms. Edwards raises enough capital for the video budget she plans to start making journal style videos and documenting her journey.

Also, planned are annual seminars, "Healthy Lifestyle Seminars" to help others find products and services to cope with their medical issues. The website will also make these products and services readily available to consumers.

A portion of the proceeds from her ebooks sales, 90 Day Bible and The Fred Johnson Experience will also be donated to this fundraiser which is appropriately titled, “Help Me Fight Back To Help Others” and upon reaching the $100,000. milestone, 1,000 child safety kits will be donated to underprivileged families with cancer survivors.

For more information how to support, participate in the events, and/or make a donation to teach others, despite their income, how to live a healthier lifestyle visit:

https://www.youcaring.com/helpmefightbacktohelpothers

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