Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 17, Issue 12, 2011

Obesity has become a global public health problem. Disability, illness, and deaths produced by overeating and lack of exercise have been the subject of study [1] and debate, as cigarette smoking advocates and researchers contest the suggestion that obesity is overtaking cigarette smoking as the nation's number one public health problem and underlying cause of death [2,3,4]. However, in the period of 1990-2000, Read More

Overeating and associated obesity are major public health problems. In addition to its notable adverse health consequences, the behavior of overeating has significant neurobiological and psychological underpinnings. Current classification systems of mental disorders (DSM-IV and ICD-10) address this increasingly prevalent “disorder” in a limited and inconsistent manner. Several similarities between overeating and substan Read More

To address the causes for obesity in all of China is not feasible in a single article. There are hundreds of ethnic groups over a vast number of provinces. The diet and lifestyle of each is different based upon cultural/ethnic traditions and the environment. Several studies mentioned in this review have been done in particular areas and/or on specific population groups with regards to obesity and health risks associated with Read More

Recent research has uncovered neurobiological and behavioral similarities between substance dependence and excess consumption of highly processed foods. These findings have led to the theory that food addiction may play a role in obesity and disordered eating. The inclusion of validated food addiction measures in clinical research, such as the Yale Food Addiction Scale, will add to the understanding of the clinical Read More

New treatments for obesity are often focused on reducing appetite in otherwise healthy adults. Similarly, health guidelines and promotion programs are focused on healthy adults. We have become alarmed by the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age. This issue has been equally overlooked in policy debates and clinical trials. The proportion of overweight or obese you Read More

Over the past few decades, pediatric obesity has become a national epidemic. Up to one third of American children and adolescents currently meet criteria as overweight or obese, placing them at risk for obesity into adulthood. Multiple acute and chronic medical conditions are increasing in prevalence among youth due to their overweight status. In addition, obesity can result in serious problems related to psychosocial functi Read More

Obesity has become a serious epidemic and one of the leading global health problems. However, much of the current debate has been fractious, and etiologies of obesity have been attributed to eating behavior (i.e. fast food consumption), personality, depression, addiction or genetics. One of the interesting new hypotheses for explaining the development of obesity involves a food addiction model, which suggests that food is n Read More

Neural circuits implicated in drug conditioning, craving and relapse overlap extensively with those involved in natural reward and reinforcement like food. Exposure to drug-related cues in human addicts results in drug craving and localized activation of central circuits that are known to mediate cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in animal models of relapse. Similar regional activation patterns occur in humans i Read More

The concept of “food addiction” is gaining acceptance among the scientific community, and much is known about the influence of various components of food (e.g. high-fat, sugar, carbohydrate, salt) on behavior and physiology. Most of the studies to date have studied these consequences following relatively long-term diet manipulations and/or relatively free access to the food of interest. It is suggested that t Read More

‘Globesity’ is a descriptive term for the obesity epidemic now facing the U.S. and indeed, the world. Hyperphagia (i.e. overeating) can lead to metabolic syndrome which in turn can lead to Type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. The World Health Organization even states that more people die each year from the consequences of obesity than from hunger. Something must be done to stem the t Read More

Binge eating behavior has been noted in some eating disorders as well as in obesity. The goal of this paper is to review current, non-serotonergic pharmaceutical approaches to treat binge eating. Further, using information derived from preclinical models, we discuss candidate neurotransmitter systems for study as targets for the treatment of binge eating. Dopaminergic circuits have been implicated in both lab Read More

Obesity and substance use disorders are rapidly growing problems throughout the world. Of the current mainstay therapies of diet, exercise, behavioral modification, surgery, and medications, drugs have the greatest risk for abuse and dependence. As each of these disorders share similar underpinnings mediated by the dopaminergic brain reward pathways, clinicians must seriously consider the safety of both the pa Read More

The development of new phamacological treatments for obesity has been challenging. In part, the lack of early diagnosis, early detection, early intervention and treatment has meant that more cases progress to life-threatening co-morbidities and surgical options. Pharmacological treatment of obesity has been limited. Self medication with drugs of abuse and tobacco has been successful for some patients, but abuse and addi Read More

as obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and the metabolic syndrome sweep across the research and the clinical landscape of medical care, effective pharmacologic remedies for the treatment of obesity have become imperative. The complexities of nutrient impact on neurotransmitter and endocrine modulating chemistry have become increasingly better characterized as have the basic neurochemical pathways that mediat Read More

Obesity among adults, children and adolescents has markedly increased regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or educational level, and has become a national health threat and a major public health challenge. This obesity epidemic can be attributed to excess energy intake and decreased energy expenditure experienced in Westernized countries. Unfortunately, there is no single solution to prevent or treat obesity that will be inclus Read More

The contemporary American food environment makes energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages the “default” option for most consumers. Economic interventions like taxes can shift the relative prices of unhealthy foods to nudge consumers towards healthier options. Beverages with added sugar are a good starting point for food taxation; they constitute over 10 percent of caloric intake nationwide and provide little or Read More