ENDO 2007
The Endocrine Society's 89th Annual Meeting, ENDO 2007, took place June 2-5 in Toronto, Ontario, and drew about 7,000 international researchers, scientists and clinicians to discuss hormone research and endocrinology. Key topics included life extension, obesity, weight-loss maintenance, androgens and women, endocrine disrupters, diabetes, growth hormones, sex steroids and thyroid cancer.
Henry Anhalt, M.D., of the department of pediatric endocrinology at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., moderated a session on the human life span and prevention of aging, which included presentations by Samuel Klein, M.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, and Pinchas Cohen, M.D., of the University of California Los Angeles.
"Dr. Klein has been following a cohort of patients who voluntarily restrict their caloric intake," Anhalt said. "This group is interesting since they are probably the only group of patients who can be successful in long-term self-imposed calorie restriction," he said. "They present a unique opportunity to study the phenomenon well established in rodents, yeast, worms, etc., that calorie restriction extends the life span."
The duration of extension of the life span seems to correlate with the degree of caloric restriction, Anhalt added.
"If this can be established in humans, it may present for the first time scientific and reproducible evidence that calorie restriction is effective in life extension," he said. "This is certainly only a theory at this point and it will be interesting to see how the data falls into place with Dr. Klein's long-term study." (Abstract - Klein)
Cohen presented data on a population of octogenarians of Eastern European Jewish origin, Anhalt said. He found alterations in the concentration of insulin-like growth factor-1 and changes in the DNA sequences similar to those found in rodent models of longevity. "Although these remain preliminary findings, this science provides a glimpse into the relationship between growth factors and longevity," Anhalt said. (Abstract-Cohen; Abstract-Cohen)
The life extension session is available on video. (Video)
A session on obesity research addressed new guidelines for clinicians addressing bariatric surgery, drug therapy, diet, lifestyle and other issues in the diagnosis and treatment of overweight and obese children. (Video). Another session on maintaining weight loss and preventing weight gain questioned the ability of lifestyle and drug interventions to promote weight loss and emphasized that behavioral changes play an important role in long-term weight control. (Video)
Additional study findings were presented that showed that excessive facial and body hair in women is reduced by testosterone-lowering drugs and that women with anorexia nervosa with lower testosterone levels are more likely to have severe anxiety and depression. (Video)
ENDO: Hormones Have Mixed Results for Athletes
MONDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- In healthy young adults, short-term supplementation with either testosterone or growth hormone does not improve physical performance. Combined supplementation, however, does improve anaerobic work capacity in men, according to research presented at the 89th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Toronto, Canada.
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ENDO: Vitamin D Status Affects Telomere Length
MONDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- In women, higher blood levels of vitamin D may be associated with longer leukocyte telomere length and a slower rate of aging, according to research presented at the 89th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Toronto, Canada.
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ENDO: Late Night TV Watching May Trigger Overeating
FRIDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Watching late night talk show monologues on television may stimulate appetite and contribute to obesity, according to research presented at the 89th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Toronto, Canada.
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ENDO: Low Testosterone Boosts Older Men's Risk of Death
THURSDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Older men with low testosterone levels may have an increased risk of death, in part because lower levels are associated with metabolic syndrome, according to research presented at the 89th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Toronto, Canada.
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