Getting the Skinny on Fat

Researchers at new U-M center investigate the science of weight

Charles Burant Photo: Scott Galvin

Two-thirds of Americans, including an increasing number of children, are overweight or obese — setting the stage for a lifetime of obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and bone and joint problems. We know we need to exercise more and eat a healthy diet. So why is it so difficult for many of us to lose weight?

Researchers at the University of Michigan’s new Metabolomics and Obesity Center are looking for answers. Using molecular-level research on how the body breaks down and uses food, and how metabolism varies among individuals, they will explore the science behind weight gain and loss.

“Obesity is a huge public health challenge, but also a major scientific challenge,” says center director Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of internal medicine in the Medical School who studies how the body processes sugars and fats. “We still don’t understand why the same food intake can lead to weight gain in one person but not another, nor why diabetes develops in some overweight people but not others. We hope to accelerate progress in understanding weight gain, weight loss and metabolism at the most basic levels, and to help translate that understanding to clinical practice.”

The center was created with a $1 million grant from the Medical School’s Endowment for the Basic Sciences. Established in 2002, the endowment supports interdisciplinary research programs and facilities that benefit scientists across the Medical School.

—Kara Gavin

For an expanded version of the story:
www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2005/obesitymetabolism.htm