20041126-award international to a research by Patricia Pérez Matute, from the University of Navarra.

The subject of fat ingested could predispose or, on the contrary, prevent the development of obesity. This is the conclusion of the work of Patricia Pérez Matute, student of doctorate of the department of Physiology and Nutrition of the University of Navarra, which has received an international award awarded by the medical journal Clinical Science.

The work was presented at the 6th congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL, 2004) held in Brighton (United Kingdom). The research was carried out at the department of Physiology and Nutrition of the School of Pharmacy under the direction of Dr. María Jesús Moreno-Aliaga and Dr. Amelia Martí del Moral.

The study is part of the project graduate : 'Regulation of the expression and secretion of leptin and other obesity-related genes by nutrients: Molecular mechanisms involved', funded by the department of Education and Culture of the Government of Navarra and framed in the Special Line of research 'Nutrition, Obesity and Health' of the University of Navarra.

Fish consumption against obesity

This work, as the author explained, arose from the observation that saturated fat intake seems to induce obesity development , while polyunsaturated fatty acids, from fish oils, seem to prevent and ameliorate both obesity and insulin resistance. "In this regard, for example, Eskimos who eat a higher amount of fish have a lower mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases often associated with obesity," he said.

Therefore, the effect of eicosapentaenoic fatty acid (EPA) - one of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids - on leptin, a gene involved in the regulation of body weight, was studied. "It was observed that EPA was able to stimulate leptin secretion in primary cultures of rat fat cells."

This stimulating effect, in his opinion, is of great interest "since all those strategies that favor an increase in leptin levels could be beneficial to maintain weight loss during the treatment of obesity and, therefore, also obtain an improvement in those pathologies associated with obesity such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, etc.". In addition, the work provides information on the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the leptin gene, specifically on the role of glucose metabolism. The award-winning study is entitled degree scroll 'Increased glucose oxidation is involved in the stimulatory effect of EPA on leptin secretion in primary rat adipocyte cultures'.