Wellnews by Scott LaFee

For the first time, American and Australian researchers have shown that a hormone involved in telling people when they feel "full" from eating can be delivered into the bloodstream orally.

So what's the value of an edible hormone?

The scientists suggest it might be possible to stick the hormone in a stick of gum, which would make it easier to avoid over-stuffing your face by first stuffing your mouth with hormone-laced gum.

The hormone in question is called human PYY, part of the body's chemical system for regulating appetite and energy. When people eat, PYY is released into the bloodstream. The more food consumed, the more PYY released until the "full" signal registers. Past studies have shown that people who are obese have lower concentrations of PYY in their bloodstream, both when fasting and after eating than their non-obese counterparts.

"PYY is an appetite-suppressing hormone," said Syracuse University chemist Robert Doyle. "But, when taken orally, the hormone is destroyed in the stomach and that which isn't destroyed has difficulty crossing into the bloodstream through the intestines."

Doyle and colleagues solved this dilemma by disguising the hormone using the vitamin B12. Now, they report, the ingested hormone gets into the bloodstream in significant amounts. The next step is to figure out how to make a chewing gum with it, presumably one that keeps your breath hormone-y fresh.

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

One-quarter of the 206 bones in the human body are located in the feet.

GET ME THAT. STAT!

A 2010 study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found that American adults, on average, put on one additional pound of weight during the holidays.

It's not a lot perhaps, but the study also concluded that most Americans don't burn off the added pound, allowing the weight to largely accumulate over the years.

NUMBER CRUNCHER

A tablespoon of orange marmalade (20 grams) contains 49 calories, zero from fat.

It contains zero milligrams of cholesterol; 11 mg of sodium; 13 grams of total carbohydrates; 12 grams of sugar and 0.1 g of protein.

COUNTS

16 — Percentage of American children, ages 6-19, with untreated dental caries (cavities).

23 — Percentage of American adults, ages 20-64, with untreated dental caries.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

STORIES FOR THE WAITING ROOM

New research suggests that people who are experienced at meditation appear able to switch off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming — and with psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.

DOC TALK

Coag panel — a blood test used to determine the clotting factors of a patient's blood.

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Alliumphobia — fear of garlic.

NEVER SAY DIET

The world's speed-eating record for fruitcake is 4 pounds, 14 1/4 ounces in 10, held by Sonya Thomas.

OBSERVATION

"It should be the function of medicine to have people die young as late as possible."

— American epidemiologist Ernst L. Wynder (1922-1999)

LAST WORDS

"Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."

— Inventor, entrepreneur and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' final words, according to his sister. Jobs died on Oct. 5, 2011, at the age of 56 from complications due to cancer.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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