Volume 10 Issue 1, January 2014

Optogenetic activation of a distinct, inhibitory pathway that connects the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis with the lateral hypothalamus leads to voracious eating in mice. This study adds yet another piece to the brain-feeding-circuit puzzle and makes use of a functional circuit-mapping technique that enables interrogation of neuronal connectivity in an unprecedented way.

Findings from the Women's Health Initiative hormone study send the message that clinicians can feel confident prescribing menopausal hormone replacement therapy (MHT) to young menopausal women with moderate-to-severe symptoms who do not have absolute contraindications for hormone therapy. However, MHT is indicated for the alleviation of symptoms, not for chronic disease prevention.

The increased prevalence of obesity has led to rising numbers of bariatric surgical procedures being performed annually. Postoperative metabolic improvements in glucose levels, blood pressure and lipids have led to the recognition that surgery can be a highly effective therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus. A recent report evaluates durability of diabetes remission and metabolic improvements.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is frequently associated with metabolic dysfunction. A new study suggests that in women with PCOS the severity of menstrual dysfunction serves as a predictor of the presence, and possibly the degree, of insulin resistance. This finding might serve to refine the indications for metabolic screening in PCOS.

Many important associations have been found between the newly discovered myokine irisin and measures of metabolic disease. However, not much is known regarding the role of irisin in human disease. Two recent reports now identify novel metabolic associations for this molecule in humans.

This Review highlights the reciprocal interaction of pathways that control female fertility and metabolism, a mechanism conserved by evolution. The authors focus on the role of estrogens and the potential of hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of metabolic disorders.

The development of beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue, so called browning, could help to improve metabolic health. This Review discusses the development and regulatory control of beige adipocytes as well as their role in metabolism.

Mounting evidence suggests that immune-mediated processes and autoimmunity affect female reproductive success. This Review summarizes the effect of individual autoimmune endocrine diseases on female fertility, and points towards selected developments expected in the near future.

Emerging data onFTO, the first obesity gene to be identified by genome-wide association studies, suggest a role for the encoded demethylase in nutrient sensing, regulation of mRNA translation and general growth. This Review discusses the genetic epidemiology of FTO and how its complex biology might link to the regulation of body weight.