- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Physiology Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Prepare Now for the Career You Want
- Landing a Postdoctoral Researcher Position
- Becoming a Physician-Scientist
- Mastering the Art of Science Communication
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Advocate for Women's Health Research Funding
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—James Rothman, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—George Brooks, PhD, FAPS
- Keynote Speaker—Holly Ingraham, PhD
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Social Events
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Travel & Transportation
- Liability Waiver
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- From Concept to Classroom
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Nevada, Reno
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Women's Health Research Initiative
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Findings point to potential therapeutic for treatment-resistant asthma
Rockville, Md. (February 25, 2022)—Over half of people with asthma are obese. These individuals do not respond well to standard therapies, but new research out of the Vermont Lung Center holds promise for improving asthma treatments for this population. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. It was chosen as an APSselect article for February.
In addition to responding poorly to standard therapies, people with obesity and asthma are hospitalized at higher rates. Weight loss is a typical recommendation to ameliorate the effects of obesity on asthma. However, short of surgical intervention, only about 15% of people can sustain 10% weight loss for an entire year through diet changes. Even fewer can sustain weight loss for five years.
The research team set out to explore if ketone bodies, which are products of fat metabolism generated by the liver during weight loss, could provide relief from asthma symptoms. They used both genetic and diet-induced mouse models of obesity. In these, along with normal-weight controls, they tested a variety of methods of applying ketone bodies. They induced the natural generation of ketone bodies through a ketogenic diet in some mice and, in others, through rapid weight loss from a low-fat diet. Other cohorts were given supplementary ketone esters either long term in their food or in acute doses immediately before testing.
In all these models and methods of intervention, the mice with ketone bodies in their system showed less sensitivity to a trigger of airway constriction commonly used in the diagnosis of asthma. The authors note that ketone ester supplementation is considered safe and is already used in some human populations.
“This ketone ester supplementation strategy could be optimized as an approach to promote a state of ‘therapeutic ketosis’ similar to that achieved through the feeding of a ketogenic diet or fasting, without any caloric deficit or the need for substantial lifestyle modification,” the authors wrote.
Read the full article, “Therapeutic ketosis decreases methacholine hyperresponsiveness in mouse models of inherent obese asthma,” published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. It is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program. Read all of this month’s selected research articles.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- Combining Two Diabetes Drugs Helps Promote Weight Loss and Blood Sugar Control
- E-Cigarette Residue Exposure in Utero Shows Lasting Effects on Immune Response
- Heavy Alcohol Use May Increase Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Middle-aged Adults
- Gymnasts’ Injury Risk Increases on Stiffer Competition Floors
- ‘Good’ Fat Metabolism Changes Tied to Estrogen Loss, Not Necessarily to Aging
- Brain Blood Flow Resistance More Common in Older Adults with Cognitive Problems
- The Heart Grows More in Pregnant Rats with High Blood Pressure
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us.