Normally, thanks to a specialized area of the brain (the hypothalamus), a person of normal weight will adapt his food intake according to his reserves and his needs. On the other hand, in some people, this mechanism is defective. This new study published in the scientific journal eLife teaches us that the amount of food we eat depends on a hormone, ghrelin. These conclusions which could make it possible to develop new therapies to fight againstobesity were obtained from rats.
Scientists at the University of South Carolina (USA) conducted an experiment with rats to understand what mechanism is involved in the brain in managing the amount of food we eat.
They identified a hormone, ghrelin, which would be responsible for the amount of food eaten. Researchers have found that this hormone communicates with our central nervous system. Particularly through the action of neurons in the hippocampus, this area controls memory and motivation, to stimulate appetite and allow a large amount of food to be eaten in a limited time. Second, these neurons communicate with another part of the brain, the hypothalamus, to produce the hormone orexin, which leads to overeating.
These discoveries must be tested on humans and could allow the implementation of treatments to fight against obesity.
In 2010, the World Health Organization estimated that being overweight andobesity are responsible for 3.4 million deaths and reduced life expectancy.
In a report, the WHO says that Europeans are getting bigger and bigger: 27% of 13-year-olds and 33% of 11-year-olds are overweight. And, the number of overweight or obese inhabitants of the planet reached 2.1 billion in 2013 (including 671 million obese).
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