The results of their study, published in the journal Cell Reports, reveal that low levels of the hormone Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) were linked to a tendency to junk food and a susceptibility to eat not only when ‘we are hungry but also purely for fun.
To reach these conclusions, researchers at Rutgers University in the United States observed the eating habits of a group of mice. They found that those with low GLP-1 levels were the most likely to choose fatty foods and therefore overeat. In contrast, mice that had high levels of this hormone ate less fat.
The hormone GLP-1, made up of small sequences of amino acids, is responsible for regulating diet. It is also supposed to inform the brain when we are full.
According to scientists, targeting specific neurons may be more effective than diets in controlling the overweight and obesity.
The regions of the brain where the GP-1 hormone is found are the same regions that control addiction to alcohol, nicotine and drugs.
“Eating too much, which causes obesity, would be like a kind of food addiction, even a neuropsychiatric disorder,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Zhiping Pang. Thanks to the GP-1 hormone, we could better understand how the nervous system regulates the way we eat, which would allow us to deliver the drugs that target the hormone and have fewer side effects. “
Currently, obesity is already being treated with a drug that works in a similar way to GP-1. This still limited approach to obesity has been used in the past to control glucose tolerance in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Read also:
https://www.topsante.com/medecine/maladies-chroniques/obesite-surpoids/vivre-avec/obesite-des-hommes-les-hormones-feminines-responsables-60207
https://www.topsante.com/minceur/nutrition-minceur/conseils-minceur/controlez-votre-insuline-pour-mieux-gerer-votre-poids-10869
