The midlife weight gain is thought to be due to laziness in certain brain cells, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Endocrinology. Researchers are working on treatments to boost their activity, so to avoid putting on weight.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in collaboration with experts from the universities of Cambridge and Michigan (USA) worked to understand why at the quarantine, people tend to coat themselves.
They found that the brain cells that control hunger pangs are less active and efficient over time.
“One of the reasons for this weight gain can be attributed to a small subset of cells in an area of the brain where appetite is controlled,” explains Professor Lora Heisler.
Regulation of appetite works less well
These cells produce important brain hormones called “proopiomelanocortin peptides” (POMC) which are responsible for regulating our appetite and body weight.
“As we approach the middle of the life of these cells, they become lazy in sending information signals, which leads to an error in judgment of the amount of food our body needs” analyzes the researcher.
“Our new understanding of the crucial role that POMCs play in the spread of fat mass in those in their 40s opens the door to new drugs that could be developed to control appetite and therefore help with weight loss” explains Professor Lora Heisler .
“In view of the links established betweenobesity and serious medical illnesses, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, it is essential that we strive to find new methods to combat this epidemic to improve our health“concludes the scientist.
Indeed, obesity is a public health problem. The World Health Organization has warned European governments about the prevalence of obesity in different EU countries. 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. Obesity would even become the new weight norm in a majority of countries on the old continent.
