Obesity: suppressing hunger pangs directly in the brain
In the fight against obesity, many studies advance as main objective, to suppress the feeling of hunger thanks in particular to drugs called “appetite suppressant“. However, in this recent study published in Nature Neuroscience(1), it is detailed the entire hunger process located in the brain, which could soon allow scientists to develop real “appetite suppressants” effective and without adverse effects.
The “Way of Appetite”:
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Harvard, as well as several research institutes have reconstructed the entire process of hunger localized in the brain, more precisely, at the level of the hypothalamus.
The scientists therefore first carried out this reconstruction on mice:
The mouse brain secretes a chemical (AgRP) targeting a region of nerve cells (MC4R), which will subsequently stimulate a nerve pathway (LPBN, which is the satiety pathway), itself stimulating appetite. After eating the meal,different nerve cellswill produce another chemical, called “POMC” (pro-opiomelanocortin neurons) in the brain, known as playing a role in the “appetite pathway”. These nerve cells will block the satiety pathway (MC4R-LPBN). Scientists point to this pathway as a target fornew weight loss treatments.
New “appetite suppressant” drugs to come:
This latest study also makes it possible tovisualize and understand the role of brain pathways in the feeling of satiety, to consider the development of new weight loss drugs, also called “appetite suppressants” effective and without adverse effects therefore safe.
This study remains to be confirmed in humans, but could provide a powerful solution in the treatment of obesity and its consequences.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.