Obesity: The key role of a brain protein revealed – Mouse study
The protein ACBP directly influences neurons that help both rodents and humans maintain a healthy weight.... Read More...
obesity
Dietary fats entering the brain may explain link between obesity and depression: Mouse study
A mechanism that links exposure to high-fat diets in mice to changes in hypothalamic function which leads to depression has been identified. Saturated fatty acids enter the brain via the bloodstream, where they accumulate and affect key signaling pathways associated with the development of depression.... Read More...
Research highlights role of psychological distress and emotional eating in obesity
Lower socioeconomic status is associated with a higher risk of psychological distress. The increase in psychological distress is, in turn, associated with higher levels of emotional eating and obesity risks. ... Read More...
Train your brain to eat less sugar
A new brain training game in which players navigate a grocery store, earning rewards for selecting healthy food options, may help to reduce the desire to give into sugar cravings. Participants who had higher initial preferences for sugary foods lost as much as 3.1% body weight following daily gameplay.... Read More...
New brain mechanisms regulating body weight identified: Rodent study
Interleukin-6 interacts with leptin in the lateral parabrachial nucleus to reduce food intake. Reducing IL-6 in the IPBL increases weight gain and could help explain why some are more prone to overeating and obesity.... Read More...
Obesity and emotional problems appear to develop together from age 7
Regardless of socioeconomic status, children who were overweight by age 7 had a higher risk of developing emotional problems by age 11, researchers report.... Read More...
Comfort food leads to more weight gain during stress
A combination of chronic stress and high-calorie diets raised insulin levels tenfold in the amygdala of mice. Prolonged high levels of insulin in the central amygdala resulted in neurons becoming desensitized to insulin. The desensitized neurons boosted NPY levels, which promoted eating and reduced the normal homeostasis response to burn calories. The findings may shed light on why some indulge in high-calorie foods when stressed, and why this may lead to obesity.... Read More...
The neurobiology of noshing: Why is it so easy to overeat calorie-rich tasty foods?
Prepronociceptin expressing neurons in the central amygdala become activated by consuming palatable foods. Reducing nociceptin making neurons in mice reduced binge eating when the animals had access to calorie-rich foods, without affecting the intake of ordinary dietary needs. The finding could help in the development of new therapies to combat obesity and binge eating. ... Read More...
Obesity linked with differences in form and structure of the brain
Obesity is associated with alterations in brain structure, including lower gray matter volume and smaller globus pallidus volume.... Read More...
New insight into how obesity and insulin resistance can impair cognition
Adora2a mediating signaling in vascular endothelial cells disrupts the blood-brain barrier in obesity. This, researchers report, could be an underlying mechanism for synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits in those with insulin resistance and obesity.... Read More...
Marijuana users weigh less, defying the munchies
On average, cannabis users weight 2 pounds less, and have a lower BMI, than those who do not consume marijuana. The findings contradict the popular belief that those who get the munchies after using the substance gain more weight.... Read More...
Body mass index may play a significant role in the progression of multiple sclerosis
Obesity and a higher body mass index negatively impacts the progression of Multiple Sclerosis. Ceramides are more abundant in the blood of those who are overweight. The ceramides enter inside the nucleus of monocytes, causing proliferation. The increased number of monocytes travel back to the brain, causing more damage for those with RRMS.... Read More...