14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent study in the journal Cell Reports, a team of scientists at Rutgers University in the US detail their work identifying a hormone that controls appetite and that might be to blame for the fact that some people aren't quite satisfied with just one slice of cake and instead eat two, maybe even more.
The hormone in question is naturally-occurring in the body. It is called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and appears to influence appetite by toying with the activity of the central nervous system.
How GLP-1 increases appetite
In a series of experiments carried out on laboratory mice, the Rutgers University team showed that reducing GLP-1 levels in the central nervous system correlates with an increase in appetite. Thus, rodents deprived of this hormone started eating more and craving foods with a high fat content.
In turn, when the researchers flooded the mice's central nervous system with GLP-1, the animals started eating less and no longer preferred high fat foods. This happened because the hormone blocked the brain's reward centers. Plainly put, the mice no longer derived any pleasure from eating.
“The mice in which the GLP-1 deficiency was induced ate beyond the need for calories and showed an increase preference for high fat food. Conversely, when we enhanced GLP-1 signaling in the brains of mice we were able to block the preference of high fat foods,” said researcher Vincent Mirabella.
The find could help tackle obesity
In their paper in the journal Cell Reports, the Rutgers University scientists behind this research project argue that, although it is true that overeating behavior in influenced by a cohort of factors, the fact of the matter is their find might help tackle obesity.
Thus, they propose finding a way to mimic the action of GLP-1 in the body and artificially shut down the reward circuit in the brain. In theory, this should get people to eat less and therefore make it easier for them to lose weight.
“By finding out how the central nervous system regulates food intake behavior via GLP-1 signaling, we may be able to provide more targeted therapy with fewer side effects,” study senior author Zhiping Pan explained in an interview, as cited by Science Daily.