Study Links Obesity and Brain Chemistry

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

17 Nov 2008 01:27 PM

A study from the University of California in San Francisco took a look at the relationship between the nervous system and weight.

The researchers from the University of California looked at the nervous system in worms. Serotonin levels in the nervous systems had an influence on how much worms ate and what the body did with the calories. (You may already be familiar with serotonin -- a neurotransmitter that also affects mood.)

Fat regulation is the balance between what you take in and the energy you use. In worms, serotonin levels activated nerve receptors not normally used for fat regulation. High serotonin levels were linked with fat reduction. The same holds true in mammals: high serotonin levels are often linked with lowered appetite and fat reduction.

When serotonin levels are low, more fat is stored. This indicates that the neurotransmitter may help the body judge nutrient availability. When food is scarce, the worm's body shifts gears and goes from fat burning to fat storage mode.

The bottom line? Since serotonin evolved a long time ago -- and is present in lower life forms like worms -- it's not unreasonable to apply what happens in worms to what might happen in humans and other mammals. A human's nervous system may play an important role in how your body chooses to use the food you eat. This, the researchers believe, may be why diets often fail. It isn't just the food you're eating. How your nervous system chooses to manage the food may be just as important.

This could revolutionize dieting -- until now, the focus has been on what and how much you eat. There may be a second key factor: how your nervous system deals with fat. The University of California team believes that their discovery could lead to new therapies that can help change a person's fat metabolism.

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Mary Ann Romans (26886) 18 Nov 2008 06:13 AM

What an interesting discovery!