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| 'Switch' in brain of obese people stays on all the time, researchers say | 'Switch' in brain of obese people stays on all the time, researchers say |
| (6 months later) | |
| Study focuses on mechanism that controls ability to coordinate feeding with burning energy and fasting with storing it | |
| Australian Associated Press | |
| Tue 1 Aug 2017 22.42 BST | |
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| Obese people aren’t able to regulate the way body fat is stored or burned because a “switch” in their brain stays on all the time, a new study by Australian researchers has shown. | Obese people aren’t able to regulate the way body fat is stored or burned because a “switch” in their brain stays on all the time, a new study by Australian researchers has shown. |
| Specialised fat cells called adipocytes are switched back and forth from brown cells, which are energy burning, to white, which store energy. | Specialised fat cells called adipocytes are switched back and forth from brown cells, which are energy burning, to white, which store energy. |
| The study, published on Wednesday in Cell Metabolism, showed that after a meal the brain responds to insulin when sugars spike by sending signals to promote the browning of fat to expend energy. | The study, published on Wednesday in Cell Metabolism, showed that after a meal the brain responds to insulin when sugars spike by sending signals to promote the browning of fat to expend energy. |
| Then, after a fast, the brain instructs these browned cells to convert back to white adipocytes, again storing energy. | Then, after a fast, the brain instructs these browned cells to convert back to white adipocytes, again storing energy. |
| The brain’s ability to sense insulin and coordinate feeding with burning energy is controlled by a switch-like mechanism, researchers from the metabolic disease and obesity program at Monash University say. | The brain’s ability to sense insulin and coordinate feeding with burning energy is controlled by a switch-like mechanism, researchers from the metabolic disease and obesity program at Monash University say. |
| “What happens in the context of obesity is that the switch stays on all the time – it doesn’t turn on off during feeding,” said the lead researcher, Prof Tony Tiganis. | “What happens in the context of obesity is that the switch stays on all the time – it doesn’t turn on off during feeding,” said the lead researcher, Prof Tony Tiganis. |
| “As a consequence, browning is turned off all the time and energy expenditure is decreased all the time, so when you eat, you don’t see a commensurate increase in energy expenditure – and that promotes weight gain.” | “As a consequence, browning is turned off all the time and energy expenditure is decreased all the time, so when you eat, you don’t see a commensurate increase in energy expenditure – and that promotes weight gain.” |
| Researchers are exploring the possibility of inhibiting the switch to aid weight loss but they say any therapy is “a long way off”. | Researchers are exploring the possibility of inhibiting the switch to aid weight loss but they say any therapy is “a long way off”. |
| Health | |
| Obesity | |
| Medical research | |
| news | |
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