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Brain's Weight Switch Found: May Let Us Eat What We Want, Finally (neurosciencenews.com)

submitted 1 year ago by will_a113@lemmy.ml to c/science@beehaw.org

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A new discovery reveals that astrocytes, star-shaped cells in the brain, play a key role in regulating fat metabolism and obesity. These cells act on a cluster of neurons, known as the GABRA5 cluster, effectively acting as a “switch” for weight regulation.

The MAO-B enzyme in these astrocytes was identified as a target for obesity treatment, influencing GABA secretion and thus weight regulation.

KDS2010, a selective and reversible MAO-B inhibitor, successfully led to weight loss in obese mice without impacting their food intake, even while consuming a high-fat diet, and is now in Phase 1 clinical trials.

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[-] Hardeehar@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

I mean technically, if it's a tube, the mouth is part of the basic physics brain process. As in, if you don't eat it, it won't be added to the calories. The decision to eat is a brain process, too.

We've got drugs that play with that decision.

[-] jarfil@beehaw.org 20 points 1 year ago

Unless you don't eat at all, the decision to eat is secondary to the decision to absorb energy from it.

For example, I've been eating a "healthy diet" with about the same amount of exercise, for the last 3 years: first it kept my weight steady, then I lost 70 pounds in 3 months, then gained 10.

The only difference: stress levels.

People have been congratulating me for ~~losing weight~~ getting stressed out of my mind to the point of almost going crazy and killing myself. Thanks, but I was better before.