It seems, to some extent, researchers have unriddled the brain-obesity puzzle, which has been confounding people all round the world. Actually, during the course of their experiments, which they conducted on lab mice, it was found that in brain cells a particular type of protein called, SH2B1 plays a significant role in molding our metabolic system, thus regulates body weight, the action of the metabolic signaling molecules leptin and insulin, and the use of energy from food.
The same study further shows that mice that lacked the protein called, SH2B1 became obese, diabetic, and were also unable to stop eating. Moreover, their bodies lost the ability to sense the signals sent by leptin and insulin, which give directions to the brain to slow down food intake and fat storage.
However, one paradoxical thing also sprang out during the study, according to which mice that were treated to make extra SH2B1 didn’t become obese or lose their ability to respond to leptin signals even after being fed a high-fat diet that caused those effects in other mice.
Therefore, there would be nothing wrong in calling this study incomplete. Still, it can definitely be said that advancement made through this study is definitely a major achievement made by the researchers on their way to unriddle this brain-obesity puzzle. Moreover, this finding is likely to give scientists an important system to target in future research that would be helpful in developing anti-obesity medications.
Image credit: Chem.ox.ac
Via: Biology News
