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The problem of excess weight may soon be a thing of the past. Scientists managed to “turn off” the brain system responsible for the desire to eat. Explained by anthropologist Stephen Juan*.
Finally, scientists have the opportunity to create a drug that will relieve attacks of hunger in the same way as a headache. Medical and psychological research suggests that people eat for related physiological and psychological reasons, and many overeat because their brains are “predisposed” to it. Overeating is often not the fault of the person, it’s just that some of us have a “gluttonous brain” that gives too many signals that stimulate the feeling of hunger. This tendency to overeat is genetic and inherited.
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Recent evidence suggests that the reason for the “gluttony” of the brain may lie in the overproduction of one (or more) of the six known neurohormones that make us want to eat. These neurotransmitters carry “food required” signals between different nerve cells in the brain. One such neurohormone, neuropeptide Y (NPY), may be most responsible for these signals.
In the early 1980s, researchers discovered that NPY injected into the brains of rats caused them to eat uncontrollably. An antiserum was developed, consisting of antibodies capable of recognizing NPY and attaching to it. In a series of experiments with rats, they were first injected with high doses of NPY, causing the animals to become extremely voracious and quickly gain weight. But when they received the antiserum, they returned to their normal state.
When serum was administered to rats that did not receive NPY, they began to consume 60% less food. It is striking that the animals continued to eat little, even reaching a semi-starved state, when they were not given food for about 6 hours. For a hungry rat, this is almost an eternity! From this, the scientists concluded that NPY regulates eating behavior in general, not only in situations where it is introduced artificially.
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The next step for scientists is to create a drug that blocks cell receptors. Thus, in the development of a new, ideal dietary drug that corrects the appropriate functioning of the brain, only practical obstacles remain to be overcome. Such a medicine will be a step above any other weight loss drugs.
Common dietary supplements that are sold around the world and are popular contain phenylpropanolamine, a mild stimulant that is chemically similar to amphetamines. Unfortunately, these drugs can be addictive and cause side effects such as headaches, anxiety, irregular heartbeats, and even heart attacks. In addition, weight loss drugs are often taken by those who have failed dieting or suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia, where people vomit and use laxatives.
A drug that blocks NPY does not seem to cause these problems. The control of the “gluttonous brain” and the management of the basic physiological need of a person may eventually end up in our hands and … heads.
* S. Juan “Oddities of our brain” (Ripol classic, 2008).