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Eat Well Otherwise the Brain Will Start Eating Itself!

by Dr. Reeja Tharu on Aug 12 2011 12:07 PM
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Starvation dieting can trigger auto-cannibalism in the Brain, reports an article in Cell Metabolism.

You had better eat well or the brain will start eating itself!

Research carried out by scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine reports an act of auto-cannibalism in the brain cells of those who starve themselves.

The phenomenon has been reported as occurring in the neurons of the hypothalamus in mice. These neurons are responsible for appetite regulation.

When the mice starve, these neurons engage in autophagy, an activity whereby they begin to eat themselves. During this activity certain fatty acids are released, resulting in an increase in production of the hunger-signaling peptide AgRP.

When the brain chomping session is stopped, the hunger signals stop and the mice do not eat as much as they ate before and thus, they manage to remain lean.

There is no room for apprehension with this report as the auto-phagous process is not new to the body.

During lean times, the body is used to consuming its own cells to conserve energy. But it was generally believed, earlier, that the brain was exempted from this behavior.

"A pathway that is really important for every cell to turn over components in a kind of housekeeping process is also required to regulate appetite. Treatments aimed at the pathway might make you less hungry and burn more fat, a good way to maintain energy balance in a world where calories are cheap and plentiful," said study leader Dr. Rajat Singh.

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The study is expected to help to produce better and scientifically proven anti-obesity medications.

Indeed it looks like the dieters have a lot to look forward to!

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Source-Medindia


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