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

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Since nobody else who answered you read the article:

Heat. They discovered a way to trigger the part of the brain that regulates heat production by brown fat tissue.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Nothing that could go wrong with raising body temp permanently...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Just in! Man takes too many weightloss pills, ends up inadvertently cooking his testes! Read all about it in Blabbity Fair!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

And in a world that is getting hotter and hotter, nothing is more appealing than carrying your own furnace with you, wherever you go.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That's kind of what DNP does. Side effects include death

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

That's the bit they mentioned, anyway. It sounds like in this scenario they tried two different diets, and the higher-calorie one produced more body heating. I imagine appetite regulation would also play a part "in the wild".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks you! That makes a lot of sense