メディエイゴ

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers(1), for the first time, have found a messaging(2) system in the brain(3) that directly affects food intake(4) and body weight.

Reported in the Oct. 3 issue of Cell(5), the findings - from a study in mice(6) - point to(7) a completely new approach to treating(8) and preventing(9) obesity(10) in humans. The discovery also offers hope for new ways to treat related disorders(11), such as type 2 diabetes(12) and cardiovascular diseases(13) - the most prevalent(14) health problems in the United States and the rest of the developed world(15).

Led by Dongsheng Cai, an assistant professor(16) of physiology(17) at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health(18), the researchers looked specifically(19) at the hypothalamus(20) - the brain structure responsible for maintaining a steady state(21) in the body - and for the first time found that a cell-signaling pathway(22) primarily(23) associated with(24) inflammation(25) also influences the regulation of food intake. Stimulating(26) the pathway led the animals to increase their energy consumption(27), while suppressing(28) it helped them maintain normal food intake and body weight.

The research stems from(29) recent explorations(30) into the problem called metabolic(31) inflammation, a byproduct(32) of too much food or energy consumption. Unlike the classical(33)　inflammation typically(34) observed in infections(35), injuries(36) and diseases(37) such as cancer(38), the metabolic inflammation seen in obesity-related(39) diseases is much milder, doesn't lead to overt(40) symptoms(41) or cause tissues damage(42).

"Metabolic inflammation is a chronic(43), low-grade(44) condition consisting of(45) inflammatory-like(46) responses at the molecular level(47). It has many downstream(48) consequences," says Cai. "It causes cellular(49) dysfunction(50), which can decrease the regulation of several physiological(51) processes, including metabolism(52)."