New Appetite Control Mechanism Discovered in Brain

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Original Article: http://neurosciencenews.com/appetite-control-mechanism-6536/

This study identified a new molecule involved in appetite. This molecule, known as NPGL increases one’s appetite during a period of fasting and decreases it while eating. It is thought that this molecule aims to keep body mass at a constant and to maintain homeostasis. NPGL plays a very important role in what scientists believed to be the thoroughly understood process of appetite and hunger. This substance was first discovered in chickens but now is known to be present in all vertebrates. The research of this study aimed to explore NPGL in mice. One group of mice were fed a very low calorie diet for 24 hours. Another group was given a very high fat diet over the span of five weeks. The last group was fed on a very high fat diet as well but for 13 weeks. The mice that were on the low calorie diet had a drastic increase in the NPGL expression while the other group of mice on the five week high fat diet experienced a drastic decrease in NPGL. A professor involved in the study believes that NPGL is an “appetite promoter” that works against hormones like leptin which are appetite suppressing. As for the mice on the 13 week high fat diet, their NPGL levels first decreased significantly, leveled back out during the longer period of time. This study explains why it can be difficult for humans to lose or gain weight.


I found this study very interesting considering we just covered hunger and homeostasis in class. We learned that ghrelin is produced and released by the stomach as the stomach empties, making us want to eat more. We also learned about the hormone Cholecystokinin which detects fats and helps with digestion after one eats. The article also mentioned leptin which is a hormone that reduces appetite. NPGL plays a role in both increased hunger and decreased hunger, unlike ghrelin and leptin which only do one of those functions. I found that the most useful information from this article was that NPGL may make it more difficult to lose or gain weight. I think that this information could really be used by people who are trying to alter their current body state and those who are interested in fitness and health. Knowing this information could prove to be useful when trying to figure out why losing or gaining weight can be so difficult. Overall, I found it very interesting and fascinating that such a discovery was published days after learning about hunger in class. 

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 1, 2017 at 8:10 PM

    The information presented here is fascinating! After reading the article, it is incredible to think that we have just now discovered the molecule NPGL. It just goes to show that even with all this new technology we have, we've just only scratched the surface in discovering how our bodies operate.

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