The number of obese people has grown significantly in recent decades, which presents significant difficulties for those affected, medical care systems and those who provide treatment. Insulin hormone plays a key role in the development of obesity. Until recently, there have been numerous signs that indicate that insulin causes neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders, especially in the brain. A recent study of the University Hospital of Tübingen, the German Diabetes Research Center (DZD) and Helmholtz Munich offers new intriguing ideas about the origins of diabetes and type 2 obesity, as well as the function of the brain as a critical control center.
Obesity has only been officially recognized as a disease in Germany since 2020, despite the fact that it is known for a long time that it causes a series of diseases, including diabetes, heart attacks and even cancer. The World Health Organization has already declared that obesity is an epidemic, which affects more than one billion people worldwide and almost 16 million only in Germany. A body mass index of 30 or more is considered obese, and a poor diet and an insufficient exercise are often cited as the causes of this chronic disease. However, the mechanisms in the body that lead to obesity and cause the disease are more complex.
Obesity and the role of insulin in the brain
Non -healthy body fat distribution and chronic weight gain are linked to insulin brain sensitivity. What specific functions does insulin in the brain and how does it affect normal weight? In his study, Prof. Dr. Stephanie Kullmann and his colleagues at the Hospital of Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology at the University of Tübingen found the answer to this consultation. “Our findings show for the first time that even a brief consumption of highly processed and unhealthy foods (such as chocolate bars and french fries) causes a significant alteration in the brain of healthy individuals, which can be the initial cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes,” says Professor Kullmann, leader of the study. In a healthy state, insulin has a suppression effect of appetite in the brain. However, in people with particular obesity, insulin no longer regulates eating behavior properly, resulting in insulin resistance. “Interestingly, in our healthy participants of the study, the brain shows a similar decrease in insulin sensitivity after a short -term high -calorie intake as in people with obesity,” says Mrs. Kullmann. “This effect can be seen a week after returning to a balanced diet,” he adds. She is also director of the Department of Metabolic Neuroimagen at the Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research Institute (IDM) of DZD Partner Institute of Diabetes.
Realize in the brain
Prof. Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, medical director of Internal Medicine IV, director of the Member of the IDM and DZD Board, and the final author of the study, concludes: “We assume that the response of the insulin of the brain adapts to the short -term changes in the diet before any weight gain occurs and, therefore, promotes the development of obesity and other secondary diseases.” It urges more research on how the brain contributes to the development of obesity and other metabolic diseases in the light of current findings.
Short period with long -range effects
29 average men’s weight volunteers participated in the study and were divided into two groups. For five days in a row, the first group had to complement its regular diet with 1500 kcal of highly processed sandwiches and rich in calories. Additional calories were not consumed by the control group. Both groups underwent two separate exams after an initial evaluation. An exam was carried out immediately after the five -day period, and another was held seven days after the first group resumed its regular diet. The researchers used magnetic resonance images (MRI) to observe the fat content of the liver and the sensitivity to the insulin of the brain. The fat content of the first group’s liver not only increased significantly after five days of greater calorie intake. Surprisingly, significantly lower insulin sensitivity in the brain compared to the control group also persisted a week after returning to a normal diet. This effect had been previously observed in obese people.