Binge eating influenced by brain hormone levels

Absence of a hormone in brain may trigger overeating behaviour in people who eat for pleasure rather than hunger, researchers report. Experiments reveal that when “glucagon like peptide-1” (GLP-1) hormone level was reduced in the central nervous system of mice, they overate and consumed food with higher fat content.

"Conversely, when we enhanced GLP-1 signaling in the brains of mice, we were able to block the preference of high fat foods,” said Vincent Mirabella, doctoral student from New Jersey-based Rutgers University. he added.

"By finding out how the central nervous system regulates food intake behaviour via GLP-1 signaling, we may be able to provide more targeted therapy with fewer side effects,” assistant professor, Zhiping Pang, noted in a paper published in the journal Cell Reports.

GLP-1 peptides are small sequences of amino acids that have many functions, including how our bodies regulate eating behaviours by letting us know when we are satisfied and should put down the fork.

The results provide new evidence that targeting neurons in the mesolimbic dopamine system -a reward circuit in the brain - rather than targeting the whole body might be a better way to control overeating and obesity with fewer side effects.