Researchers Discover New Neurons That Suppress Food Intake
In December, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine identified neurons that play a role in suppressing food intake, contributing to advancements in the understanding and potential treatment of obesity. Obesity affects a staggering 40 percent of adults and 20 percent of children in the United States. While some popular new therapies are helping to tackle the epidemic of obesity, there is still much that researchers do not understand about the brain-body connection that regulates appetite. Now, researchers have discovered a previously unknown population of neurons in the hypothalamus that regulates food intake and could be a promising new target for obesity drugs. New leptin-targeting drugs could be beneficial for those who can’t tolerate GLP-agonists due to gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and stomach upset.