Obesity control

How the brain controls fat burning

January 16, 2015

(Credit: Monash University)

In case the “imaginary meal” approach to burning fat doesn’t work, now there’s a backup.

Monash University researchers have discovered that two naturally occurring hormones stimulate neurons in the brain’s hypothalamus, causing them to send signals through the nervous system that promote the conversion of white fat into brown fat. This leads to burning off excess fat.

The findings, published Thursday (Jan. 15) in the journal Cell, give new insights into how the brain regulates body fat, and may lead to more effective ways to lose weight and prevent obesity by promoting the conversion of white fat to brown fat.

This molecular mechanism depends on the combined action of leptin, an appetite suppressant generated in fat cells, and insulin, produced in the pancreas in response to rising levels of glucose in the blood./.../