America is fat. Fat is America. You can say it whichever way you choose but the message is still the same, we are the most obese country in the world. But is it our fault? We recently read a paper that explored the possibility of obesity being a brain disorder rather that a disorder that is caused by our diets and overeating. Shockingly there is a significant amount of evidence that would lead us to believe that obesity is indeed a brain disorder. However, before you go out and buy yourself a Big Mac because “it’s not my fault that I’m fat” you should listen a little closer.
This article made the case that obesity as a disease starts for somebody while they are in the womb of their mother. They argued that the chances of a child having the brain disease of obesity is predicated on the diet of the mother. When a mother eats a very unhealthy diet, then those nutrients are shared with the child in her womb. The child becomes accustomed to the high level of fat in his or her diet and when they are born, their brain is already programmed into the diet that their mother had. The researchers also conducted a study in mice that supported their argument that offspring exhibit the dietary trends of their mother. This is some supporting evidence that obesity could in fact be a brain disease.
To further the argument, the paper as well as our class took a look at two different types of neurons that are in the brain that have both been linked to obesity and/or appetite in general. The first was NPY/AGRP neurons, which are neurons that seem to stimulate appetite when people are hungry. This obviously is something that is overactive in obese people. Personally I looked at the other category of neurons, the POMC neurons. These neurons decrease appetite and tell your brain when you are full. These neurons are activated by leptin and insulin. Insulin of course is released after you eat, ordering your tissue to absorb glucose from the blood to make energy for your body. Leptin is the hormone that is released when you are full. Obese people have deficient POMC neurons. So when they eat, the body releases insulin and leptin but the POMC neurons do not become activated and so the brain is still under the impression that you are hungry, when really you may not be.
Sure all of these examples were nice to learn about, it was an aspect of obesity that I had never heard about. But take this with a grain of salt, because there is clearly other research out there that suggests that obesity is also caused by diet alone. I believe obesity to be a combination of both a disease, but at the same time a disease that was initially caused by the choices one makes about their lifestyle. So while research such as this gives us insight into potential treatments and drug targets to combat obesity, it should not reinforce the idea that overeating or unhealthy eating is acceptable. Like I said this problem is still largely in our hands. We need to eat right to get right, your body will thank you.
Is fat our fault??
