Posted on 09/09/2019 2:16:29 PM PDT by Red Badger
Researchers say that a diet too high in fat could change microglial cells in the brain, causing animals -- including humans -- to consume more in order to satisfy energy needs, and become obese.
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In mice, consumption of a high-fat diet caused physical changes to the brain, seemingly making the body seek more food to satisfy energy requirements. File Photo by Gena73/Shutterstock
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Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Hamburgers, french fries, pastries and other fat-filled foods can create neurological changes that may lead to obesity, a new study says.
During an experiment, mice who ate a high-fat diet experienced hypothalamic inflammation which caused physical changes to their microglial cells, researchers report in a study published this month in Cell Metabolism.
The cells, which draw energy from food, were considerably smaller in the animals. The study suggests this leads them to consume more food to stay properly energized, researchers say.
"We were intrigued by the fact that these are very fast changes that occur even before the body weight changes, and we wanted to understand the underlying cellular mechanism," Sabrina Diano, a researcher at Yale University and study lead author, said in a news release.
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The researchers found shrinkage of the microglial cells' mitochondria was caused by Uncoupling Protein 2, or UCP2, which controls energy use in the cells. This, in turn, influences the hypothalamus' ability to regulate energy and glucose homeostasis, which could lead to overeating.
The high-fat diet triggered inflammation that caused UCP2 to activate the microglial cells. That interaction affected neurons in the brain, which led to mice in the high-fat diet group to consume more food and become obese.
But when the researchers removed UCP2 from the cells, the mice ate less and became less likely to gain weight.
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The researchers want to continue to learn more about the connection between the microglia and various diseases of the brain, like Alzheimer's disease. The neurological condition has been linked to changes in microglial cells, according to the National Institutes of Health.
"There are specific brain mechanisms that get activated when we expose ourselves to specific type of foods," Diano said. "This is a mechanism that may be important from an evolutionary point of view. However, when food rich in fat and carbs is constantly available it is detrimental."
LOW CARB / KETO PING!!!
Thanks Duncan. This is a good article to warn people what to look out for as “The Empire Strikes Back”. In it, they don’t mention carbs at all, until the last sentence, so one has to think the ‘high fat’ diet they’re talking about is simply that, ‘high fat’, without controlling carbs, and therefore doesn’t apply to the Keto, or even low-carb diets.
[p.s., anyone wanting to join, or leave, my Low-Carb ping list, just let me know, privately or publicly]
Aside from carbs, also toxic oils that in themselves promote inflammation, so why should they be surprised?
No way can a diet of HEALTHY fats make one more hungry.
Fat doesn’t make you fat - fat with carbs makes you fat, resulting from the carbs primarily as a cause, but also from fat as a source of additional calories.
In a low carb diet, which is what our hunter diet used to be, carbs were very sparse in the forms of fruits primarily. Every ancient skull found has perfect teeth - they don’t rot there, they don’t rot internally either. Keep diabetes away and a myriad of other diseases. Unfortunately I still love my ale and scotch...
Dinner tonight for me was 1.5 oz of cheese. Period. Expect to get a run in tomorrow morning without breakfast or a problem. Once you get used to the idea that it is OK to feel some hunger, it is amazing how little food it takes to keep a fellow going. Of course, my main meal was at lunch. I’m kind of on the “One Meal A Day Plus A Small Snack Diet Plan”. Don’t think there is a book for it.
Maybe if they fed the MICE that sort of diet, things would work out OK. Not sure mice are meant to live on hamburgers...and when I eat hamburgers, it is without the bun plus a side of veggies.
I mix the “One Meal A Day Plus A Small Snack Diet Plan” with the “Be Wary of Carbs Diet Plan”, which isn’t rally “Keto” either. But I feel the healthiest I’ve been since the 90s....
This is a great video.
As you may know, Jillian Michaels is very anti-Keto.
Dr. Berg rips her a new one in this video....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYOa4z6CiP0
Dr. Berry does the same here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5qxVVKvQ9k
I’ve done it for months at a time, but I’m finding myself needing to get back to it again as I’ve been adding some more ripples in the belly area (and every where else).
You’re right, the hunger is tough to deal with at first, but the body adjusts, and the energy flows back in after the initial fatigue.
Treat yourself with a couple of strawberries or a half an apple in the morning, but stay away from them the rest of the day. Oddly enough I got less hungry eating less back when on my keto diet than I do now. About to sign off right now and I’m eating a couple of figs and some chicken wings I cooked earlier today while staring at my belly, LOL.
I’m on it (post 67). Thanks for the ping. Ugh.
I see what they did there.
^ THIS. A thousand times THIS. If some of you are reading here, and wondering, just try Keto for 72 hours or so. You will find that for most people, hunger goes away, and intermediate fasting is EZ-PZ.
Ironic that the low-carb, high fat diets help folks who can’t ever seem to lose weight to....lose weight....
After three or four slices of bacon, I'm full for hours.
Give me sugar, however, ....
...written by Ancel Keys.
More details, please, or a link...? :-)
“Notice anything else in those foods?”
My first thought. Quite the study - isolate fats as the problem, but make sure the study includes fats surrounded by carbohydrates.
Interesting point. I've been low carb for nearly three years. I eat one meal a day to sustain and maintain weight. I have tasty meals and enjoy what I eat, I just don't crave food. I no longer view food and going out to eat as entertainment.
Butter rules!
Steak fat is where the good flavor is
This morning on GMA they were telling us chicken MAY cause cancer....................
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