United States: According to the latest report, scientists have found an essential solution for tackling the obesity crisis. Intermittent calorie restriction provides significant results in the gut and brain, thus opening new ways to approach while maintaining a healthy weight.
More about the finding
The scientist from China performed a study on twenty-five volunteers who were classified as obese and followed up for 62 days.
During that period, they were asked to undergo an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program, which involves strict control over calorie intake and fasting on some days.
The outcome of the study
The scientist’s report suggested the participants not only saw a reduction in their weight, which is 7.6 kilograms (16.8 pounds) or 7.8 percent of their body weight on average, but also showed a shift in the activity of obesity-related regions of the brain, as well as in the make-up of gut bacteria.
According to Qiang Zeng, a health researcher from the Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases in China, “Here we show that an IER diet changes the human brain-gut-microbiome axis,” as sciencealert.com reported.
He added, “The observed changes in the gut microbiome and in the activity in addiction-related brain regions during and after weight loss are highly dynamic and coupled over time.”
More about the discovery
The researchers suggest that the underlying reasons for such changes and whether the gut influences the brain or vice versa are unclear.
The changes in brain activity, as spotted through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, were in areas that are said to be significant in controlling appetite and addiction, which includes the inferior frontal orbital gyrus.
Furthermore, the gut microbiome changes, which were analyzed through stool samples and blood measurements, were associated with particular brain regions.
According to Xiaoning Wang, a medical scientist from the State Clinic Center for Geriatrics in China, “The gut microbiome is thought to communicate with the brain in a complex, two-directional way,” as sciencealert.com reported.
“The microbiome produces neurotransmitters and neurotoxins which access the brain through nerves and the blood circulation. In return the brain controls eating behavior, while nutrients from our diet change the composition of the gut microbiome,” as he continued.
Obesity is a widespread problem
More than one billion population across the globe are facing obesity, causing an increased risk for a large number of problems related to health, such as cancer, heart issues, etc.
According to biomedical scientist Liming Wang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “The next question to be answered is the precise mechanism by which the gut microbiome and the brain communicate in obese people, including during weight loss,” as sciencealert.com reported.
He added, “What specific gut microbiome and brain regions are critical for successful weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight?”