Considering Neurological Sensitivity to Obesity

    Due to nationwide health concerns, obesity research has been increasingly prioritized across a broad range of scientific doctrines in recent years. Though it is understood that causal factors for observed obesity rates in America are complex and multimodal in nature, the significance of the central nervous system on eating behavior and weight gain is increasingly acknowledged. Research on this subject is plentiful, but effective treatment for appetite regulation remains a difficult topic. Jennifer Beshel and her colleagues are responsible for authoring an intriguing study titled “A Leptin Analog Locally Produced in the Brain Acts via a Conserved Neural Circuit to Modulate Obesity-Linked Behaviors in Drosophila”. In their study, a mammalian leptin homolog in the common fruit fly is manipulated to gain insight on the role of leptin expression in creating obesogenic conditions. Decreased expression of this leptin homolog (upd1) was found to be associated with significantly increased weight gain behaviors in fruit flies, further suggesting that processes in the CNS are heavily involved in the development of weight gain behaviors. 

    However as I mentioned before, the obesity epidemic in America has a variety of potential causal factors, many we do not understand. While explaining their conclusions, Beshel and her colleagues also mentions a consistent weight-gaining response to high-fat diets.  She notes that while neurological processes are involved in weight gain, a changing food landscape also likely plays a major role. A news article on nbcnews.com titled “Cheap Food Blamed for America’s Obesity Crisis” comments on this popular sentiment in an American context. The article disputes socioeconomic reasons as to why the country is gaining weight, and instead claims that this is a result of increased availability and convenience. This perspective adopts an evolutionary lens to the problem, as the article states that the consumer’s draw to the abundance of high caloric food in our society is a result of instinct rather than rationale. 

    As researchers such as the Beshel Lab continue to clarify the neurological mechanisms of obesity, certain aspects of our society come into question. The excessive abundance of food cues coupled with neurologically induced sensitivity to obesogenic conditions interact in a way which promotes unhealthy behavior. While the situation is far more complex than just these factors, applying new research to how we approach societal problems must be a persistent strategy if these problems are going to be solved. \

References:

Beshel, J., Dubnau, J., & Zhong, Y. (2017). A Leptin Analog Locally Produced in the Brain Acts via a Conserved Neural Circuit to Modulate Obesity-Linked Behaviors in Drosophila. Cell Metabolism, 25(1), 208-217. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2016.12.013

Caroll, L. (2014, May 22). Cheap Food Blamed for America's Obesity Crisis. Better by Today. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/better/diet-fitness/cheap-food-blamed-america-s-obesity-crisis-n112141