Diabetes Self Management reports a new discovery scientists have made regarding Type 2 Diabetes. The region of the brain, the hypothalamus, that controls appetite and body weight, is affected in part by the microglia, which encourages food intake. Scientists have realized that when too much saturated fats will cause excess fats to build up around these cells, causing inflammation and short circuiting the correct stimuli. It then becomes a vicious cycle that feeds itself. There is still more research to be done but this discovery is a good start.
Key Takeaways:
- New studies are beginning to look at how the physical affects of diabetes can affect the brain and how the brain relates to control of food intake .
- Inflammation of the hypothalamus is linked to obesity, specifically microglia cells that are also found throughout the nervous system.
- The microglia cells have been found to react to high levels of saturated fats when the fat builds up in the body, and this stimulates the desire to take in food.
“Scientists have known for decades that obesity can cause a kind of low-grade inflammation that has been positively linked to such conditions as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”
Read more: https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/the-hypothalamus-and-overeating/