Here's another reason to watch how much you're eating: recent studies showed that overeating can damage your brain and may cause diabetes, heart disease, and other ailments along the way.
Dongsheng Cai and his team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that overeating fuels immune cells to attack and destroy a dormant immune system pathway in the brain, creating a chronic inflammation throughout the body that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.
Cai pointed out that the IKKbeta/NK-kappaB compound, while useful to immune cells, becomes the crucial factor when found in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain which regulates energy. As the compound gets increasingly active in the hypothalamus, the body ignores signals for the leptin hormone to regulate appetite and insulin that convert food into energy. Stimulating this compound also makes one crave for more food.
For now, the research team believes that this compound could be eliminated from the brain with gene therapy or a drug, but it's best to simply eat in moderation and balance your eating habits by exercising regularly.
Photo courtesy of ABC
0 Comments
Add Comment