|
 In an experiment, mice subjected to a three-day "alcoholic weekend"
were found to eat significantly more food than mice that stayed
sober.
The results, published in the journal Nature Communications on
Tuesday, show that major components of the brain's feeding circuits
are activated by alcohol, the researchers said.
"Our data suggest that alcohol sustains fundamental appetite
signals, (and does) not just disinhibit their behavioral
manifestation," wrote Denis Burdakov, who led the study at the
Francis Crick Institute in London.
Consumption of alcohol has previously been linked to overeating in
humans, but the underlying causes were unclear - particularly since
alcohol is high in calories, and calorie intake usually suppresses
brain appetite signals.
Burdakov said his study found that specific hunger-promoting brain
cells known as Agrp neurons, which form part of the feeding circuit
in mouse brains, are activated by alcohol.
To test the validity of their findings, Burdakov's team were able to
block activity of these neurons in some mice, and they found that
this eliminated alcohol-induced overeating.
[to top of second column] |
This shows, they said, "that the alcohol-associated activity of Agrp
neurons...is the critical step in alcohol-induced overeating".
Obesity and heavy drinking are major causes of heart disease,
diabetes and other chronic health problems affecting millions of
people worldwide. Public Health England said last month that eight
out of 10 middle-aged adults in Britain either weigh too much, drink
too much or exercise too little.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Mark Trevelyan)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
