Post: Hunger Hormone in Infancy May Link to Lifelong Obesity Risk

New study offers hope of future treatments to help prevent weight problems

Researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles reveal an unexpected role for ghrelin in early brain development and show its long-term impact on appetite regulation. Their study was published online on January 20 by The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

“We’ve shown that neonatal ghrelin directly influences development in the part of the brain related to appetite and the regulation of metabolism,” said principal investigator Sebastien G. Bouret, PhD, of the Developmental Neuroscience Program at CHLA, associate professor of Pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, and affiliate of the USC Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute.  “This study suggests a link between maturation of the gut-brain axis and later susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Here are a some media articles that discuss the study:

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/study-shows-appetite-obesity-risk-may-be-set-in-infancy-012115

http://www.medicaldaily.com/ghrelin-hunger-hormone-poses-obesity-risk-life-when-imbalanced-infants-318582

CHLA Press Release – click

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