Brain Protein May Help Fight Belly Fat And Prevent Weight Gain

Brain Protein May Help Fight Belly Fat And Prevent Weight Gain

Article
Bone, Muscle, & Joint
Nutrition & Dietetics
+2
Contributed byMaulik P. Purohit MD MPHSep 08, 2019

Research published in the American Physiological Society investigated whether higher levels of a protein called glial cell line-derived factor (GDNF) will help fight weight gain, belly fat, and health problems caused by eating the wrong foods.

A report in the Journal of American Medicine (JAMA) suggested more than one-third (34.9 percent or 78.6 million) of adults in the United States are obese. Obesity along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, insulin resistance, and belly fat can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and various forms of cancer.

GDNF is an important protein that helps nerve cells develop and survive. The protein also aids in a host of other body functions like digestion, kidney development, and muscle control. Previous research found that increased levels of GDNF in rodents and primates led to weight loss in age-related obesity and the prevention of weight gain in younger animals. In a new study, Simon Musyoka Mwangi and colleagues looked at how an increase of GDNF might affect obesity caused by a high-fat diet.

The researchers compared mice with higher GDNF levels with controls. The mice were fed either a regular diet containing six percent fat or a high fat diet containing 34 percent fat. A glucose tolerance test was performed ten weeks after the start of the study. They found that mice with higher levels of GDNF resisted weight gain, stomach fat development, insulin resistance, fatty liver, and high blood fat levels.

More experimental studies must be conducted to investigate why this happens. However, data from this study advocates that the cause may be from increased calorie burning in both brown and white fat cells and muscle tissue. The research brings us one-step closer to practical targets in obesity prevention and treatment.

Study Reference:

Mwangi, S. M., Nezami, B. G., Obukwelu, B., Anitha, M., Marri, S., Fu, P., ... & Srinivasan, S. (2014). Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protects against high-fat diet-induced obesity. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 306(6), G515-G525.

Additional References:

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Jama, 311(8), 806-814.

Pichel, J. G., Shen, L., Sheng, H. Z., Granholm, A. C., Drago, J., Grinberg, A., ... & Westphal, H. (1996, January). GDNF is required for kidney development and enteric innervation. In Cold Spring Harbor symposia on quantitative biology (Vol. 61, pp. 445-457). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Henderson, C. E., Phillips, H. S., Pollock, R. A., Davies, A. M., Lemeulle, C., Armanini, M., ... & Vandlen, R. A. (1994). GDNF: a potent survival factor for motoneurons present in peripheral nerve and muscle. Science, 266(5187), 1062-1064.

Was this article helpful

On the Article

Maulik P. Purohit MD MPH picture
Approved by

Maulik P. Purohit MD MPH

Assistant Medical Director, Medical Editorial Board, DoveMed Team

0 Comments

Please log in to post a comment.

Related Articles

Test Your Knowledge

Asked by users

Related Centers

Loading

Related Specialties

Loading card

Related Physicians

Related Procedures

Related Resources

Join DoveHubs

and connect with fellow professionals

Related Directories

Who we are

At DoveMed, our utmost priority is your well-being. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we're more than just an information hub - we genuinely care about your health journey. That's why we offer a variety of products tailored for both healthcare consumers and professionals, because we believe in empowering everyone involved in the care process.
Our mission is to create a user-friendly healthcare technology portal that helps you make better decisions about your overall health and well-being. We understand that navigating the complexities of healthcare can be overwhelming, so we strive to be a reliable and compassionate companion on your path to wellness.
As an impartial and trusted online resource, we connect healthcare seekers, physicians, and hospitals in a marketplace that promotes a higher quality, easy-to-use healthcare experience. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies. At DoveMed, we are a group of passionate individuals who deeply care about improving health and wellness for people everywhere. Your well-being is at the heart of everything we do.

© 2023 DoveMed. All rights reserved. It is not the intention of DoveMed to provide specific medical advice. DoveMed urges its users to consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and answers to their personal medical questions. Always call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you have a medical emergency!