Uncovering the Path from Obesity to Diabetes
As increasingly more people lead sedentary lifestyles and follow high-calorie diets, rates of obesity and related metabolic disorders such as diabetes are growing at epidemic proportions around the world . Many experts now view obesity and Type 2 diabetes as the most serious public health problems of the 21st century.
The progression from obesity to diabetes is tied to a complex mix of environmental and genetic factors. As Canada Research Chair in Obesity, Dr. Tony Lam is looking at the various
mechanisms in the brain’s central nervous system that may
be involved in this progression.
Lam is looking at the part of the brain known as the
hypothalamus. The hypothalamus has received significant attention in recent diabetes and obesity research because of its ability to detect rises in hormones that regulate food intake, body weight and glucose levels. In obese individuals and those with diabetes, these central nervous system-sensing mechanisms are disrupted, leading to an increase in blood glucose levels and body weight. Lam will examine these processes by studying nutrient-sensing mechanisms in the brain that regulate the body’s balance of glucose and energy.
Understanding the processes involved in obesity can offer us insights into how the central nervous system reacts to high-fat-induced obesity. Lam’s research could also help lead to the eventual development of new treatments for obesity and diabetes.
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