High fat diet may cause changes in the brain: study

October 24, 2016

Washington, Oct 24: In a recent study, scientists have discovered a new mechanism that regulates obesity. The study shows that this new mechanism can potentially be targeted to treat obesity.

highfatSenior author of the study Makoto Fukuda said, "It's well known that the brain is involved in the development of obesity, but how a high-fat diet changes the brain so it triggers the accumulation of body fat is still unclear."

The team studied the mouse Rap1 gene, which is expressed in a variety of tissues, including the brain where it is involved in functions such as memory and learning. Little was known, however, of the role brain Rap1 plays in energy balance.

To explore the role Rap1 plays in a mouse model, the scientists selectively deleted the Rap1 gene in a group of neurons in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that is involved in regulating whole-body metabolism.

The scientists had two groups of mice. In one group, the mice were genetically engineered to lack the Rap1 gene, while the control group had a functional Rap 1 gene. Then, the scientists fed the mice in both groups a high-fat diet in which 60 percent of the calories came from fat.

As expected, the control mice with a working Rap1 gene gained weight, but, in comparison, the mice that lacked Rap 1 had markedly reduced body weight and less body fat. Interestingly, when both groups of mice were fed a normal diet, both showed similar weights and body fat.

The scientists then looked closer at why the mice lacking the Rap1 gene had not gained weight despite eating a high-fat diet.

"We observed that the mice lacking Rap1 were not more physically active. However, they ate less and burned more body fat than mice with Rap1," said Fukuda.

Adding, "These observations were associated with the hypothalamus producing more of a hormone that reduces appetite, called POMC, and less of hormones that stimulate appetite, called NPY and AgRP." These mice also had lower levels of blood glucose and insulin than controls.

The scientists also were interested in studying whether leptin changed in mice lacking Rap1.

Leptin, the 'satiety hormone' produced by fatty tissue, helps regulate body weight by inhibiting appetite. Obese people, however, do not respond to leptin's signals of satiety, and the blood levels of leptin are higher than those in non-obese people. Leptin resistance is a hallmark of human obesity.

Mice that lacked Rap1 and ate a high-fat diet, on the other hand, did not develop leptin resistance; they were able to respond to leptin and this was reflected in the hormone's lower blood levels.

The team also tested the effect of inhibiting Rap1 with drugs instead of deleting the gene on mice on a high-fat diet. The scientists inhibited RAP1 action with inhibitor ESI-05.

"When we administered ESI-05 to obese mice, we restored their sensitivity to leptin to a level similar to that in mice eating a normal diet. The mice ate less and lost weight," he said.

The scientists have shown a new mechanism by which the brain can affect the development of obesity triggered by consuming a high-fat diet.

Consuming a high-fat diet results in changes in the brain that increase Rap1 activity, which in turn leads to a decreased sensitivity to leptin, and this sets the body on a path to obesity.

"This new mechanism involving Rap1 in the brain may represent a potential therapeutic target for treating human obesity in the future," said Fukuda.

The study appeared in Cell Reports today.

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Agencies
May 6,2020

Washington D.C., May 5: Working from home has become the new normal ever since the outbreak of coronavirus and in today's time the work duties can be easily dealt with by means of mobile devices at home.

However, this easy use of technology, mobile devices for that matter, has the potential to blur the fine line between work and the other daily life routines.

But, contrary to the belief, a study at the University of Jyvaskyla reveals that the mixing of work and other daily life routines may have more benefits than previously assumed, and points to the importance of boundary-spanning communication.

A smartphone enables phone calls, email, and file transfers from the comfort of home. The study shows that there may be more effective ways to maximise the benefits of smartphone use, without diminishing employees' flexibility and the use of these technologies.

"People often forget to talk about positive effects, such as autonomy and freedom the employees gain when they have the flexibility to schedule their work," said Postdoctoral Researcher Ward van Zoonen from JYU, who with his colleagues examined the use of smartphones for work matters outside working hours.

The study paid special attention to the benefits of talking about domestic matters with the immediate supervisor outside the working hours given to an employee.

"This reduces the conflict between work and other life," van Zoonen said.

"If people in an organisation strive for more dialogue between employees' different life domains, it is possible to create a functional environment where people can talk about different matters."

The research findings show that when employees communicate across boundaries and talk at work about their life in other respects, they can receive new kinds of support and understanding from their immediate supervisor.

"This kind of communication creates a low threshold for contacting one's supervisor, which helps employees build a balance between the different domains of their lives and strengthens their organisational identification," said Professor Anu Sivunen describing the findings.

This means that tight working time restrictions to protect employees might not be beneficial after all, if they hinder reaching the positive results indicated in this research.

For the study, a survey was taken of 367 employees who were asked questions such as -- how much they talk about their work with their family, and how much they talk about their family with their immediate supervisor.

"Both supervisors and their employees answered the surveys, and the study actually focused on their mutual communication," Sivunen said.

"Usually people at workplaces are interested in how communication within the work community is succeeding. It is often forgotten how an immediate supervisor can take an employer's other life into account and thereby help the employee gain work-related benefits."

"Communication with one's immediate supervisor during flexible working hours, also on matters other than work, could ease the daily lives of many employees if they could share the possible challenges of their family life or free time with their supervisor in these settings," Sivunen added.

According to the study, such a practice could make the supervisor aware of the employee's situation as he/she works from home and the related impacts on their work performances.

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Agencies
March 16,2020

New Delhi, Mar 16: A recent survey across 140 districts of the country shows that about 54 per cent of Indians are finding travelling to be unsafe as the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeps globally.

The big worry that people have is community transmission, something that researchers from around the world have approximated at 10 per cent of total infections and more common in places like Wuhan in China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.

The months of March to June have historically been high travel season for most Indians, largely due to the summer vacations in schools. "But it seems that Indians do not want to take a chance with this rather scary virus and are either cancelling or postponing their travel plans," concluded the survey by LocalCircles.

The survey gathered more than 22,000 responses from participants in tier one, two and three cities. It said 48 per cent Indians plan to cancel their international business travel for the next four months.

Besides, nearly 38 per cent of respondents said they had to pay cancellation fee to the website, travel agent, airline or railways.

"These are testing times for the entire travel and tourism industry -- airlines, hotels, travel agents as well as small tour and taxi operators. The best solution at this point is to adjust cost structures, stay flexible and work with a collective approach to minimise the period of impact to both citizens and business," said LocalCircles.

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Agencies
April 28,2020

As the world grapples with the impact of the novel coronavirus, daily interaction with the outside world --- public and retail spaces, restaurants, educational institutions, and even with each other has been and will continue to be reoriented prioritising personal hygiene and public health.

The sensibilities are building towards and leading to major changes in how the country's food service industry is expected to operate.

Based on a recent consumer survey by restaurant tech platform, Dineout, Indian diners are now ranking safety assurances and premier hygiene as top factors when it comes to choosing a restaurant to dine in.

The survey by Dineout conducted across 20 cities revealed that in a post-COVID-19 era, 81 per cent diners will prefer digital menus at restaurants, while 77 per cent of people will continue to want to dine out.

The survey found that 23 per cent people would prefer continuing with delivery/takeaway and online payment becomes the most preferred option with 60 per cent votes.
 
Diner's response to Contactless Dining:

 

Over 96 per cent demand better waitlist management
 
81 per cent consumers would rather scan a QR on their phone to place an order instead of handling physical menus or tablet-based digital menus.
 
After a dining experience, 60 per cent prefer seamless wallet-based digital payments over cash/cards 85 per cent would choose a digital valet over waiting in possibly contaminated public spaces and 84 per cent would prefer offering digital feedback over physical feedback collection.

 

What do people want to eat?
 
The report also revealed that most of India has been craving Pizza since the lockdown, except in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata where their popular and indigenous Biryani recipes reign supreme. 
 
Which restaurants are diners waiting to go to?
 
77 per cent respondents claimed that they are waiting to dine out with friends and family once the lockdown is lifted.
 
Big Chill, Barbeque Nation and Social emerged as favourites in Delhi, while Mumbaikars picked Global Fusion, Poptates and Asia Kitchen. Bangaloreans miss going to pubs like Toit, Vapour and Barbeque Nation.
 
Aminia, Arsalan and Momo I Am emerge as the top picks in Kolkata.
 
Contrary to popular belief, Delhitties picked vegetarian over non-vegetarian food.
 
Bangaloreans and Lucknowis would rather have their drinks over food.
 
Besides the new parameters for restaurant selection, the factors deciding consumer delight have also seen a major overhaul as hygiene takes precedence. Consumers would prefer that the total number of reservations in a certain period be limited with the option to pre-select the seating, ample amounts of sanitisers at tables along with UV sanitised utensils whenever possible.
 
Hygiene ratings with detailed hygiene information, regular hygiene checks & usage of mask and disposable gloves by waiters are likely to be the new standard, with diners expecting service personnel to sanitise tables & chairs after every use.
 
Dineout recently unveiled the �contactless dining suite' to help restaurants survive and thrive in a post-COVID-19 world. The brand will also provide PPE Safety Kits to Restaurants to help ensure hygiene measures and is facilitating COVID free certification for restaurants through a licensed lab to ensure all microbiological tests are in place before restaurants restart post the lockdown.

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