- Researchers assert that the chemical oxerin enables our ability to opt for physical activity.
- The same chemical could work in humans to develop treatments for obesity
Faced with the temptation of tasty snacks, making the decision to get off the sofa and hit the gym can seem impossible.
But there is good news for couch potatoes - scientists have discovered the chemical that makes us choose exercise over indulgence.
Researchers at ETH Zurich discovered that a brain chemical known as oxerin significantly influences the decision to engage in physical activity.
During laboratory experiments, mice whose oxerin system was inhibited devoted more time to consuming a tasty milkshake and less time spinning on their exercise wheels.
According to the researchers, this chemical could have similar effects in humans, possibly leading to the development of a drug that motivates us to hit the gym.
Globally, many individuals fail to engage in sufficient physical activity for maintaining optimal health.
According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 80 percent of teenagers and 27 percent of adults fail to get sufficient physical activity.
Coupled with the availability of calorie-dense, highly processed foods this has culminated in an 'epidemic of obesity'.
Professor Denis Burdakov says: 'Despite these statistics, many people manage to resist the constantly present temptations and get enough exercise.
'We were curious about what within our brains enables us to make such decisions.'
To comprehend how we resist urges to give in, the scientists positioned mice inside a chamber featuring eight passageways that led to various choices.
Among these options, one was a spinning disk for exercising, while another was either vacant or filled with a particularly tempting treat—a strawberry milkshake.
With no intervention in their neurological processes, the mice divided their time equally among exercise sessions and consuming either their standard diet of chow or the newly introduced milkshake.
Nevertheless, when the scientists inhibited the oxerin system with either a pharmaceutical compound or genetic alteration, the mice showed considerably less enthusiasm for physical activity.
When compared to mice with an active oserin system, the altered mice dedicated twice as much time at the 'milkshake bar' and only half as much time engaging in physical activity.
Notably, when the mice were put into a chamber containing either a milkshake or an exercise wheel, disrupting their oserin systems had no impact on their behavior.
Professor Burdakov states: "This indicates that the main function of the orexin system isn’t about managing how active the mice are or how much they consume; instead, it appears crucial for deciding which action to take—whether moving around or eating—when these choices coexist."
Previously, numerous scientists attempted to elucidate our dietary or physical activity behaviors by examining the neurotransmitter dopamine.
This chemical plays a key role in overall motivation, yet it may not be crucial in determining why we opt to perform one action instead of another.
Professor Burdakov explains, "Our brains produce dopamine during eating as well as during physical activity; however, this doesn’t clarify why we opt for one behavior over the alternative."
By identifying oxerin as a key component, the researchers aim to open up possibilities for therapies that could produce comparable outcomes in humans.
Dr. Daria Peleg-Raibstein, one of the co-authors, states: "By comprehending how the brain balances food intake with physical exercise, we could devise better approaches to tackle the worldwide obesity crisis and associated metabolic issues."
The research team thinks that there is a strong possibility that a drug designed to block oxezin could produce similar effects in humans as observed in mice.
Researchers have discovered that approximately one out of every 2,000 individuals possess a limited orexin system.
These individuals often also suffer from narcolepsy, which is Why do drugs that inhibit orexin activity also help with treating insomnia?
Although the scientists involved in this study will keep their attention on the fundamental neurochemistry of oxerin, they indicate that additional clinical trials can now proceed.
Dr. Peleg-Raibstein adds: "The next step will involve validating our findings in human subjects."
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