New Delhi, 2 June (IANS). Amidst an increase in obesity rate globally, a study has shown that overweight can cause mental health problems such as anxiety and also affect the functioning of the brain.
Studies conducted on animals showed that both these conditions may be connected through interaction between the intestine and the brain.
This research conducted on mice has added to dietary-inspired obesity, such as symptoms, changes in brain signaling, and differences in microorganisms of the intestine. Which can obstruct the functioning of the brain.
“Our findings suggest that obesity can give rise to behavior such as Associate Professor and Nutrition Department at Georgia State University in the US, which may lead to behavior such as obesity anxiety, which may be due to the functioning of the brain and changes in the health of the intestine.”
In addition to other threats of obesity such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease, the study focused on its potential effects on brain health, using a mouse model. Which develops many problems related to obesity seen in humans.
The team placed six weeks of mice on low -fat diet (16) and high -fat diet (16) for 21 weeks.
As the forecast was made, the weight of highly fatty diet rats was quite high and their body fat was also much higher than the mice taking low fatty diet.
In behavioral trials, researchers found that thick mice displayed more worrying behaviors than lean mice, such as chilling (defensive behavior displayed by mice against the possibility of danger).
These mice also showed different signs in the hypothalamus (the region of the brain which is involved in regulating metabolism, which can contribute to cognitive loss).
In addition, researchers saw a clear difference in the structure of the intestine bacteria in lean mice compared to coarse mice.
“These findings may have significant impact on both public health and personal decisions,” Wanders said.
“The study highlights the potential effect of obesity on mental health, especially in terms of anxiety. By understanding the relationship between the diet, brain health and intestine microbyota, this research can help direct public health initiatives that focus on prevention of obesity and preliminary intervention, especially in children and adolescents.”
These findings will be presented at Nutrition 2025, the major annual meeting of the ongoing American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, Florida.
-IANS
AKS/GKT
