Health News: According to the World Health Organization, 2.5 billion people around the world are either obese or overweight. This means that one out of every 8 adults is obese. The situation in India is even more frightening because most of the people in India have fat on their stomach which is more dangerous. According to the Lancet report, 35 crore people in India are victims of abdominal obesity and 25 crore people are victims of overall obesity. The concrete reason for how obesity is distributed throughout the body has not been known yet, but for the first time, scientists at Harvard University have found a way for the liver to control obesity and sugar.
What is this revolutionary discovery?
According to this research published in the journal Cell Metabolism, certain types of particles are released from our intestines which are called metabolites. These particles reach the liver directly from the intestines through a vein called the hepatic portal vein. After the liver, these particles go to the heart and from there they are transported throughout the body through blood. Research has found that these metabolites instruct the liver how to behave towards insulin and how much fat to store in the body. This discovery is big because now scientists will be able to make such medicines which can directly prevent diabetes and obesity by changing these instructions.
‘Triangle’ of intestine, liver and heart
Vitor Rosato Munoz, author of this study and professor at the University of Sao Paulo, explained that metabolites work like a network in our body. The hepatic portal vein supplies most of the blood from our intestines to the liver. This is the reason that whatever elements or products the bacteria present in our intestines make, they first reach the liver through this route. Here the liver processes these elements. That is, it changes them into some other element or combines them in some other form or destroys them completely. Only after this these elements enter the blood circulation of our entire body. This creates a supply line.
- Intestine: The bacteria or stomach microbes present here digest the food and produce metabolites.
- Liver: This is the first station where these particles i.e. metabolites reach. Here the liver processes them or converts them into energy.
- Heart : These particles pass through the liver and reach the heart. Pumps pure and nutritious blood from the heart to the entire body.
- this one There is a process that decides whether your metabolism will be superfast or slow.
Effect of diet and genetics
During the study, experiments conducted on rats revealed that when rats that were genetically predisposed to obesity were given a high-fat diet, the number of good metabolites reaching their liver reduced from 111 to only 48. This means that bad food not only leads to weight gain, but it also blocks the chemical messages that keep the body healthy.
Mesaconate: the magic drug of the future?
When scientists understood the pathway of fat, they identified a special element called mesaconate during research. When they exposed liver cells to mesaconate, the results were surprising. Due to this, improvement in insulin signaling was seen. That means the body started processing sugar better. At the same time, fat started being controlled. The process of fat accumulation in the liver slowed down. Apart from this, the Krebs cycle, the body’s process of producing energy, got faster. That means it boosted energy.
Why is this a ray of hope for diabetes patients?
Till now, in the treatment of diabetes, we only maintain the sugar level. But this research by Harvard attacks the ‘root cause’ of the disease. Scientists believe that such ‘probiotic’ or ‘metabolite therapy’ may be introduced in the future, with the help of which people will be able to control their weight and sugar without any side effects.
Expert Tips
When we discussed this whole issue with experts in metabolic disorders Dr. Paras Aggarwal When talked to, he said that efforts are being made to find the root cause of obesity and diabetes all over the world. It should be expected that its results will be better. But all this will take a lot of time. Therefore, the best way to reduce obesity is to exercise for half to an hour every day. Walk more. Control calories. Do not eat unnecessarily and drink enough water. Eat home-cooked food as much as possible, do not eat processed, packaged food from outside. Say bye to alcohol and cigarettes and increase the intake of green vegetables, fruits, dry fruits, seeds etc.
