Difficulty Dieting?

We all know how frustrating it can be to start a diet and realize a month later that the results are just not showing. Well a new study conducted by Cell Press journal in the August issue of Cell Metabolism claims to have some answers for weight-loss seekers. 

This recent report found that when people don't eat frequently enough, such as when they may be on a diet, neurons located in the brain telling them that they're hungry start to eat little bits of themselves. This then indicates to the rest of their body and brain that they are hungry. This is one study that helps to explain why it is so challenging for people struggling with their diets.

The process that takes place inside the brain's hypothalamus and is essentially considered to be a system of self-eating, or autophagy. Rajat Singh from Albert Einstein College of Medicine believes that this new finding could suggest that blocking autophagy could help with the battle against obesity by helping to fight people's hunger. Previously, it was believed that the brain was resistant to autophagy, but this study has shown the unique features of hypothalamic neurons that are comparable to the positions played by other neurons.

The next step in this research appears to be moving towards finding ways in which we can use this knowledge to help fight obesity and to finding more solid evidence that looks at variations in metabolism that arise with age given that autophagy declines with age.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.