According to an animal model study, scientists have found that babies who are born underweight are prone to obesity as they get older. Babies whose growth had been restricted in the womb because of the mother's malnutrition, hunger, or her reluctance to gain weight during pregnancy are born underweight. If this is the case, during the development as a fetus, the level of appetite-producing neuropeptides in the hypothalamus (the portion of the brain that controls a variety of functions, one of the main ones being hunger) increase, resulting in a natural tendency to increase the intake of food. In a recent rodent model study, researchers found that the amount of neuropeptides that increase appetite but decrease energy investment went up, while the number of neuropeptides that decrease appetite but increase energy investment went down. This means the hypothalamus was set to consume as many calories it could without any feeling of satisfaction.
This article relates to our studies of the nervous system and homeostatic imbalances. The hypothalamus is part of the brain, which is part of the Central Nervous System. The hypothalamus controls autonomic functions, such as hunger, thirst, and temperature, and is a crucial part in maintaining homeostasis. Since the hypothalami of underweight babies are affected, the homeostatic balance of appetite-controlling neuropeptides is affected. Obesity is also a homeostatic imbalance because it disrupts many important body functions, as well as getting in the way of almost every body system, including the circulatory, integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems.
What changes would you recommend to women who are pregnant in order to decrease the production of appetite-producing neuropeptides without disrupting her own homeostatic balance?
ReplyDeleteWomen who maintain a regular balance of nutrition will be able to prevent the production of these neuropeptides. For example, a woman would eat according to the Food Guide Pyramid and be willing to gain some weight during pregnancy.
DeleteAfter this discovery of homeostatic imbalance in underweight babies, what steps after birth can be done to restore the balance of appetite-controlling neuropeptides and prevent the baby from becoming obese?
ReplyDeleteAccording to recent research, babies who are put on a diet of regulated calories were less likely to become obese as they get older. However, this must be done under strict guidance of a doctor, since different babies have different needs.
Delete