Hormonal
Vagal afferent signaling mediates nutrient-specific learning and satiation, and its blunting in obesity contributes to excessive weight gain, while targeted neuromodulation (stimulation or blockade) can reduce food intake and body weight.
Your gut communicates directly with your brain via the vagus nerve to regulate hunger and satiety. In obesity, this signal can become blunted. Therapies that stimulate this nerve (like non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation) or mimic gut hormones (like GLP-1 agonists) can help restore this signaling, reducing food intake and aiding weight loss. Focus on strategies that support gut-brain communication.
Given that the sensitivity of gut vagal afferents is decreased in obese rodents (108), it will be important to further distinguish what comes first: obesity, or blunting of vagal afferent sensitivity (108).
Why this rating
The paper is a comprehensive review citing numerous animal studies and clinical trials, though it notes controversies and the need for more specific tools.
Source
Gut-brain communication and obesity: understanding functions of the vagus nerve
Hans‐Rudolf Berthoud et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2021
DOI 10.1172/jci143770
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →