Overconsumption Of High-Fat Diet Damages Weight Control Areas Of Brain

Overweight and obese people who consume a high-fat diet are at risk for damage to the cells in the brain that control body weight, researchers at the University of Washington have found in an animal study. The researchers fed groups of six to 10 rats and mice a high-fat diet for one day to eight months in an effort to determine the short- and long-term effects. Detailed analyses on the animals' brains found that the animals fed the high-fat diet gained weight, developed inflammation in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain containing neurons that control body weight, and other brain abnormalities. The authors suggested that neuronal damage resulting from overconsumption of the typical Western diet makes it difficult to achieve sustained weight loss.