Lora Heisler (University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK)
New insights into the brain control of food choice and obesity
Obesity has become one of the key medical and economic challenges. Glucagon-likepeptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists such as semaglutide (Ozempic) improve obesity by reducing food intake by acting a brain GLP-1Rs. Specifically how the reduction in food ingestion is achieved is still under investigation. Some reports indicate that semaglutide promotes changes in food preferences1, though there are challenges to study this in the real world in people over time2. In a controlled laboratory setting, we investigated the effect of GLP-1R agonists on food and drink choice and preference in wild type dietary-induced obese mice. Our findings provide insight into one of the ways that GLP-1R agonists reduce caloric intake to promote the therapeutic effect of weight loss.
References:
1. Blundell J, et al. Effects of once-weekly semaglutide on appetite, energy intake, control of eating, food preference and body weight in subjects with obesity. Diabetes Obes Metab., 2017. doi: 10.1111/dom.12932
2. Bettadapura S, et al. Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities. Int J Obes., 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01500-y
