from the journal PLoS Biology
Physical activity has long been
considered important in the
treatment of obesity, but now there
is better understanding of how
exercise helps control body weight.
Certainly other factors, such as
changing eating habits, are
important. However, Brazilian
researchers at the University of
Campinas investigated the belief that
excessive consumption of fat creates
failures in signaling circuits of the
brain resulting in uncontrollable food
intake, and then, obesity. They
found exercise restores sensitivity of
signals involved in control of satiety
or feeling full in obese laboratory
animals, resulting in reduced food
intake. The study, appearing in PLoS
Biology, may bring hope to the more
than forty percent of the world’s
population that suffers from weight
problems.