Two groups of researchers have independently reached the same conclusion: it could be your liver – and not your good judgment – that keeps you from gorging on marzipan, nougat, polvorones and other sweets during Christmas. These scientists have found evidence that a hormone related to this organ (FGF21) regulates sugar intake in mice. One of the studies has discovered that this same substance is the cause that primates stop consuming sweets after a certain point.
Matthew Potthoff, from the University of Iowa and lead author of one of the papers, explains that “many studies have analyzed the mechanisms that regulate addictive behavior towards sweets, but few have delved into how it changes after ingestion.” For his part, Steven A. Kliewer, from the University of Southwest Texas and responsible for the other research, indicates that “FGF21 can have important effects on the nervous system and behavior.”
Kliewer and his colleagues have found that FGF21 influences the preference for sugar displayed by mice and monkeys. In fact, a single dose of the hormone stopped monkeys from being interested in fresh water. And Potthoff’s work has shown that the liver of mice produces FGF21 in response to ingestion of sugars. In rodents, this hormone passes into the bloodstream and suppresses the appetite for sugar by acting on the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates food intake.
These are just the first steps in studying how FGF21 regulates appetite; It remains to be seen if it works in the same way in human beings, in which factors such as mood, education and customs come into play. Delving into the role of this hormone in preventing excessive sugar consumption could lead to improved future treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
