For many people, it’s a dream come true: Eat as much as you like while losing weight.
And while researchers in the past may have brushed off these ideations as nothing more than wishful thinking, a surprising new study from The Scripps Research Institute says there finally may be a way to do this.
“Boosting serotonin signaling has been seen as a viable strategy for weight loss in people, but our results hint that boosting serotonin plus adrenaline should produce more potent effects–and there is already some evidence that that’s the case,” says Supriya Srinivasan, an assistant professor from The Scripps Research Institute who led the study. “We wonder if boosting not just serotonin but serotonin plus a little bit of adrenaline is the real key to more potent weight loss.”
Investigating the effects of certain chemicals on weight loss, Srinivasan and her team of researchers examined a worm called the Caenorhabditis elegans, a worm whose metabolism is strikingly similar to humans. Researchers then experimented with the worm’s epinephrine and serotonin levels, playing off of Srinivasan’s previous theory that chemicals other than serotonin may play a role in weight loss.
In doing so, they discovered something odd: When active, epinephrine in combination with serotonin speeds up a type of metabolic circuit that helps break down more fat before it is absorbed.
In layman’s terms, this means the worm consumed calories without it being processed by the body–a huge finding.
“That was a very interesting finding, especially since other studies suggest that these two neurotransmitters tend to oppose each other’s functions,” says Tallie Noble, a research assistant and one of the study’s authors.
The Importance of Epinephrine
Brain chemicals have a powerful impact on all of our bodily functions–but could it now help you lose more weight? While the research is solid, say experts, not everyone thinks this research will reap positive results for the obesity epidemic in American–one expected to triple soon.
“The study is very intriguing,” says John Cashman, president of the Human BioMolecular Research Institute in San Diego, California. “The issues with epi(nephrine) or amphetamine abuse are pretty widely known but continue to plague the population. I am concerned that people on anti-depressants like serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac will start taking epi.”
While other experts also acknowledge that epinephrine abuse is also a real concern (this study may tempt more people to follow that route), there may be other ways to get an epinephrine fix without having to take prescription drugs.
“There are two general ways to increase epinephrine levels from your diet,” says LIVESTRONG, an online health website. “You can consume tyrosine directly, but your body produces most of the tyrosine that it needs regardless of what you eat. The other option is to consume the amino acid phenylalanine, which your body uses to convert into tyrosine.”
As for the best way to get enough phenylalanine, you’ll find it in familiar foods, such as seafood, eggs, soybeans, and even poultry. Better yet, most of these foods are rich in protein–a macronutrient that could decrease your appetite.
Readers: Would you try this to lose weight?
Sources:
Foods That Produce High Epinephrine Levels – Livestrong.com
Study: Epinephrine Helps Body Burn More Fat – Scripps.edu
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