Can we control cholesterol by controlling hunger? The amount of cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream is partly regulated by the brain, a study in mice suggests.
It counters assumptions that levels are solely controlled by what we eat and by cholesterol production in the liver.
The US study in Nature Neuroscience found that a hunger hormone in the brain acts as the "remote control" for cholesterol travelling round the body.
Too much cholesterol causes hardened fatty arteries, raising the risk of a heart attack.
The research carried out by a US team at the University of Cincinnati found that increased levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin in mice caused the animals to develop higher levels of blood-circulating cholesterol.
Levels in the blood rise because signals from the brain prompt the liver to store less cholesterol, the researchers said.
It is known that ghrelin inhibits a receptor in the brain in its role in regulating food intake and energy use.
In a separate experiment, they found that blocking this receptor in mice also increased levels of cholesterol in the blood.
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Maybe, just maybe, we should be looking at having smaller, more frequent, meals. This could maintain a feeling of "fullness" for longer. As far as herbs go, St. John's Wart is one, amongst others, that is reputed to be a natural appetite suppressant. The amino-acids L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine have also been used to reduce hunger pangs. And one last thing, recent research tells us that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat, so eating foods with a lower fat content may help control cholesterol levels.
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