In a struggle that probably sounds familiar to dieters everywhere, the less a Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ) worm eats, the more slowly it loses fat. Now, scientists at Scripps Research have discovered why: a small molecule produced by the worms' intestines during fasting travels to the brain to block a fat-burning signal during this time.
Although the exact molecule they identified in the worms has not yet been studied in humans, the new work helps scientists better understand the complex crosstalk between the gut and the brain. It also may shed light on why fasting-;not eating for set periods of time-;has benefits that are independent from the number of calories a person eats. The new study was published in Nature Communications on August 11, 2024.
We've found for the first time that fasting is conveying information to the brain beyond just caloric withdrawal. These findings make me wonder whether there are molecules made in the guts of other animals, including mammals, that explain some of the health outcomes associated with fasting." Supriya Srinivasan, PhD, Scripps Research Professor of Neuroscience, senior author of the new study Researchers have long known that the brain controls the production and breakdown of fats in humans, other mammals and model organisms such as C.
elegans . In 2017, Srinivasan's group identified FLP-7, a brain hormone that triggers fat burning in the roundworm's gut. However, C.
elegans do not have sensory nerves in their intestines, so s.