Dieting could be revolutionized, thanks to the ground-breaking discovery by the University of Warwick of the key brain cells which control our appetite.
Professor Nicholas Dale in the School of Life Sciences has identified for the first time that tanycytes – cells found in part of the brain that controls energy levels – detect nutrients in food and tell the brain directly about the food we have eaten.
According to the new research, tanycytes in the brain respond to amino acids found in foods, via the same receptors that sense the flavor of amino acids (“umami” taste), which are found in the taste buds of the tongue.
