Obesity induced by fat palatability and mental stress

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H04924
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Food science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Matsumura Shigenobu 京都大学, 農学研究科, 助教 (70467413)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 佐々木 勉 大阪大学, 医学系研究科, 講師 (20534879)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 肥満 / 嗜好性 / 油脂 / ストレス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Generally, high-fat diets cause obesity very rapidly, and the dietary fat contained in the diets is thought to be the most likely cause of hyperphagia and obesity in mice. However, in our current study, voluntary ingestion of corn oil did not cause obesity. We observed that corn oil ingestion increased both the daily caloric intake and energy expenditure. It is still unclear why mice increased their energy expenditure by corn oil ingestion. It might be possible that the increase in energy expenditure by corn oil ingestion was a compensatory mechanism to prevent excessive fat accumulation.
Nest, we found that corticosterone (CORT) administration and dietary fat ingestion have synergistic effects on body weight gain. These results suggest that CORT affects metabolic diseases depending on the fat content of a meal. Based on these results, CORT may contribute to a negative cycle that promotes metabolic disease.

Free Research Field

栄養化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本実験によりストレスと高脂肪食の摂取が協調的にはたらき肥満を招く可能性が示された。ストレスは油脂の摂取量を増大させ、エネルギー消費を招くことが肥満の一因となることが考えられる。
しかしながらこれと同時に高脂肪食を食べ過ぎてもストレスなど他の肥満に関連する要因がなかれば肥満しないという新たな可能性も示された。これはエネルギー消費量の増加によるものであるが、摂食量だけではなくエネルギー消費量が肥満するかしないかの鍵となることが示された。今後、このメカニズムが明らかになれば脂肪の摂取を気にすることなく美味しく食べて健康な食生活を送る足がかりになるものと期待される。