The long-term consequences of poor infant nutrition, particularly in the first weeks after birth, are becoming clearer thanks to a new study. Preterm, underweight babies who benefited from a higher energy intake –specifically more protein and fats- during the first three weeks of life had healthier body weights in their 20s (as measured by a […]
Moving beyond the overly simplistic unhealthy lifestyle paradigm, researchers are slowly uncovering the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms behind obesity. Recent research by Ludmer Centre researcher Dr Patricia P Silveira at McGill and the Douglas Institute and her colleagues has shown that altered dopamine signaling may increase a preference for more palatable high-sugar foods leading to a risk […]
Could a genetic variant in our DNA decrease susceptibility to stress and overeating? Glucocorticoids, which are linked to overeating, regulate our body’s energy supply in response to stress. Ludmer Centre researcher Dr Patricia P Silveira and colleagues from research institutes in Brazil, Toronto and Montreal found that adolescents who carry an A3669G variant of the […]
Do you remember what you had for dinner last night? The hippocampus, a brain structure linked to memory formation, participates in this mental process. Memory impairment, such as an inability to remember what you ate, is an early sign of hippocampal damage due to insulin resistance, which itself further disrupts a person’s feeding patterns. […]