The Hunger Games: Appetite Regulation and Weight Control by Gut Hormones
Dr Heidi de Wet
Head of Department Seminar Series
Friday, 28 November 2014, 1pm to 1.30pm
Sherrington Large Lecture Theatre, Sherrington Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3PT
The human diet has changed dramatically over the last decade and today 64% of Britons are overweight. Obesity is the main contributing factor to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and it is estimated that this will cost the NHS £16.9 billion per year by 2035. Among current clinical treatments, however, gastrointestinal (GI) surgery remains the only approach capable of achieving significant, long-term sustained weight loss. This is primarily attributed to a change in the physiology and appetite-regulating functions of gut hormones. The cross-talk between gut hormones and their downstream target organs, as well as the role these peptides play in the regulation of food intake through appetite modulation, is therefore an area of intense research. In this talk I will give a brief overview of what is currently known about gut peptides, their receptors and their endocrine control of energy metabolism. I will also discuss my latest research into the gut hormone peptide, GLP -1.
If you have a question about this talk, please contact Sarah Noujaim.