Turns out bones are needed for more than just support. In fact, they might just be able to keep one’s weight in
check. This is according to a recent study conducted on different types of mice.
The study suggests that bones play a vital role in tracking weight more than was initially expected, and could even help in controlling one’s appetite! In the process, it has also posed an interesting question. Could the discombulation of sensitive bones be one of the underlying factors as to why people gain weight when living a sedentary lifestyle?
It’s no secret that the human body, just like the internal organs, is accustomed to putting itself within certain parameters to maintain optimal health. That being said, weight is certainly one of them.
This is why it’s relatively easier to maintain a certain weight over a long period of time. Regardless of whether one is obese or skinny. This largely takes place due to the body’s natural biological preference to homeostasis.
Or in other words, physiological stability. Thus, this triggers the body to gain weight whenever one loses some and to lose some whenever one gains.
That being said, for one to be able to achieve this kind of stability, the body must be able to sense the current weight that one is at, take note of when the weight changes, and then respond to the weight change.
Science still hasn’t clarified how the body manages to execute this trick.
However a couple of years back, scientists did stumble across one of the most likely mechanisms in the name of leptin.
Time warping back to biology class, leptin is a natural hormone that is released by fat cells. Hence, when people add more fat, they naturally produce more leptin. In the sense, the brain will notice this increase in leptin, and will automatically reduce one’s appetite to shed off the excess weight.
However, it’s clear that this system is not perfect because if it was, then no one would add weight.
Scientists then decided to have a look at the bones. In bones, there are cells called osteocytes that normally recognize external forces affecting bones and thus, send biochemical signals to counter these forces.
When mice bred to have low osteocytes were used in the experiment, it was discovered that they were unable to adapt to the new artificial weight added by the capsules, hence proving that bones have a monumental role as weight watchers for the body.
That being said, perhaps this will prove the next big step to ensuring effective weight-watching techniques to be developed around bones. Hence, one needs to be looking after their bones effectively. So whenever one experiences a back injury such as a disc desiccation, they should immediately get in touch with an Echiro Practor.
Now the new study that was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences attempted to find out the other process that might be at work behind the scenes.
In the experiment, the scientists placed tiny capsules in the bodies of mice that equated to about 15 percent of the animal’s body mass.
Hence, the animals would naturally feel that they had gained some weight.
The scientists then gave the rodents time to deal with the weight. In only two days, their bodies had gotten to work and lost the weight similar to the weight of the capsules. They were naturally eating less without any supervision.
When the capsules were removed from the rats, they increased the food intake to gain back the lost weight.
The scientists then tried the same experiment this time with mice bred to produce very little leptin. It was discovered that the mice still displayed similar results of losing weight when capsules were added, and adding weight when the capsules were dropped.