Scientists identify brain’s ‘fat controller’ nerve group

SCIENTISTS have identified the brain’s ‘fat controller’ — a group of nerves that sense changes in the body’s fuel supply to regulate appetite and metabolism.

The discovery could lead to new ways of helping obese people lose weight, either with drugs or carefully designed diets.

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati in the US demonstrated how a cell-signalling pathway known as mTOR allows the brain to sense how much energy the body has available.