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Neural and Hormonal Controls of Macronutrient Intake

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 15588

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elizabeth G. Mietlicki-Baase

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Guest Editor

Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
Interests: obesity; energy balance; neuroscience; food reward; motivation; food choice

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past several decades, a substantial body of literature has been generated that characterizes a wide range of neural and hormonal mechanisms underlying food intake. However, many of these studies have focused on overall energy intake, and the mechanisms that control the intake of specific macronutrients have not been investigated as broadly. Several different factors, including detection of nutrient status, central integration and processing of nutrient-related information, feeding-relevant hormones, and learning processes, can all act to influence the intake of particular macronutrients. This Special Issue will focus on the neural and hormonal mechanisms governing the intake of fat, carbohydrate, and/or protein in animals and in humans.

Dr. Elizabeth Mietlicki-Baase
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

macronutrient
feeding
hormones
central nervous system

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2111 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sexually Dimorphic Effects of a Western Diet on Brain Mitochondrial Bioenergetics and Neurocognitive Function

by Magen N. Lord, Jun-Won Heo, Albino G. Schifino, Jessica R. Hoffman, Kristen N. Donohue, Jarrod A. Call and Emily E. Noble

Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4222; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124222 - 24 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1984

Abstract

A Western diet (WD), high in sugars and saturated fats, impairs learning and memory function and contributes to weight gain. Mitochondria in the brain provide energy for neurocognitive function and may play a role in body weight regulation. We sought to determine whether a WD alters behavior and metabolic outcomes in male and female rodents through impacting hippocampal and hypothalamic mitochondrial bioenergetics. Results revealed a sexually dimorphic macronutrient preference, where males on the WD consumed a greater percentage of calories from fat/protein and females consumed a greater percentage of calories from a sugar-sweetened beverage. Both males and females on a WD gained body fat and showed impaired glucose tolerance when compared to same-sex controls. Males on a WD demonstrated impaired hippocampal functioning and an elevated tendency toward a high membrane potential in hippocampal mitochondria. Comprehensive bioenergetics analysis of WD effects in the hypothalamus revealed a tissue-specific adaption, where males on the WD oxidized more fat, and females oxidized more fat and carbohydrates at peak energy demand compared to same-sex controls. These results suggest that adult male rats show a susceptibility toward hippocampal dysfunction on a WD, and that hypothalamic mitochondrial bioenergetics are altered by WD in a sex-specific manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural and Hormonal Controls of Macronutrient Intake)

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12 pages, 1579 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hypocaloric Dieting Unsettles the Neuroenergetic Homeostasis in Humans

by Ewelina K. Wardzinski, Carolin Hyzy, Kai Uwe Duysen, Uwe H. Melchert, Kamila Jauch-Chara and Kerstin M. Oltmanns

Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3433; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13103433 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2076

Abstract

Background: The effects of low-calorie dieting in obesity are disappointing in the long run. The brain’s energy homeostasis plays a key role in the regulation of body weight. We hypothesized that the cerebral energy status underlies an adaptation process upon body weight loss due to hypocaloric dieting in humans. Objective: We instructed 26 healthy obese participants to reduce body weight via replacement of meals by a commercial diet product for two weeks. The cerebral energy status was assessed by ³¹ phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31 PMRS) before and after low-caloric dieting as well as at follow-up. A standardized test buffet was quantified after body weight loss and at follow-up. Blood glucose metabolism and neurohormonal stress axis activity were monitored. Results: Weight loss induced a decline in blood concentrations of insulin (p = 0.002), C-peptide (p = 0.005), ACTH (p = 0.006), and norepinephrine (p = 0.012). ATP/Pi (p = 0.003) and PCr/Pi ratios (p = 0.012) were increased and NADH levels reduced (p = 0.041) after hypocaloric dieting. At follow-up, weight loss persisted (p < 0.001), while insulin, C-peptide, and ACTH increased (p < 0.005 for all) corresponding to baseline levels again. Despite repealed hormonal alterations, ratios of PCr/Pi remained higher (p = 0.039) and NADH levels lower (p = 0.007) 6 weeks after ending the diet. ATP/Pi ratios returned to baseline levels again (p = 0.168). Conclusion: Low-calorie dieting reduces neurohormonal stress axis activity and increases the neuroenergetic status in obesity. This effect was of a transient nature in terms of stress hormonal measures. In contrast, PCr/Pi ratios remained increased after dieting and at follow-up while NADH levels were still reduced, which indicates a persistently unsettled neuroenergetic homeostasis upon diet-induced rapid body weight loss. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural and Hormonal Controls of Macronutrient Intake)

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15 pages, 2003 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Replacing a Palatable High-Fat Diet with a Low-Fat Alternative Heightens κ-Opioid Receptor Control over Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine

by Conner W. Wallace, Nari S. Beatty, Sarah A. Hutcherson, Heather A. Emmons, Madison C. Loudermilt and Steve C. Fordahl

Nutrients 2021, 13(7), 2341; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13072341 - 09 Jul 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2759

Abstract

Diet-induced obesity reduces dopaminergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and stressful weight loss interventions could promote cravings for palatable foods high in fat and sugar that stimulate dopamine. Activation of κ-opioid receptors (KORs) reduces synaptic dopamine, but contribution of KORs to lower dopamine tone after dietary changes is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the function of KORs in C57BL/6 mice that consumed a 60% high-fat diet (HFD) for six weeks followed by replacement of HFD with a control 10% fat diet for one day or one week. HFD replacement induced voluntary caloric restriction and weight loss. However, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry revealed no differences in baseline dopamine parameters, whereas sex effects were revealed during KOR stimulation. NAc core dopamine release was reduced by KOR agonism after one day of HFD replacement in females but after one week of HFD replacement in males. Further, elevated plus-maze testing revealed no diet effects during HFD replacement on overt anxiety. These results suggest that KORs reduce NAc dopamine tone and increase food-related anxiety during dietary weight loss interventions that could subsequently promote palatable food cravings and inhibit weight loss. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural and Hormonal Controls of Macronutrient Intake)

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18 pages, 2464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fat and Carbohydrate Interact to Potentiate Food Reward in Healthy Weight but Not in Overweight or Obesity

by Emily E. Perszyk, Zach Hutelin, Jessica Trinh, Arsene Kanyamibwa, Sophie Fromm, Xue S. Davis, Kathryn M. Wall, Kyle D. Flack, Alexandra G. DiFeliceantonio and Dana M. Small

Nutrients 2021, 13(4), 1203; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13041203 - 06 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4196

Abstract

Prior work suggests that actual, but not estimated, energy density drives the reinforcing value of food and that energy from fat and carbohydrate can interact to potentiate reward. Here we sought to replicate these findings in an American sample and to determine if the effects are influenced by body mass index (BMI). Thirty participants with healthy weight (HW; BMI 21.92 ± 1.77; M ± SD) and 30 participants with overweight/obesity (OW/OB; BMI 29.42 ± 4.44) rated pictures of common American snacks in 120-kcal portions for liking, familiarity, frequency of consumption, expected satiety, healthiness, energy content, energy density, and price. Participants then completed an auction task where they bid for the opportunity to consume each food. Snacks contained either primarily carbohydrate, primarily fat, or roughly equal portions of fat and carbohydrate (combo). Replicating prior work, we found that participants with HW bid the most for combo foods in linear mixed model analyses. This effect was not observed among individuals with OW/OB. Additionally, in contrast with previous reports, our linear regression analyses revealed a negative relationship between the actual energy density of the snacks and bid amount that was mediated by food price. Our findings support altered macronutrient reinforcement in obesity and highlight potential influences of the food environment on the regulation of food reward. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural and Hormonal Controls of Macronutrient Intake)

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Review

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17 pages, 676 KiB

Open AccessReview

Protein Appetite at the Interface between Nutrient Sensing and Physiological Homeostasis

by Md Shahjalal Khan, Redin A. Spann, Heike Münzberg, Sangho Yu, Vance L. Albaugh, Yanlin He, Hans-Rudolf Berthoud and Christopher D. Morrison

Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 4103; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13114103 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3714

Abstract

Feeding behavior is guided by multiple competing physiological needs, as animals must sense their internal nutritional state and then identify and consume foods that meet nutritional needs. Dietary protein intake is necessary to provide essential amino acids and represents a specific, distinct nutritional need. Consistent with this importance, there is a relatively strong body of literature indicating that protein intake is defended, such that animals sense the restriction of protein and adaptively alter feeding behavior to increase protein intake. Here, we argue that this matching of food consumption with physiological need requires at least two concurrent mechanisms: the first being the detection of internal nutritional need (a protein need state) and the second being the discrimination between foods with differing nutritional compositions. In this review, we outline various mechanisms that could mediate the sensing of need state and the discrimination between protein-rich and protein-poor foods. Finally, we briefly describe how the interaction of these mechanisms might allow an animal to self-select between a complex array of foods to meet nutritional needs and adaptively respond to changes in either the external environment or internal physiological state. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural and Hormonal Controls of Macronutrient Intake)

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