Obesity and the Hypothalamus with Stephan Guyenet, PhD

If weight loss were as easy as calories in vs. calories out then, it wouldn't even be something we talk about. It turns out the brain regulatory pathways are a core reason why weight loss is so difficult. 

Sitting in the brain is a key regulatory region called the Hypothalamus. About the size of an almond, is located below the thalamus and above your pituitary gland., the hypothalamus is involved with many endocrine functions; including fat loss or fat gain.  If we were understand the function of the hypothalamus in fat gain and loss, we can better understand how to direct approaches to obesity and weight loss resistance.

There is no better person to help us understand this then Stephan Guyenet ,PhD the author of  The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting The Instincts That Make Us Overeat.

Dr. Guyenet is a Neuroscientist and obesity researcher who has become a leader in understanding the brains role in obesity.  He also is the founder of Red Pen Reviews a website that distills and grades health related books based on number of factors.

Listen in as we take the journey into the world of obesity including starvation responses, leptin resistance, hypothalamic inflammation, high fat diets, and the promise of glp-1 agonists.

(00:00:00) Opening

(00:00:43) Intro

(00:03:22) Stephan’s Background

(00:06:04) Why is weight loss difficult?

(00:10:02) Attachment to weight loss methods

(00:11:32) Role of the hypothalamus in weight loss

(00:16:22) Starvation Mode

(00:18:34) Hypothalamic Inflammation 

(00:20:00) Inflammation

(00:21:16) Leptin resistance and sensitivity

(00:26:40) Leptin issues and obesity

(00:30:00) Fruit’s impact on weight

(00:35:42) Diet-agnosticism

(00:37:15) High-fat diets

(00:43:28) Diet adherence

(00:46:30) GLP-1 agonists and weight loss

(00:53:20) Risk versus benefit of GLP-1 agonists

(00:57:15) Red Pen Reviews

(01:02:16) Closing

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websites:

Stephan Guyenet, PhD

Red Pen Reviews

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