Did you know that your body has an inbuilt weighing scale?

Agroup of researchers have found a previously unidentified body fat regulatory system. The mechanism senses excessive body weight much like bathroom scales, signalling the brain to reduce food intake. More knowledge about the sensing mechanism could lead to a better understanding of the causes of obesity as well as new anti-obesity drugs. Other research suggests that losing weight consistently can offer better results.

Speaking of the study, lead author John-Olov Jansson said, “Quite simply, we have found support for the existence of internal bathroom scales. The weight of the body is registered in the lower extremities. If the body weight tends to increase, a signal is sent to the brain to decrease food intake and keep the body weight constant.”

The study also revealed a previously undiscovered mechanism that operates to regulate fat mass entirely independent of leptin. “The mechanism that we have now identify body fat mass independently of leptin, and it’s possible that leptin combined with activation of the internal body scales can become an effective treatment for obesity,” explained professor Claes Ohlsson.

One proposition that stems from this new research is that the discovery could potentially explain a frequently observed correlation between the time a person spends sitting and increases in metabolic diseases.