Altered reward responses to sweet taste: a potential mechanism for weight loss after obesity surgery

• Applicant: Dr. Marco Büter
• Subject Area: General and Visceral Surgery
• Term: from 2008 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 85767834

The current obesity epidemic has a significant human cost in morbidity and mortality. Obesity surgery, such as gastric banding and the more effective Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, is currently the most successful treatment for morbid obesity. The mechanisms by which gastric bypass leads to weight loss do not seem to include restriction of the stomach size nor malabsorption of food as previously thought, but instead involve changes in anorexigenic gut hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Earlier studies have shown that bypass surgery reduces hunger and craving for high-calorie foods in humans and rodents. Alterations in sensory detection and/or hedonic reward responses to sweet taste could contribute to reduced intake of high-calorie foods. This study aims to investigate the effects of gastric bypass surgery on sweet taste reward in obese patients and rodents. Such experiments have not been performed before and will provide unique insights into weight loss physiology after surgery. By elucidating the mechanisms by which gastric bypass surgery reduces consumption of high-calorie foods and alters taste responses, new therapies could be developed that mimic these mechanisms.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Host: Dr. Carel W. Le Roux