Nick Norwitz explains a Nature study showing how bacterial flagellin triggers gut cells to release PYY, a satiety hormone that signals fullness through the vagus nerve. In mice, a flagellin enema reduced food intake significantly.
What if I told you your appetite might be controlled by bacteria literally tickling the inside of your intestines? Scientists have just discovered and published in Nature that certain bacteria in your intestines use a protein tail called flagella, which has a protein in it called flagellin. And this flagellin sends a signal to your brain. Here's how it works. When flagellin touches special receptor cells called neuropod cells in your gut lining, those cells release a hormone called PYY, a satiety hormone, which sends a signal via the vagus nerve, the 10th cranial nerve, to your brain. And in this recent Nature study, researchers even gave mice a flagellin enema, and the mice that got the enema ate significantly less than the control mice, despite no added calories or nutrients. So yeah, microbes might be pulling the strings of your hunger like you're a puppet. But here's the real question: can we hack the signal? Well, you're gonna need to tickle the link in the notes to find out more.
