Is Serotonin The Obesity Hormone? Better Brown-Fat Burning Linked To Hormone Blockage, McMaster University Study

Whenever you feel really happy (like too happy) or even just healthy and content, your brain is releasing the neurotransmitter serotonin. But while this form of serotonin is the most popular, it only makes up five percent of the body’s total supply. The other 95 percent, a new study finds, is busy regulating how well your body burns calories through brown fat. Stored around your collarbone are deposits of brown adipose tissue (fat) that help burn energy. Brown fat is scarcer in obese people, and for years researchers have wondered about the mechanism behind the reduction. Recently, a team from McMaster University has found the presence of so-called “peripheral serotonin” makes brown fat less active due to enzyme blockage.

Hey, check out all the research scientist jobs. Post your resume today!