2023-09-13 11:00:05
Researchers have just discovered that chitin, a dietary fiber present in the shell of crustaceans but also in insects and mushrooms, can be effective in fighting obesity (Obesity is the state of a person , or an animal suffering from hypertrophy of…).
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A team of scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine has just published the results of their study. By carrying out tests on mice, they discovered that the consumption of chitin, a well-known compound in the exoskeletons of crustaceans (Crustaceans (Crustacea) are arthropods, that is to say animals whose bodies…) , had the particularity of engaging the immune system (The immune system of an organism is a coordinated set of elements of…). And the immune response that follows has an impact on the reduction in weight gain (Weight gain is a change in body mass, which results in an increase…). Our immune system is already known to play a protective role on our body, particularly once morest bacteria, viruses, and even cancer (Cancer is a disease characterized by abnormal cell proliferation…). In this study, scientists identified that one arm of the mouse immune system also plays a role in the digestion of chitin. . Concretely, when the animal ingests chitin, its stomach (the stomach (in ancient Greek στόμαχος) is the…) distends, and this distension activates an immune response that prompts the cells of the stomach to accelerate the production of chitinases, enzymes that break down chitin.
Following these initial observations, scientists were also able to note that rodents having consumed chitin had better resistance to obesity and a reduction in fat (fat is a fatty substance present in a solid state at temperature …) bodily. Indeed, the mice having received chitin gained less weight than the others. However, they noted a very clear difference between the mice who had a high-fat diet and the others. Indeed, mice that received chitin combined with a high-fat diet were unable to break it down properly. It was precisely these mice that lost the most weight, compared to the mice that managed to break it down.
In summary, chitin has impacts on weight gain, but this effect is increased when chitin is ingested without being properly digested. The results of this recent study are promising, in the face of obesity which represents a scourge in our society. However, additional work will be useful to verify whether the effects observed on rodents also apply to humans. Secondly (Time is a concept developed by humans to understand…), work will continue to determine whether it is possible to integrate chitin into our diet without risk.
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#avoid #weight #gain #eat #shell #crustaceans
