Science, Not Shame

It’s easy to park the blame for obesity with the person suffering from it, but scientists at the world-renowned Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge say not so fast. Their pioneering work reveals obesity’s complex risk factors, including neuroscience, prenatal health, and socioeconomic conditions—findings that are helping the world fight obesity with science, not shame. 

“It’s a misunderstanding that it’s just an issue of willpower,” said Dr. Chris Morrison, Associate Executive Director of Basic Science. “Our work clearly shows that many of our food choices are not necessarily under conscious control, but are instead regulated by internal physiological systems that we are largely unaware of.”

Morrison is one of several researchers at the Baton Rouge-based research facility working to unravel the complex knot of obesity, a disease gripping Louisiana and the nation alike. One in three adults and children in Louisiana has obesity, a condition linked to several other diseases, including Type 2 diabetes and many forms of cancer. 

Morrison’s research looks at how the brain controls food intake. Specifically, he and his team study how the fibroblast growth factor 21 hormone, known as FGF21, helps the body regulate protein intake and adjust metabolism. Understanding how FGF21 works could lead to harnessing its therapeutic potential for patients with obesity. 

“We hope we can use FGF21 and this mechanism we’ve discovered to unlock how the brain makes choices related to food, and then use that information to help people better control their food intake,” Morrison said.

Elsewhere at Pennington Biomedical, Dr. Leanne M. Redman, Associate Executive Director for Scientific Education, is examining how a person’s predisposition for obesity, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes stems not only from their time in the womb, but their mother’s time in her mother’s womb, too. Redman leads a research program in maternal and infant nutrition and health and has pinpointed one of obesity’s early origins.

“It goes all the way back to conception and to fetal development,” Redman said. “And it goes back two generations.”

Redman and her team look at the various triggers during conception and throughout pregnancy and early life that can impact someone’s future risk for certain chronic diseases. Pennington Biomedical is one of a select number of global research centers that utilize a powerful tool called a whole room calorimeter, also known as a metabolic chamber. A metabolic chamber is an extremely accurate measurement device that can not only reveal how many calories a person’s body burns, but also what kind of calories are being burned, and whether they come from fat, protein, or carbohydrates. Pennington Biomedical houses four adult metabolic chambers, plus the world’s only functioning infant metabolic chamber. Using findings derived from the chambers, researchers work with registered dietitians in the center’s metabolic kitchen to develop precise nutrition programs measured to the nearest tenth of a gram.

“We are working on how to ‘lock arms’ with moms to teach them about nutrition and health at this most vulnerable time in their baby’s life,” Redman said. 

A multitude of socio-economic factors also impact rates of obesity, said Associate Professor Stephanie Broyles, who studies health and the built environment.

“Where we live either creates a lot of opportunities for healthy behaviors or creates barriers,” Broyles said. 

Access to safe parks encourages families to stay active, for example, while factors like long commutes or high crime rates have the opposite effect. 

By utilizing cutting-edge technologies, researchers at Pennington Biomedical are studying the many ways that factors like brain chemistry, maternal nutrition, and complex socio-economic factors interact to impact Louisiana citizens’ quality of life. The center enlists community volunteers to enroll in health research studies, some of which include a stay in a metabolic chamber. If you’re interested, take a look at the many research studies Pennington Biomedical offers. You can screen yourself online or call (225) 763-3000 to talk with someone to find a study that is right for you.

Sponsored by Pennington Biomedical Research Center