A new European research consortium, in which Cambridge will play a major role, is to receive 3 million Euros to conduct research into the escalating epidemic of obesity. The 'EurOCHIP’ project brings together a group of leading European experts to investigate how signals from the gut communicate with the brain to control appetite.
A new European research consortium, in which Cambridge will play a major role, is to receive 3 million Euros to conduct research into the escalating epidemic of obesity. The 'EurOCHIP’ project brings together a group of leading European experts to investigate how signals from the gut communicate with the brain to control appetite.
In order to effectively tackle the problem of obesity, we need to better understand the biology that underlies the control of food intake and bodyweight.
Dr Giles Yeo
Obesity is widely accepted to pose one of the greatest public health challenges we currently face. Already it is responsible for up to 8% of health costs and 10-13% of deaths throughout Europe - and these figures are likely to increase significantly in the coming years if the rising incidence of the disease continues unchecked. However, the success of current obesity treatments is limited.
Few would dispute that the recent rise in obesity is driven by the ready availability of high-calorie food combined with other lifestyle and environmental changes. What is less clear is why, when faced with the same conditions, some people remain lean whereas others become obese.
The EurOCHIP consortium, which is coordinated by Dr Giles Yeo from the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and the MRC Centre for Obesity and Related Metabolic Diseases, will undertake multidisciplinary studies to better understand how different diets affect the secretion of gut hormones and how the brain responds to these hormones to regulate appetite, energy expenditure and, ultimately, body weight.
Dr Yeo said: "In order to effectively tackle the problem of obesity, we need to better understand the biology that underlies the control of food intake and bodyweight. We hope that EurOCHIP will go some way to achieving this goal, thereby having an impact on the development of effective new strategies to prevent and treat obesity."
Funded as part of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme, the consortium involves seven research institutions from the UK, France, Germany and Sweden.
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