Divergent effects of central melanocortin signalling on fat and sucrose preference in humans.

Melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R)-expressing neurons modulate food intake and preference in rodents but their role in human food preference is unknown. Here we show that compared with lean and weight-matched controls, MC4R deficient individuals exhibited a markedly increased preference for high fat, but a significantly reduced preference for high sucrose food. These effects mirror those in Mc4r null rodents and provide evidence for a central molecular circuit influencing human macronutrient preference.

Role of melanocortin signalling in the preference for dietary macronutrients in human beings.

BACKGROUND: Signalling though the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), which is widely expressed in the hypothalamus, mediates food intake and macronutrient preference in rodents. Studies in patients with MC4R deficiency can provide insights into the role of this pathway in man. We investigated the role of melanocortin signalling in fat and sucrose preference in human beings by studying patients with loss of function mutations in MC4R. METHODS: We studied 24 obese patients with MC4R deficiency, and 80 healthy controls (40 obese, 40 lean). We used an ad-libitum meal protocol consisting of three meals covertly manipulated to provide 20% (low), 40% (medium), and 60% (high) fat content. We used the same procedure for meals manipulated to provide 8% (low), 26% (medium), and 54% (high) sucrose content. We measured food intake and rated liking for the meals with visual analogue scores. Data were analysed by ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests or a linear mixed-effects model with an interaction term for study group and study meal when appropriate. FINDINGS: Although the liking of the three different fat meals did not differ between the three groups, patients with MC4R mutations consumed 95% more of the high fat meal than did lean controls and 65% more of the high fat meal than did obese controls (p=0·0222 for the interaction of group by meal). By contrast, although liking ratings for low and medium sucrose meals were comparable in the individuals with MC4R deficiency, liking ratings for the high sucrose meal were significantly reduced (p=0·0252 in linear mixed-effects model, intercept 57·8, MC4R group factor -26·2, factors in the model for MC4R-low sucrose 27·7, MC4R-medium sucrose 22·6). Similarly, patients with MC4R deficiency consumed less of all three sucrose meals than did healthy controls (p=0·0064). INTERPRETATION: Our study shows that the central melanocortin system has divergent effects on macronutrient preference and intake in human beings. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Bernard Wolfe Health Neuroscience Fund, NeuroFAST consortium, which is funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 245009.

Rare variants in single-minded 1 (SIM1) are associated with severe obesity.

Single-minded 1 (SIM1) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor involved in the development and function of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Obesity has been reported in Sim1 haploinsufficient mice and in a patient with a balanced translocation disrupting SIM1. We sequenced the coding region of SIM1 in 2,100 patients with severe, early onset obesity and in 1,680 controls. Thirteen different heterozygous variants in SIM1 were identified in 28 unrelated severely obese patients. Nine of the 13 variants significantly reduced the ability of SIM1 to activate a SIM1-responsive reporter gene when studied in stably transfected cells coexpressing the heterodimeric partners of SIM1 (ARNT or ARNT2). SIM1 variants with reduced activity cosegregated with obesity in extended family studies with variable penetrance. We studied the phenotype of patients carrying variants that exhibited reduced activity in vitro. Variant carriers exhibited increased ad libitum food intake at a test meal, normal basal metabolic rate, and evidence of autonomic dysfunction. Eleven of the 13 probands had evidence of a neurobehavioral phenotype. The phenotypic similarities between patients with SIM1 deficiency and melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) deficiency suggest that some of the effects of SIM1 deficiency on energy homeostasis are mediated by altered melanocortin signaling.

High protein intake stimulates postprandial GLP1 and PYY release.

OBJECTIVE: Meals high in protein induce greater intermeal satiety than meals high in fat and carbohydrates. We studied the gut hormone response and subsequent food intake after breakfasts high in protein, carbohydrate or high in fat controlled for volume, calories and appearance. DESIGN AND METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers participated in this randomized three-way crossover study. Study breakfasts were calculated to provide 20% of daily energy requirements and provided either 60% of energy from protein, fat or carbohydrate. Blood was drawn half-hourly for 4 h; energy intake at a subsequent ad libitum meal was measured. RESULTS: Total ghrelin decreased after food intake equally with the three breakfasts. PYY levels were highest after the high protein breakfast (P = 0.005). Indeed, PYY at 240 min was highest after the high protein breakfast compared to the high fat breakfast and to the high carbohydrate breakfast (P = 0.011 and P = 0.012, respectively). GLP-1 levels were highest after the high protein breakfast (P = 0.041) at 120 min and remained higher throughout the study. These differences in gut hormones did not translate into differences in food intake (1023 ± 390 kcal after high protein, 1016 ± 388 kcal after high fat and 1158 ± 433 kcal after high carbohydrate). CONCLUSION: We conclude that a high protein meal increases circulating concentrations of the gut hormones PYY and GLP-1, but when meals are matched for volume, appearance and caloric value, these gut hormone changes do not translate into a reduction in ad libitum food intake.