Bile acid helps regulate energy consumption and weight control

Recognizing factors that control the balance of food intake and energy expenditure is important for understanding the physiology of obesity. Energy metabolism works through a series of interconnected reactions. This means that energy released during the breakdown of fat, carbohydrates and proteins is captured in other reactions such as the production of ATP (a high-energy chemical) or the storage of fats and carbohydrates. Decoupling occurs when the energy from the breakdown of food is released in the form of heat instead of being stored in the form of ATP. The body contains small amounts of brown fat and uncoupling proteins that convert energy directly into heat.

Polish scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw found in a study conducted with rats that bile acid, which is produced in the liver as part of digestion, stimulated uncoupling proteins to increase energy expenditure.

This study shows another mechanism that the body uses to control body weight.

(American Journal Physiology Endocrinology Metabolism, published online December 29, 2015)