In a PET imaging study of 43 men and women, average age 40 years, researchers report that low availability of the enzyme aromatase, which catalyzes estrogen biosynthesis, in the brain's amygdala was associated with high body mass index (BMI) and low levels of self-control as measured by a standard personality test, independent of age and sex, suggesting that estrogen production in the amygdala may influence BMI via regulation of feeding behavior.
Article #20-06117: "Relationship of estrogen synthesis capacity in the brain with obesity and self-control in men and women," by Anat Biegon et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Anat Biegon, Stony Brook Medicine, NY; tel: 631-331-6587; e-mail: anat.biegon@stonybrookmedicine.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences