Scientists Uncover a Surprising Connection Between Appetite and Sun Exposure



Recent studies from Tel Aviv University show that women are not affected by sun exposure on their hunger levels, but males are. The study shows how the metabolic pathway is engaged differently in men and women. It was carried out utilizing lab models. Males of both animal and human species, as well as those exposed to the sun, are reportedly triggered to produce a protein called p53 that repairs any DNA damage that may have been done to the skin as a result of the exposure.

The body produces the hunger-inducing hormone ghrelin in response to p53 activation. In females, the hormone estrogen stops p53 from interacting with ghrelin, preventing the desire to eat after being in the sun.

The ground-breaking investigation was directed by professor Carmit Levy and Ph.D. candidate Shivang Parikh of the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. In addition to the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov), Assuta, Meir, and Sheba Medical Centers, Drs. Yiftach Gepner and Lior Bikovski from the TAU Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and Professor Aron Weller from Bar-Ilan University, the study was conducted in collaboration with a large number of Israeli and foreign researchers. The research was released in the esteemed publication Nature Metabolism.

The epidemiological information for the study was acquired over the course of a yearlong survey of around 3,000 Israelis of both sexes regarding their eating habits, which included self-reports from students who had spent time in the sun. This information was paired with the results of a lab-based genetic investigation. The findings demonstrate that the skin is an important regulator of energy and hunger in both laboratory models and individuals (metabolism).

Men and women have dramatically different metabolic profiles, which affects both their health and behavior, according to the experts. However, it has not yet been determined whether the two genders react differently to environmental stimuli such solar exposures.

Professor Levy: "We looked at how men and women differed after exposure to the sun and discovered that males eat more than women because their appetites have grown. For the first time, the biochemical link between UV exposure and appetite was uncovered in our study, which was the first gender-specific medical investigation on UV exposure. Studies on gender in medicine are particularly difficult because it takes two times as many participants to establish statistically significant differences.

"As humans, we have shed our fur, and as a result, our skin, the greatest organ in our body, is open to signals from the environment," says Professor Levy. In addition to repairing DNA damage brought on by sun exposure, the skin's p53 protein performs additional functions. Our bodies interpret this as a sign that winter is over and that we should be outside in the sunshine, perhaps getting ready for mating season. Our findings offer a promising foundation for further investigation into both human metabolism and possible UV-based treatments for metabolic illnesses and eating disorders.

By TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY

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