A Temperature Hypothesis of Hypothalamus-Driven Obesity

Obesity is a metabolic state in which excess fat is accumulated in peripheral tissues, including the white adipose tissue, muscle, and liver. Sustained obesity has profound consequences on one’s life, which can span from superficial psychological symptoms to serious co-morbidities that may dramatically diminish both the quality and length of life. Obesity and related metabolic disorders account for the largest financial burden on the health care system. Together, these issues make it imperative that obesity be cured or prevented. Despite the increasing wealth of knowledge on the etiology of obesity (see below), there is no successful medical strategy that is available for the vast majority of patients. We suggest that brain temperature control may be a crucial component in obesity development and that shortcutting the brain metabolic centers by hypothalamic temperature alterations in a non-invasive remote manner will provide a revolutionary approach to the treatment of obesity.