Brain To Liver: Hormonal Link Could Be The Reason You Drink
For years, scientists have believed there is a direct connection from your brain to your liver. What if that connection is actually hormonal? According to The Independent, “A hormonal link between the liver and brain that regulates alcohol consumption may help scientists develop new treatments for problem drinkers, according to new research.” Scientists have found, for the first time, that a liver hormone called FGF21 might play an important part in actually setting our personal drinking limits.
Professor Gunter Schumann from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London states: “Our study reveals a previously unrecognized liver-brain pathway which regulates alcohol consumption in humans, and which could one day be targeted therapeutically to suppress consumption in problem drinkers....the results point towards an intriguing feedback loop, where FGF21 is produced in the liver in response to sugar and alcohol intake, which then acts directly on the brain to limit consumption. We cannot rule out the possibility that beta-Klotho acts by affecting neighboring genes, so further genetic studies are warranted."
This could ultimately lead to new treatment, treatment facilities, and the way people battle alcohol addiction. Understanding why one person can binge drink and not be addicted in the traditional sense, yet another person must have one to three drinks a day in order to function could simply all come down to our hormones.
The best part is, there are options out there like Mitadone that help suppress cravings - because we understand that it’s all got to do with your brain. Adding natural supplements to send signals from your brain to your liver might just be what you need to ace sobriety and get on the right track!