Diseases Commons^™

Sex Differences In Peripheral Fat Detection And Metabolism, Naima Dahir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

The current epidemic of obesity is driven, at least in part, by excessive caloric intake and fat intake has been implicated as a major contributing factor. The mammalian taste system displays marked plasticity, and it has been shown that the detection of fatty acids, the prototypical fat taste stimulus, leads to reduced sensitivity upon prolonged exposure to a high-fat diet. Increased obesity and metabolic disorders in postmenopausal females indicate that the female steroid hormone, estrogen, may contribute to metabolic homeostasis. Sex differences in the taste system were explored using a multidisciplinary approach to examine the ways in which estrogen influences …