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Physiology

Gut feeling for food choice

One effect of weight-loss surgery is a change in food preferences. An analysis in rats shows that this is caused by altered nutrient signals in the intestine. These activate the vagus nerve to increase signalling in the brain by the neurotransmitter dopamine.

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Figure 1: Altered food choice in rats following gastric bypass.

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Correspondence to Darleen A. Sandoval or Randy J. Seeley.

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Sandoval, D., Seeley, R. Gut feeling for food choice. Nature 542, 302–303 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21499

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