Discovery may open door to drug that cuts appetite and boosts energy
July 20, 2009In a major advance in obesity and diabetes research, Yale School of Medicine scientists have found that reducing levels of a key enzyme in the brain decreased appetites and increased energy levels.
Reductions in the levels of the enzyme prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP) led to weight loss and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes in mice, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The team found that PRCP is located in the hypothalamus and regulates levels of the alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), which is a peptide known for inhibiting food intake and stimulating energy expenditure. Researchers found that blocking the PRCP enzyme keeps the alpha-MSH peptides from being degraded, resulting in higher levels of alpha-MSH and decreased appetite.
"Our research provides the first evidence that breaking down molecules in the brain that regulate metabolism is an important component of weight control," said senior author Sabrina Diano, associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Neurobiology. "Our findings provide a possible new target for the development of drugs to control metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes."
Diano and her team conducted the study in congenic mice that were naturally lean and later in mice that had PRCP removed. Animals without the PRCP enzyme were leaner and ate less food. They also had higher levels of alpha-MSH in the hypothalamus compared to control animals. The mice were put on a diet of 45 percent fat—the equivalent of eating fast food everyday—and even with this high fat diet, they did not gain as much weight as control animals on a regular diet.
Diano said the next step is to study how PRCP is regulated.
More information: Journal of Clinical Investigation, Vol. 119, No. 8 (August 2009)
Source: Yale University (news : web)
May 06, 2008 |
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What if that pill actually is found some day? Wouldn't that mean that then those people would still lay on the couch, eating only half as much hamburgers and chips? Not much of an improvement, if you ask me.
Shouldn't all that research effort go into finding out (and eventually rectifying) the reasons people eat the wrong food and too much of it?
Americans have the same genes, the same details of metabolism, as people in other countries. Yet, there are coutries where obesity is rare.
Better to start with what an individual is subjected to. What he sees (TV, media, ads, product placements), what he hears (peer attitudes, others' habits), what he has easiest access to (cooking food vs grabbing chips, ice cream and fast food off the shelves), etc.
In my neighborhood people use Diet Coke as ant repellent. Seems even insects know what's not good for them. (And it's a lot cheaper!)
Could it be that the constant "information" load from the media has erased folks' ability to sense what's good and what's not?
Could it be that merely switching to food simply made from fresh vegetables, fruit and meat (in the right proportions) could be enough to already halve the obesity problem?
This is the kind of things that should be studied, not how you can block some enzyme in the brain with a pill.