Hunger control hormone discovered

Hunger control hormone discovered

Scientists have discovered a gut-hormone that suppresses hunger. The hormone that has been tested on rats could provide a cure for obesity.

A team of endocrinologists, led by Dr. Aaron Hsueh, at the Stanford University has discovered a hormone that quells appetite by sending signals to the brain. This hormone named obestatin is produced in the gut, where the hunger-inducing hormone ghrelin is also produced.

The researchers were surprised to find that the same gene regulated the production of ghrelin as well as obestatin. Matthias Tschop of the University of Cincinnati, who reviewed the work found the discovery quite intriguing. “It seems counterintuitive that Mother Nature would press on the brake and gas pedal at the same time,” said Tschop.

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Hsueh and colleagues synthesized the hormone in the lab and tested it on rats. The rats reduced their food intake by half and lost 20% of their body weight in eight days. The laboratory rats that were used for the test were normal weight. The effect of the hormone on obese rats is yet to be tested.

Whether obstatin could be used as a weight-control drug is still a big question. It is not clear whether the rats ate less than normal because their appetite was suppressed or because they fell ill. Neither is it known what caused the weight loss – loss of fat or shrinkage of muscle. Moreover it is believed that weight loss or gain is a complex process which is governed by a multitude of hormones. “Obese patients shouldn't get their hopes up yet,” said Dr. Tschop.

Though it could take years of research before obstatin is used as an obesity drug, but the discovery could certainly be a step towards the finding a cure of obesity, a disorder that afflicts one-third of the adult population in the United States.

The rights to the discovery will lie with Johnson & Johnson, who sponsored the research.