Researchers in Japan have discovered that a new protein, nesfatin-1 taken from the hypothalmus of the rat brain seems to have suppressed the appetite of rats:
"When the team injected nesfatin-1 directly into the brains of rats, the animals subsequently ate less. When the protein was continually administered, via a drip over 10 days, the animals actually lost weight in that time.
In a second experiment, antibodies blocking the action of nesfatin-1 were injected into the brains of healthy rats. These animals were subsequently found have increased appetite and gained weight over six days.
Researcher Masatomo Mori says he plans to work towards human trials, and that a version of the drug that could be injected normally through the body and taken up by the brain, should be developed.
I guess what I find funny about all this is that we spend millions of dollars on research figuring out how to trick the body into eating less, when a regiment of exercise and conscious eating habits can give us the results we desire. But like so many things in life, we're always looking for the quick, easy way to lose weight.
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