Chemical signals brain to cut appetite and weight

Yale, November 29: A naturally occurring chemical substance in the body can block hunger and fight weight gain, a latest research team said.

Gerald Shulman, a molecular biologist at Yale, together with his team found out the molecule, called N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), can help curb rampant obesity. Their research indicates that mice and rats create this chemical after eating a meal full of fats, but most probably humans too produce the chemical.

"We have this epidemic of obesity and we have very few agents that are able to effectively treat obesity. We'd be quite interested in trying a clinical trial to see if giving this back would reduce food intake in humans," said Shulman talking to the media.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Cell, explains that rodents were given extra dose of the molecule and it was observed that their diet reduced and they lost weight without any visible side effects.

In the concluding series, bigger animals will go under the molecule test observation and if the results are welcoming human volunteers will be roped in to verify results.

Animals were injected synthesized NAPE in the abdomen, right in the bloodstream and observations revealed that their hunger receded gradually. Small amounts of NAPE injected in the brain directly had a similar effect on animals.

Researchers believe that NAPE targets the part of the brain that regulates appetite known as the hypothalamus.

Molecule NAPE can spell relief for millions of overweight people and the numbers are growing continuously due to excessively fatty diet coupled with lesser or no exercise. Connection of brain to the diet is complex and constant researches have been conducted to explore the issue.

If benefits of NAPE are proved, it can well be employed in hunger-suppressing drugs and other obesity-related medications.

According to scientist David Earnest, observations till now have been very encouraging, though future of the NAPE treatment is uncertain. Earnest is the professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas Health Science Center College of Medicine.