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NEWS > HEALTH > STUDY POINTS TO BRAIN CHEMICAL INVOLVED IN OBESITY

STUDY POINTS TO BRAIN CHEMICAL INVOLVED IN OBESITY

August 30 2008

Washington, D.C. – Researchers have discovered a chemical in the brains of overweight people that may play a role in appetite control and obesity. The finding may lead to new drugs that could aid overweight people in losing weight and controlling food intake.

“What we find in most obese people is that they eat more than none obese people,” said the lead researcher Dr. Jack Yanovski. “While that may be obvious to most people, what this study shows is that there may be a biological reason these people are unable to control their eating. It may also lead us to an understanding as to why some people are able to overeat and not gain weight, while others pack on the pounds.”

The chemical, BDNF, has been found in animal studies to help regulate appetite and weight, but this study is the first to show that it may have the same function in humans.

“It’s an important step to understanding how the mechanism of appetite works and that can then be used to help people who are chronically obese,” continued Yanovski. “This isn’t about helping people who sit around all day watching TV and drinking beers, this is about people who are unable to control their eating. Who are hungry all the time. It’s about helping people who are chronically overweight and don’t have the willpower or determination to eat healthy meals and exercise. This study will by no means provide a magic cure, but it will allow us to continue studying a subject that could be easily resolved if people took control of their own lives, and that’s a win for us.”

Obesity experts are torn on the discovery, realizing that any talk of a potential cure for obesity will cause the population to simply stop trying to lose weight.
“The reality is there will likely never be a cure for fat,” said Louise Philips, head of TFF. “We are wary of any talk of such a thing because discipline is the true key to successful weight loss. We realize not everyone is going to be a size zero and it’s irresponsible to think like that, but it is possible for people to reduce significantly their size by eating at regular intervals, eating smaller portions, and exercising. Talk of a fat cure is self defeating, and would probably be a long way off anyways.”

The researchers also caution against waiting for a potential cure.

"That is a long shot at this point and I couldn’t predict when something like that might happen. It would be best for people to take their weight issues into their own hands,” said Yanovski. “This is really more beneficial in the short term to our research grants and not so much to the fatties.”

Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent

NEWS > HEALTH > STUDY POINTS TO BRAIN CHEMICAL INVOLVED IN OBESITY