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Brain alteration 'promotes weight loss'

07/05/2008

Scientists have managed to reduce appetite and promote weight loss by blocking an enzyme that works in the brain.

The team from the Duke University Medical Centre discovered that halting the enzyme's activity also improved the ability to handle blood sugar levels.

They say their discovery, which was made in studies on mice, is a key step in developing a drug to control appetite, weight loss and blood sugar.

The researchers blocked the enzyme CaMKK2 in mice and then measured food intake.

This enzyme works in the 'appetite stimulation pathway' located in the hypothalamus section of the brain.

Mice with blocked CaMKK2 ate significantly less food than untreated mice and also lost body weight during the six days in which they were evaluated.

"Remarkably, we find that blocking CaMKK2 in the brain prevents the deposits of fat in liver and skeletal muscle that are characteristic of obese, diabetic patients," said Dr Tony Means.

"We find this very exciting and are trying to understand the mechanism responsible for this protective effect, as well as to identify more potent drugs to inhibit CaMKK2."

The research is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.