Hope for a new Fat Control Drug |
The scientists, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US, found a chemical, called C75 that stops the production of a hormone that makes the mice hungry. This compound that appears to switch off appetite in mice may hold clues to a similar drug for humans. It rapidly turns off appetite in mice and causing weight loss similar in many ways to that achieved by fasting.
Scientists have long known that a hormone called Neuropeptide Y is a major appetite regulator – if animals fast, the amount of NPY increases and stimulates appetite. The C75 chemical was given to the mice by injection, and the scientists found that their interest in food ceased suddenly within 20 minutes. The chemical is not thought to be toxic in any other way to mice, although far more rigorous scientific testing would be needed before any similar compound could be used on humans. |