New research suggests that a hormone produced by the intestines could help obese people in their battle to lose weight. Dr Rachel Batterham of Imperial College London, and colleagues found that the hormone peptide YY3-36 (PYY) appears to lessen the appetite of obese people. The researchers studied 12 lean and 12 obese volunteers. Blood tests at the start of the study showed that the obese subjects had lower PYY levels than the lean subjects, furthermore the lower the PYY level an individual had the more obese they were. For the study, the volunteers were treated with injections of PYY or an inactive chemical and then offered a buffet lunch. Results showed that those treated with PYY ate significantly less calories at lunch than those given the placebo. What’s more, those given PYY ate dramatically fewer calories over the following 24-hours. Lab tests showed that injecting PYY into the volunteers led to a fall in plasma levels of a hormone called ghrelin, which is known to stimulate the appetite.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: NEJM
