Weight loss might be as easy as taking a pill in the future, but not now.

Many of us have tried to lose weight by starving, taking pills, eating less, and end up without success. There are many reasons why. What works for one person probably does not work for everyone.

However, scientists have discovered that a signaling molecule could be responsible for the difficulty in losing weight.

Neuropeptide Y

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/obesity-new-drug-turns-energy-storing-fat-into-energy-burning-fat. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) tells our bodies to eat more, even when we are not hungry. Additionally, it blocks a receptor that reduces heat generation in fat tissue. We eat more and cannot burn the energy needed to lose weight.

Fat Burning

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22925-3. A research study published this week in Nature Communications focused on NPY. Is there a way to bypass NPY or inactivate it? The Eating Disorders Lab at the Garvan Institute evaluated a drug (BIBO3304) on laboratory animals.
NPY binds to a receptor (Y1) in fat tissue. The combination of the signaling molecule to the fat tissue receptor acts as a brake that stops many of us from losing weight.

BIBO3304 keeps blood vessels open wider (vasodilation), resulting in lower blood pressure. Scientists also discovered that the drug counters the braking action of Y1.

The laboratory animals were fed high-fat meals with and without the drug. The animals given the BIBO3304 only gained about half the weight compared to the group without the drug. Further analysis showed that the fat cells activated genes to increase heat generation in the animals with the drugs.

Blocking the Y1 receptor also improved glucose metabolism and stimulated bone cell growth. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22484690/

Conclusion

Can this study using laboratory animals be equally effective with humans? That is under investigation. Will it work effectively to counter obesity? Again, no clear answer to that question.
However, increasing human metabolism by increasing the heat generation inside fat cells is potentially a possibility. Not many of us can change our lifestyles to eat less and exercise more.

A straightforward option to eat less is to use a smaller plate and do not go back for seconds. I have been using a salad plate for years rather than a dinner plate. It limits the amount of food at a meal.

Park further away when you go shopping. Climb stairs for one or two floors rather than using an elevator. There are incremental approaches that can change habits that put on those extra pounds and make it nearly impossible to lose them.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughin.com

 

 

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