ePillz.com - New Research Shows New Opportunity for Treating Obesity

New Research Shows New Opportunity for Treating Obesity

- Canadian Institute of Health Research - April 16, 2006

CNTF protein and its influence on the human organism may become a key to opening new ways in treating obesity and overweight, according to the results of the research led by Canadian scientist Dr. Greg Steinberg.

CNTF or ciliary neurotrophic factor is a small protein in human body, which is not clearly studied yet. Earlier CNTF was studied in view of its ability to protect neurons and restore motor and growth functions of muscle tissues. There was one unexpected result during that trial, namely weight loss, which made scientist suggest the possible influence of CNTF on metabolic process in human organism.

Canadian researchers showed that CNTF, working directly in muscles, is able to increase burning of fat in human body and suppress the appetite at the same time. If the further researches prove the results of the said findings, CNTF may start a new era in treating obesity.

For the time being, most of the medications to treat obesity are based on suppressing the appetite. This is achieved by affecting the levels of certain hormones in human brain, which are considered to be responsible for the feeling of hunger.

CNTF promises to become the first means that will be able not only to suppress appetite, but simultaneously increase the process of fat and sugar burning in human body, thus ensuring weight loss in obese and overweight people.

It is interesting to note that another research in the USA, the results of which were published in 2001, showed one more possible advantage of CNTF in treating obesity: in contrast to existing appetite suppressants, CNTF does not lead to rebound weight gain after the treatment course.

The importance of the recent research is underlined by Dr. Diane Finegood, scientific director of the Canadian Institute of Health Research, who said: “Dr. Steinberg's finding is significant because this new pathway that overcomes leptin resistance opens the door to a more promising avenue for the development of a therapeutic anti-obesity agent”.

Finally, it is worthy to admit that, while scientists are working hard to find new highly-effective solutions to the problem of obesity, there is one medication, called Xenical, which is approved by American Food and Drug Administration as the treatment for the excessive body weight. In contrast to appetite suppressants, Xenical does not interfere with the human hormonal system and works directly in the digestive system, preventing up to 30 % of fats from being digested and absorbed by the human organism.

Nick

External resources
http:// http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=41666
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/8/4652