London - Scientists have identified the brain cells that control appetite, raising hopes of finding a drug to curb hunger pangs.
Cutting the urge to reach for snacks between meals should make it easier for dieters to lose weight.
Although the experiments on the brain’s “hunger hub” were done in mice, the British and US researchers believe they could lead to a new diet drug for humans.
The discovery centres around a tiny group of brain cells known as PVH MC4R neurons. Switching them off heightens hunger, while turning them on kills appetite.
In one experiment, mice that had gone to sleep on a full stomach became ravenous when the cells were switched off. Importantly, the opposite was also true. Activating the hunger hub cut their appetite, leading to hungry mice barely eating.
Mice whose PVH MC4R cells had been activated were also less irritable, suggesting the cells do not cut appetite by creating feelings of nausea or other unpleasant sensations, the journal Nature Neuroscience reports.I
Bradford Lowell, of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, said: “Turning on the PVH MC4R neurons had the same effect as dieting. But because it directly reduced hunger drive, it did not cause the gnawing feelings of discomfort that often come with dieting.”
Nearly two-thirds of UK adults are overweight or obese but the only weight loss pill available on prescription does not tackle hunger. Dr Matthew Capehorn, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said that although the findings could help the search for new pills, medicines will not help those who comfort eat or snack out of boredom.
Daily Mail