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Brain waves interfering with your diet?
Scientists find link that could turn bad signals off
December 6, 1996
Web posted at: 2:30 a.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Linda Ciampa
ATLANTA (CNN) -- Do you ever feel like your conscience is telling you to stick to your diet, but your brain is sending you the wrong signals?
According to some scientists, you may be right. A study released this week indicates that at least in some lab animals, it's possible their brains are steering them wrong.
The scientists studied two groups of mice missing the hormone leptin, which is believed to help both humans and mice control their appetite and metabolism. The mice were raised under the same conditions, and offered the same amount of food.
While both groups of mice gained weight, one group gained less. Those mice had been genetically altered to remove a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y.
"When we removed this chemical, the mice ate less and they also burned more calories, and as a result they had a significant reduction in their obesity," said Jay Erickson, a research assistant at the University of Washington.
Erickson co-authored a study reporting the results of the experiment, published in this week's issue of the journal Science. The findings could provide an important clue in the fight against fat in people.
"Ultimately we want to know what are all the influences that control body weight and in mice, neuropeptide Y seems to be one of the influences. ... That raises the possibility that in humans neuropeptide Y is playing a similar role," Erickson said.
Several pharmaceutical companies believe the science will translate from mice to men. Drugs that reduce neuropeptide Y's activity are now being tested in humans.
"It's clear that humans also have neuropeptide Y," said Harry Penner, the CEO of Neurogen Corporation. Neurogen has formed a partnership with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to test a neuropeptide Y-inhibiting drug. Its first goal is to make sure the drug is safe for human consumption.
Penner says his company's neuropeptide Y-inhibiting drug is the first of its kind to be developed. While he is optimistic that his company's drug will someday come to market, consumers are unlikely to see it before the turn of the century.
And even if such a drug were available tomorrow, obesity experts would tell you it is only part of the solution. There is no getting away from exercise and a healthy diet.
"Obesity is a very complex problem and only a small fraction of it is related to appetite control in the brain. A large part of it is our sedentary lifestyle and our use of high-fat foods," said Dr. George Blackburn of the Harvard Medical School. "There's nothing in the drugs that will make you active or choose a healthy diet."
So, as researchers get closer to understanding obesity and genetics, there is hope that treating this disorder, which affects more than a third of Americans, will become a bit easier. Nevertheless, hard work and smart choices will always be part of the equation.
Related stories:
- Study: Diet pills yet another way to yo-yo - November 26, 1996
- Diet drug combo may cause problems during surgery - November 4, 1996
- Former surgeon general wages war on obesity - October 29, 1996
- Low-fat foods help keep weight off - October 28, 1996
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