Canadian researchers said doors may open for new treatments for obesity after they discovered that a small protein acts directly within muscles to boost the body’s metabolism to burn fat and suppress appetite.

Dr. Greg Steinberg, a researcher with the Target Obesity project, said the protein, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), now comes into play in obesity research that historically has centered on hormones as major appetite regulators. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Canadian Diabetes Association are paying for his study.

CNTF stymies appetite and boosts metabolism by turning on an enzyme that increases the body’s ability to break down fat and sugar for energy.

“While hormones such as leptin were initially thought to be the cure-all for weight loss, they were later found to be ineffective in obesity due to the presence of proteins that inhibit their ability to stimulate fat metabolism,” said Steinberg, a researcher at Australia’s University of Melbourne. “Fortunately, CNTF’s effects on fat burning are maintained.”

Steinberg’s study appears in Nature Medicine journal.

The future of obesity research?

As in the United States, nearly half of all Canadian adults and 26 percent of the country’s children and teen-agers are overweight or obese. From 1985 to 2000, 57,000 deaths in Canada were associated with overweight and obesity, matching the death toll in the United States and in some European countries.

Steinberg’s study has Canadian health officials thinking about things to come in the future of obesity research.

“This research is an important step in unraveling the complex biological systems controlling body weight, including blood sugar levels, food intake, and the feeling of fullness, which are crucial to tackling the worldwide epidemic of obesity,” said Dr. Diane Finegood, scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes.

Dr. Paula Dworatzek, a senior research associate with the Canadian Diabetes Association, added that the findings also carry promise for people with type 2 diabetes since 80 percent of them struggle with excess weight.

Target Obesity is a program in which researchers study how behavior, biology and society affect obesity. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Canadian Diabetes Association are leading the project.

Source: Target Obesity
Posted by: Steve Smith, Health Editor
Reference: Nature Medicine
Website: www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

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