What strange forces in our bodies govern not only the way we eat, but the amount of food we consume?  The answer may be both simple and complex:

A hormone that signals the brain how full we are may also curb fast-food consumption and people’s tendency to binge eat. The findings could lead one day to a drug that treats weight problems, scientists say.

The “hormone” at the center of the research is actually pramlintide, a lab-made form of amylin, a “fullness,” or satiety, hormone made in the pancreas, which also produce insulin.

“Satiety hormones are commonly thought to control food intake by signaling to the brain when we are full,” says Dr. Christian Weyer, head of clinical research at San Diego’s Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which sells the drug pramlintide under the brand name Symlin to treat diabetes and control blood sugar. The company is trying to develop a form of pramlintide to treat obesity. 

 “The findings of our study further suggest that satiety hormones such as amylin can exert multiple effects on human eating behavior, such as reduced intake of highly-palatable foods and reduced binge eating tendency,” Weyer says.

Enhancing pathways 

Unlike many diet pills that typically block brain chemicals, hormone-based therapies such as pramlintide work by enhancing the body’s pathways involved in control of food intake control. As a result, such drugs could help people resist the drive to overeat even while living in today’s environment where access to abundant, high-calorie food, Weyer explains. 

The findings on fast-food consumption and binge eating are based on a six-week research study of 88 extremely overweight people aged 25 to 60. During the project, the participants kept up their regular exercise and made no lifestyle changes that could account for weight loss.

What’s more, they were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted but until they were comfortably full.

On three days during the project, they ate bagels and cream cheese, muffins, cereal, fruit, sandwiches, casseroles, salads, tortilla chips, potato chips, cookies, soft drinks, and evening snacks of peanut butter sandwiches and cookies. On three other days, they noshed high-fat, high-sugar deep-dish pizzas, ice cream and high fructose corn syrup-sweetened soft drinks – meals that mimicked fast foods in the real world.
 
'Modest' weight loss

According to the findings, participants who took pramlintide:

•  Lost about 4.5 pounds, while weight remained the same in people who took placebos.

•  Took in 990 fewer calories, compared to a modest 243 for the placebo group.
 
•  Ate smaller portions at each major meal – the art of “portion control.”

•  Felt just as full as the placebo group, even though they ate considerably less.

Weyer says the findings suggest that they didn’t experience the increased feeling of hunger and food craving that often occurs when food intake is reduced with dieting.

'Hedonic' aspects

The researchers also examined how the hormone affected certain “hedonic” aspects of eating that seemingly lead to a sense of reward, such as diving into pizza, chocolate and ice cream.

The pramlintide group reduced fast-food intake by 385 calories, compared to only 109 calories for the placebo group.   More than 80 percent of the people on pramlintide had “mild-to-none” binge-eating severity, compared to 58 percent of the members in the placebo group, according to the findings.

“Our findings illustrate that comprehensive, carefully conducted clinical studies can provide important new insights into how hormones help regulate human eating behavior,” Weyer says.

However, he cautions, while the research looks “promising,” pramlintide will probably produce only modest weight loss of about 8 percent before reaching a plateau. But research continues with combinations of pramlintide and other hormones involved in weight control.

Nubella News, a division of Marketing Technology Solutions, Inc., offers content intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We encourage our readers to seek prompt medical care for health issues and consult their physicians before starting a new diet, fitness regimen, or medical treatment.