PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 27 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers said they have obtained new insights into the function of the hormone leptin, which helps trigger the body to boost energy and burn fat.
Researchers at Brown University Medical School and several other hospitals found leptin triggers production of a protein, called aMSH, in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls hunger and metabolism.
The protein raises the body's metabolism and signals the brain to burn calories. This message also prompts the production of another small protein in the hypothalamus, which stimulates the pituitary gland to release hormones that tell the thyroid gland to increase cell energy production.
"If somehow, through a drug, you can increase activity of aMSH, you'd force the body to burn more calories and lose weight," said Eduardo Nillni, an associate molecular biology professor. "That would help so many people."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 61 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese and another 13 percent of adolescents and children.
