Researchers have identified a hormone naturally produced by the
body that cut the amount of food volunteers consumed by up to
36%, a finding that could eventually lead to new types of
natural weight-loss drugs. The hormone "is what stops you from
having a third helping," said Dr. Stephen Bloom of Imperial
College in London, who led the study. The hormone, called
PYY3-36, was shown to reduce food intake in rats over a long
period, the team reports in today's issue of the journal Nature.
New ways of controlling weight gain are desperately needed. Some
researchers estimate that as much as 60% of the American
population is overweight, and the obesity epidemic is extending
to childhood. About 13% of children and 16% of adolescents are
estimated to be overweight, and the proportion is growing
rapidly, fueled by fast food and lack of exercise. New studies
have shown that obesity is the second leading cause of
preventable deaths, after smoking. Weight-loss drugs and
programs are a $40-billion-per-year industry--and g