The Fat Problem

While on one hand, scientists are zooming in to the consequences of obesity and their rising epidemic across the globe, on the other researchers are up with arms in search for a solution to it. And eventually, here is a great breakthrough against the epidemic. Now, controlling hunger is literally in your hands! The Australian scientists have discovered a brain-targeting molecule — MIC-1 — that eventually can switch hunger on and off! Produced by common cancers and targets receptors in the brain, the molecule is responsible for switching off appetite. But, by using antibodies against it, the appetite can be switched back on. Herbert Herzog, director of neuroscience research at the Garvan Institute in Sydney said, This work has given us a better understanding of the part of the brain that regulates appetite. Our bodies send complex chemical signals to our brains, which interpret them and send back responses, in this case eat or don’t eat. Our research indicated that MIC-1 is a previously unrecognized molecule sending a don’t eat signal to the brain. Ah! It is really a good news for the morbidly obese who are desperate about losing weight, but know not where to start from! Not just that, this new finding would help doctors answer many terminally ill patients’ continuous and uncontrollable weight loss. Image