Study: Increasing Stomach Hormone Levels Makes People Eat Less

Increasing levels of a naturally occurring hormone in the gut that regulates how much people eat appear to make those who are obese eat less, according to a study reported in the September 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Obese people havev lower levels of the stomach hormone known as PYY3-36, which signals the brain that a meal has been eaten.

Imperial College of London researchers found that increasing PYY3-36 levels in both obese and thin people reduced their consumption of calories by around a third for a period of 24 hours.

Their study involved 12 obese and 12 lean volunteers who were intravenously given either PYY3-36 or a placebo. Two hours after receiving the infusion, the participants were offered an unlimited buffet meal. All of the participants receiving PYY3-36 ate less compared with those receiving the placebo.

"These new findings suggest boosting PYY3-36 offers a novel approach towards treating the epidemic of obesity in our society," said study co-author Steve Bloom, a professor at Imperial College London.

Study co-author Rachel Batterham, formerly of Imperial College and now at University College in London, said a deficiency in PYY3-36 levels could be the reason that some people become obese and others do not.

"Further research is now needed to establish whether we can change people's diet to increase the release of this hormone," she added.

Other sources: Imperial College of London, NEJM 349: 10; 941-948