Canadian
researchers have discovered a small protein that works in muscles to
increase metabolism and is also able to suppress the appetite. The
protein is called ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). This study was
first reported in the Nature Medicine journal.
Other research
has focused on the leptin hormone for decreasing appetite. This research study
was led by Dr. Greg Steinberg - a Target Obesity fellow funded by the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research, and the Canadian Diabetes Association and found that CNTF
could be a possible treatment for obesity.
The CNTF works by
activating an enzyme called skeletal muscle AMP kinase. This process
increases the body’s ability to burn fat and sugar. The understanding
of the method that CNTF works could lead to new ways to help a person
with losing weight.
“While
hormones such as leptin were initially thought to be the cure-all
for weight loss, they were later found to be ineffective in obesity
due to the presence of proteins which inhibit their ability to
stimulate fat metabolism,” says Dr. Steinberg, a Canadian researcher
at the University of Melbourne, Australia. “Fortunately, CNTF’s
effects on fat burning are maintained.”
Dr. Steinberg’s
research reinforces how muscle building exercises triggers the CNTF and
the AMP kinase process. Having a mix of weightlifting exercises along
with aerobics is still an excellent weight loss tool. The study offers
encouragement for a great way to lose weight without starving yourself
by triggering your muscles to use energy and increase metabolism.
"The incidence of
obesity in Canada has more than doubled over the course of the last 20
years and is a major contributor to cardiovascular risk factors
including diabetes and elevated blood fats,” says Dr. Ruth McPherson,
Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson and lipid expert. “Physical
activity and healthy diet are important lifestyle factors in combating
obesity. This study provides new clues on the regulation of skeletal
muscle metabolism relevant to the treatment of obesity.”
