14 DAY TRIAL // A group of investigators from the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy, in Sweden, argues that a molecule called interleukin-6 (IL6), which is a part of the human immune system, may play an important role in controlling hunger and satiety.
As a chemical messenger, IL6 plays an important role in fighting off pathogens that try to infect the human body. Surprisingly, the SA team says, it is also involved in weight loss, a connection that previously escaped detection.
Higher concentrations of the molecule inside the body have been found to protect it against obesity, although the exact mechanisms underlying this ability have not yet been fully understood.
“Interleukin-6 increases levels of substances in the brain that trigger weight loss, which could explain why high levels of this molecule lead to weight loss,” UG PhD student Erik Schéle says, quoted by AlphaGalileo.