14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists with the University of Gothenburg Sahlgrenska Academy say that a compound derived from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard can be successfully used to address food cravings in certain people.
The compound has recently been fashioned into a new drug, which the Swedish researchers just tested on unsuspecting lab rats. The rodents were previously exposed to good food and chocolate, and craved these treats, the team explains.
After they were administered the new drug, the animals showed no such cravings. If it produces similar effects in humans, the new compound could have significant repercussions for countries such as the United States, where one third of the population is overweight, and a third is obese.
Only one in three people in the country are of normal weight, or a little below average. This makes obesity an epidemic in North America, as well as a very severe public health issue. It tends to lead to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which kill thousands of people annually.
The Gila monster lizard, known by its Latin name as Heloderma suspectum, is the largest lizard in the United States. Its saliva contains a unique chemical called exendin-4. Researchers synthesized an artificial version of the chemical, which they introduced in the pharmaceutical preparation Exenatide.
The substance is usually given to type II diabetes patients, since it has a positive effect on controlling blood sugar levels. It was scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy that found the new use for the stuff, EurekAlert reports.
Details of the new investigation appear in the latest issue of the esteemed Journal of Neuroscience, in a paper entitled “The Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) Analogue, Exendin-4 Decreases the Rewarding Value of Food: A New Role for the Mesolimbic GLP-1 Receptors."
“This is both unknown and quite unexpected effect. Our decision to eat is linked to the same mechanisms in the brain which control addictive behaviors. We have shown that exendin-4 affects the reward and motivation regions of the brain,” says researcher Karolina Skibicka.
The expert, an assistant professor at the Academy, was the leader of the investigation. “The implications of the findings are significant,” comments physiology professor Suzanne Dickson.
“Most dieting fails because we are obsessed with the desire to eat, especially tempting foods like sweets. As exendin-4 suppresses the cravings for food, it can help obese people to take control of their weight,” she concludes.