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Scientists Discover Obesity ‘Off-Switch’ in the Brain

Scientists have announced that they have found the trigger and potentially the “cure” for obesity.  According to a study published in the Science journal – obesity can be easily controlled by clicking a switch in the brain. An enzyme found in the brains of mice and humans, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) appears to control our ability to determine whether or not we feel full. Researchers removed this enzyme from one group of mice in a study – and found that the mice ended up eating twice their normal amount of food, becoming much fatter in the process. When the amount of food available to the mice was restricted to a normal dose, their weight remained the same. This finding suggests that the enzyme determines food cravings. When the scientists increased the level of the enzyme in another group of mice, they ate much less food and became leaner in the process. Arstechnica.com reports: The enzyme is O-GlcNAc transferase, or OGT, which is known to work in a chemical pathway controlled by nutrients and metabolic hormones, particularly insulin. That pathway has long been linked with obesity. But researchers knew almost nothing about how the pathway linked to the metabolic disorder or OGT’s specific role. To figure [...]