Protein May Play Role in Controlling Weight
By admin on 2015-01-07

Lacking a protein involved in the response to low levels of oxygen may help control weight, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of California in San Diego based their findings on examining mice, according to the study published in the April 15 issue of Cell Metabolism.

The findings showed that even on a high-fat diet, mice that lack the protein, called FIH, stay lean and healthy.

The discovery could offer a new target for drugs to help control weight, the researchers said.

The mice that lacked FIH showed no ill effects from eating a 60- percent-fat diet, while normal mice fed the same diet gained weight, developed fatty livers and became resistant to insulin, the study showed.

The same problems occur in people who eat too much fatty food, the researchers said.

Further investigation showed that the FIH-deficient mice have a high metabolism and a super sensitivity to insulin.

"The enzyme is easily inhibited by drugs," research leader Randall Johnson, a professor of biology, said in a university news release.