Liver Enzyme might Help Treating Obesity

A recent research in Australia has linked liver with weight gain. Researchers of University of Melbourne inferred that the impact of gaining or losing weight on a certain enzyme in liver could be the clue to discover treatment of obesity.

According to them, liver plays a key role in regulation of weight by communicating with brain. Liver, which was never before considered as important organ to control body weight, was found to be the key for treating obesity.

Earlier presumed cause of weight gain was overloading of fatty food products. On the contrary, this study states that a certain enzyme within liver is solely responsible for weight gain mechanism. Research panel observed that this enzyme within liver increased as fatty foods were consumed. Moreover, the enzyme also conveyed a signal to the brain for reducing appetite-stimulating genes.

Research conducted on mice reflected that over-expression of a specific enzyme within liver resulted in 50% less fat. Other subjects were observed eating less food than mice without the extra enzyme. Enzyme called ‘FBPase’, which was presumed bad earlier, was needed in the production of glucose.

Dr. Barbara Fam of University’s Molecular Obesity Laboratory group at Austin Health reported, “We actually thought that the mouse with the over-expressed enzyme would show signs of becoming diabetic since the enzyme is important in producing more glucose from the liver. However when we studied our mice in more depth, we were very surprised to see that this enzyme triggered a number of hormones that influence the control of appetite.”

This study concludes that a fat-rich foods raise level of FBPase in liver, responsible for weight gain. FBPase works only on the exposure of excess nutrients, while it does not function as usual in normal psychological circumstances.

"When people eat diets loaded with fat and sugars particularly over the long term, it can have a number of different effects on the body but it appears that we actually have in place an innate system that protects us from any further weight gain that could happen while eating these type of diets.", explained Dr. Fam.

Considering FBPase as a regulator of appetite and fat will be too early, further trials need to verify it. However, this study has underlined the significance of liver, an organ which was never considered a factor for weight loss or gain.