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Scientists ID Enzyme That Regulates Appetite

This time, the link is an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is found, among other areas, in the hypothalamus region of the brain. The enzyme appeared to have an effect on regulating how much mice ate and how heavy they grew, a new study finds.

The finding could potentially make the enzyme a target for a drug to fight obesity, which is rapidly becoming the preeminent American health crisis of the 21st century.

"The exciting thing is to find some physiologic and biochemical explanation for appetite and for hunger," says Dr. Christine Ren, director of the Surgical Weight Loss Program at New York University Medical Center in New York City. "If we can define the pathway [involved in] hunger and appetite and satiety, then we can find a solution or some sort of medication to block it."