Scientists develop new hormone that can cure obesity without exercising

While exercising and dieting for a healthy lifestyle is advised for someone who is overweight it might not be possible for people suffering from obesity and surgery at times is the first step towards weight reduction. To reduce the discomfort of patients suffering from obesity , scientists have designed a new hormone. This hormone dubbed as MOTS-c'may help cure obesity without putting too much effort in exercising.This hormone fights weight gain caused by a high-fat Western diet and normalizes the metabolism, effects commonly associated with exercising and is designed by the scientists at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

This hormone is designed to primarily target muscle tissue, where it restores insulin sensitivity, counteracting diet-induced and age-dependent insulin resistance. (Read: Skin stem cells now to cure obesity)

For the study, the team injected the hormone into mice which were fed a high-fat diet and that were insulin resistant. The injections not only suppressed both effects in mice, they also reversed age-dependent insulin-resistance, a condition that precedes diabetes. (Read:1 in 5 Indians obese: The Lancet study)

MOTS-c is unique among hormones in that it was encoded in the DNA of mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells that convert food into energy. Other hormones are encoded in DNA in the nucleus. Changhan Lee, assistant professor at USC Davis, said that the study sheds new light on mitochondria and positions them as active regulators of metabolism. (Read: New fat-fighting tactics may help combat global obesity epidemic: Study)

With inputs from ANI

Photo source: Getty images

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