Infusing hormone fragment reduces appetite

Obese people have lower levels of the peptide YY_3-36 (PYY), a fragment of an appetite regulating gut hormone, and consume significantly fewer calories after they have received a synthetic form of PYY, a new, small study has found. This suggests that PYY infusion might be a potential treatment for obesity, say the authors.

The study, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the effects of PYY infusion with placebo on appetite and food intake in 12 obese and 12 lean healthy volunteers. The mean body mass index …