Enzyme in Liver may help to reduce obesity

Australian scientists have claimed that the liver could help in treating obesity after they found that it plays a major role in regulating weight by communicating with the brain.

Researchers of University of Melbourne said that they believed that human bodies may have an innate system in place to limit excessive weight gain caused by eating fatty foods. However,the system only works in response to saturated fat in a normal diet and would not stop obesity in people who ate fat and sugar-laden diets.

Researchers found that an enzyme in the liver increased when fatty foods were consumed and sent a signal to the brain to reduce appetite-stimulating genes, reported Australian news agency AAP.

The overall affect was that after fat was consumed the brain told the body to reduce its food intake, thereby limiting weight gain.

Melbourne University researcher Barbara Fam said people who eat a fatty diet would still become overweight , but the system probably limit the weight gained.

"We believe that this enzyme is really important in stopping the body from gaining any more weight," she said.