Overproducing Leptin Receptors In Fat Cells May Be Key To Halting Weight Gain

Overproducing Leptin Receptors In Fat Cells May Be Key To Halting Weight Gain: "When fat cells increase in size -- as they do during the development of obesity -- the cells progressively lose receptors for the hormone leptin, a powerful stimulus for fat burning. Leptin, a hormone produced by the body's fat cells and involved in the regulation of body weight, was first discovered in 1994. It was thought leptin itself would be a key to curing obesity in humans, but the hypothesis did not readily translate into weight loss in obese people. Using mouse models, UT Southwestern researchers have now shown that if enough receptors are present on the fat cells, it is impossible for the cells to store fat and obesity would be blocked."