A medicine that blocks a receptor present in most cells, could be able to prevent and reverse obesity, notes a study by scientists at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in the United States, who mentioned that this reversal could be done safely.
This receiver, called AHR, is known for combating exposure to environmental chemicals and for playing an important role in body metabolism, the researchers reported in a statement.
“We conduct experiments that show that when a medicine called NF, which is known to block AHR, it is added to a diet high in fat, mice cannot get fat, ”said the head of the study, Craig Tomlinson.
The above was discovered after the researchers fed a group of mice with a high fat diet. Subsequently, half of them were changed to a high fat diet which contained the AHR NF receiver.
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During the following weeks, rodent feeding was modified by low-fat products containing NF and what they achieved reduce the body weight No harmful effects to health.
Finally, the team of scientists investigated the mechanisms behind how the rAHR eceptor prevented and reversed obesity, when it was blocked by NF. To do this, they relied on prior knowledge that this receptor regulates key genes in fat metabolism.
Thanks to this they discovered that in liver cells the AHR, when blocked by NF, cannot induce several key genes necessary for fat storage and synthesis.
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Researchers have begun investigating several key questions, including those related to dietary compounds that activate AHR to cause obesity, and the role played by intestinal bacteria regarding this receptor and obesity.
In conclusion, the study, “AHR is a potentially potent therapeutic goal for the treatment and prevention of obesity and related diseases ”, as AHR inhibition prevents and reverses obesity, a global epidemic that precedes numerous comorbidities.
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