La insulina ha sido una hormona estudiada con frecuencia en el campo de la obesidad, dado que en experimentos se ha visto que, inyectada directamente en el cerebro, comporta que los animales coman menos y pierdan peso. Lo mismo se consigue con moléculas que imitan a acción de la insulina, con la ventaja de que, al contrario que la hormona, se pueden administrar por vía oral.
Los experimentos publicados en "Nature Medicine" han comprobado que una de estas sustancias experimentales consigue que ratones sometidos a una dieta alta en grasas coman menor cantidad y no aumenten de peso.
Los autores añaden que el fármaco no sólo previene la obesidad sino también sus efectos deletéreos para la salud, entre ellos el aumento de los niveles de glucosa en sangre y la resistencia a la insulina, sin que aparezcan efectos adversos de relevancia.
Webs Relacionadas
Nature Medicine
http://www.nature.com/
Merck Research Labs
http://www.merck.com/
Cita: Nature Medicine 2002;8:179-183
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