We have written before about the melanocortin system which is part of our central nervous system and has been demonstrated to regulate food intake. A new study by scientists at the University of Cincinnati suggests that this melanocortin system can also act as a remote control from the brain, giving instructions as to the metabolism and storage of fat around the body.
Tests on rodents have demonstrated that when the system is activated (either genetically or pharmacologically), fat is metabolised. When the system is deactivated, there is an increase in fat accumulation.
This discovery could be a breakthrough in developing a new generation of slimming pills which targets the melanocortin system as a means by which weight can be controlled. The research is still in the early stages but studies of humans with a genetic variation in the melanocortin system which causes an accumulation of fat seems to confirm the observations made in the experiments on the rodents in the experiments.