Soon, 'fat pill' that will stop dieters from feeling hungry

Scientists have found a way to make people feel full, which will help them come up with a pill that will stop dieters from feeling hungry.

According to the researchers, an anti-appetite molecule called acetate may hold the key to finally winning the battle of the bulge for millions and will stop people bingeing and make them lose weight.

Professor David Lomas, chairman of the Medical Research Council's Population and Systems Medicine Board, said that it's becoming increasingly clear that the interaction between the gut and the brain plays a key role in controlling how much food we eat and using acetate to suppress appetite, may in future lead to new, non-surgical treatments for obesity.

The scientists have revealed that the anti-appetite molecule that is naturally produced when we digest fibre in the gut goes to the brain where it produces a signal to tell us to stop eating.

According to the study, the dietary fibre is found in most plants and vegetables but tends to be at low levels in processed food and when the fibre is digested by bacteria in the colon, it ferments and releases large amounts of acetate.

The researchers said that the molecules build up in the hypothalamus after fibre has been digested, which triggers a series of chemical events in this part of the brain which ultimately suppresses appetite.

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The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.