Protein to fight obesity found

Last updated: Thursday, March 06, 2008 Print A team of researchers in Sweden has discovered a protein that stimulates the formation of fat cells, a finding that could potentially be used to treat obesity, the Karolinska Institute stated.

The protein, called TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase), "stimulates the formation of new fat cells and can thus precipitate the development of obesity," the Institute said in a statement.

The research was based on cell cultures and mice studies, and showed that patients with obesity have excessive levels of the protein.

"This protein is potentially useful in the treatment of conditions involving morbid cachexia (weight loss), such as cancer diseases," professor Goeran Andersson, who led the study, said.

What the findings mean
"The discovery can also lead to new ways of treating obesity based on the inhibition of this protein's effect," he said.

The study lasted four years and followed 14 obese women, Andersson said. The results were published in the US online journal Public Library of Science. – (Sapa)

March 2008

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