New Hormone Helps You Shed Pounds, Similar To Exercise

New findings published in the journal Cell Metabolism reveal a new hormone that fights weight gain, helping to normalize the metabolizing effects that are commonly associated with exercise.

"This represents a major advance in the identification of new treatments for age-related diseases such as diabetes," said Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Davis school and senior author of a study on the research, in a news release.

The newly discovered hormone, known as "MOTS-c," works to target muscle tissue, where it restores insulin sensitivity, counteracting diet-induced and age-dependent insulin resistance.

To test the hormone's effects, researchers injected the hormone into mice that were fed a high-fat diet, which typically causes them to grow obese and develop insulin resistance. The mice had a decreased obesity rate and developed age-dependent insulin-resistance.

"This discovery sheds new light on mitochondria and positions them as active regulators of metabolism," added Changhan Lee, assistant professor at USC Davis and lead author of the study.

Where hormones are typically encoded in the DNA of the nucleus, MOTS-c are encoded in the DNA of the mitochondria-otherwise known as the "powerhouses" of the cells that convert food into energy.

All of the experiments on MOTS-c to date have been performed on lab mice and the molecular mechanisms that make it function in mice exist in all mammals, including humans. The MOTS-c intellectual property has been licensed to a biotechnology company, and clinical trials in humans could begin within the next three years, according to Cohen.

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