A weight-loss medication that makes you full before eating... The principle is 'this'

Domestic researchers have elucidated the mechanism by which taking obesity medication and merely looking at food without eating causes a feeling of fullness.

On the 28th, Professor Choi Hyung-jin's research team from Seoul National University's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences announced that they confirmed this fact through animal experiments using laboratory mice. The research results were recently published in the international journal 'Science'.

Recently, obesity treatments containing a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) analog, a hormone that promotes insulin secretion and suppresses appetite, have gained popularity. GLP-1 was initially developed as a treatment for diabetes, but as its efficacy in treating obesity has been confirmed, it has attracted worldwide attention. However, it is still unknown which parts of the brain GLP-1 acts on to exert its appetite-suppressing effects.

The research team conducted animal experiments using laboratory mice to investigate and analyze the brain regions affected by GLP-1. As a result, it was confirmed that GLP-1 receptors are distributed in the 'dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH)'. The team also found that when the receptors are artificially activated, the mice immediately stop feeding activity, and when inhibited, their meal times increase.

In particular, the GLP-1 receptors in that area responded more actively when treated with obesity medication, and they were activated simply by recognizing food before eating. Stimulating the receptors can make one feel full without actually eating.

Professor Choi stated, "This study revealed that GLP-1 amplifies the feeling of fullness simply by recognizing food," adding, "It is a fundamental scientific discovery regarding the brain's satiety center and cognitive science, as well as a starting point for developing new obesity medications."