Appetite Control

Appetite control

     Controling the appetite is a function of the hypothalamus. Thus scientist have focused their energy into the study of this minute organ, about the size of a nut. It's function became clear over time, with roles in hormone secretion and homeostasis, but also it's appetite control function started to shed it's secrets.

     Since even a small excess of 10 kcal/day over a period of 20 years can lead to excess weight of 22 pounds or 10 kilograms. Studies show that over 80% of obese people eat more than they admit and that more than 90% percent of obese people all over the Globe have hard times controlling their appetite. So the pharmaceutical control of satiety and appetite becomes important.

     This is exactly what drugs like Taranabant or Tesofensine are destined to do! There is a peripheral mechanism of satiety control (mainly due to insulin and CCK) and there also exists the central mechanism. Two nuclei in the hypothalamus - the paraventricular and later- control satiety and respectively hunger. These can be influenced by drugs that intervene in the intercommunicating and POMC-leptin pathways. This is a major step towards controling the sensation of hunger. It is widely aknowledged that obese people have hard time in regulating their eating pattern. The reason for this is that receptors for peripheral inhibitory substances become less sensitive and what remains is the hope of influencing central pathways with the aid of these drugs.

     These drugs are still in different testing phases of clinical trials, but expect one in the near future to shake the market of natural weight loss products.

Taranabant is the generic name given to a new trial medication being tested for the fight against obesity. So far this medication looks promising.

1. Propanamide, N-[(1S,2S)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(3-cyanophenyl)-1-methylpropyl]-2-methyl-2-[[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridinyl]oxy]-
2.N-[(1S,2S)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(3-cyanophenyl)-1-methylpropyl]-2-methyl-2-[[5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-yl]oxy]propanamide