Enzyme to tackle obesity discovered

California, March 16: A new research has given scientists an impetus to study an enzyme that may tackle the epidemic of obesity threatening the human race.

The enzyme in question is MGAT2, which, if rendered inoperative, could determine whether dietary fat generates energy or accumulates around the waist. The discovery could be significant in preventing obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Dr Robert Farese, from the University of California at San Francisco, and his team reduced MGAT activity in mice by eliminating MGAT2. He stated, “The enzyme is a gatekeeper in the intestine for absorbing fat. We inactivated that in mice to see how effective it was.”

The scientists observed that after a period of 16 weeks, the modified mice weighed 60 percent less than mice with functioning MGAT2 genesdefine. On a low fat diet, the mice developed similar to normal animals. However, when fed a high-fat diet the mice gained much less weight. Lack of MGAT2 also protected them against other symptoms of obesity, such as glucose intolerance, hypercholesterolemia, and fatty livers.

Eric Yen, PhD, lead author of the study, said "Differences in Mgat2 expression may contribute to the propensity of some people to gain weight from diets rich in fat. Our findings suggest that inhibiting this enzyme in the small intestinedefine might be an effective way to treating metabolic diseases that result from excessive fat intake."

The researchers concluded that the intestinal enzyme MGAT2 plays a vital role in the process of energy storage and the subsequent build-up of fat. A deficiency of the enzyme was directly related to consuming high fat diet without putting on weight. This aspect could be beneficial in future interventions to prevent weight gain.

Professor Farese said, “Since we eat a lot of fat in our diet, if you transfer the fat absorption in a way that the body can tolerate without many side effects that would be useful.”

Steve O’Rahilly, a metabolism expert at Cambridge University stated that the study was intriguing. “However, much more work needs to be done before we can be sure that drugs designed to block MGAT2 will be safe and effective in human obesity,” he said.

Results of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine.