Eureka! Researchers have just made what could be one of the greatest discoveries of the century:a fat-burning enzyme. Scientists from the Cancer Institute in Boston and the University of California at Berkeley are behind this remarkable advance, detailed in the journal Cell. Called PM20D1, the enzyme is generated by cells and is responsible for the creation of N-acylated amino acids. It is the latter that have surprising faculties:they boost the process of burning energy, and therefore calories, even at rest. In order to prove their point, they injected the N-acylated amino acids into overweight mice on a high-fat diet. After eight days, they noticed a noticeable weight loss in fatty tissue.
And of course, you, too, made the connection. In a country where the obesity rate is among the highest in the world, this discovery could well play a key role in the fight against this disease, a national scourge in terms of public health. Indeed, new treatments composed of this amino acid could be developed and provided to patients.
In 2010, Michelle Obama took on the problem head-on, launching the “Let’s Move” campaign, which helps obese children lose weight and regain a healthy lifestyle. If the researchers confirmed that the PM20D1 enzyme could indeed have therapeutic functions for obesity, but also diabetes and fatty liver, studies will still have to be carried out before confirming the results and possibly starting the tests on the men. We can't stop progress!
