{"id":2000109056,"date":"2026-04-17T14:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000109056"},"modified":"2026-04-17T11:38:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:38:57","slug":"study-finds-natural-hormone-that-helps-reverse-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/study-finds-natural-hormone-that-helps-reverse-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Study finds natural hormone that helps reverse obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Oklahoma, revealed that FGF21 operates through a region of the brain known as the hindbrain, a surprising finding since most researchers expected signals to come from another area called the hypothalamus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hindbrain is the same part of the brain targeted by some existing weight\u2011loss medications like GLP\u20111 drugs, but FGF21 works in a completely different way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of suppressing hunger, FGF21 triggers parts of the hindbrain called the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and the area postrema (AP). These regions then communicate with another brain structure known as the parabrachial nucleus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pathway appears to increase metabolic activity\u00a0 meaning the body burns more energy which leads to weight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to lead researcher Matthew Potthoff, Ph.D., understanding this brain circuit is important because it might help scientists design new weight\u2011loss therapies that are more effective and have fewer side effects than current options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some experimental FGF21\u2011based drugs are already being tested for a serious liver condition called MASH (metabolic dysfunction\u2011associated steatohepatitis), this research focuses specifically on how the hormone affects weight and metabolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons this discovery is so promising is that FGF21 and existing medications target similar brain areas but produce different outcomes. GLP\u20111 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy reduce appetite, which helps people eat less. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FGF21, on the other hand, appears to increase the body\u2019s natural ability to burn fat and use energy more efficiently, which could lead to powerful new ways to treat obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although these results are still early and have been observed in mice, the findings offer scientists a valuable new perspective on how the brain controls metabolism and body weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If future research confirms similar effects in humans, FGF21\u2011based therapies could eventually become a part of treatments for obesity and related conditions such as fatty liver disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scientists uncover hormone FGF21 that triggers weight loss in mice, paving the way for new obesity treatments. 
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers have made a significant scientific breakthrough by discovering that a naturally occurring hormone called FGF21 can effectively reverse obesity in mice. Unlike many weight\u2011loss drugs that work by reducing appetite, this hormone activates a special brain circuit that boosts the body\u2019s energy burning, offering fresh hope for future obesity treatments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000109065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000109056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000109065,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17-2026-10_24_18-AM.png","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/png","width":1536,"height":1024,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17-2026-10_24_18-AM.png","width":150,"height":100},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17-2026-10_24_18-AM.png","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17-2026-10_24_18-AM.png","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17-2026-10_24_18-AM.png","width":1024,"height":683},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17-2026-10_24_18-AM.png","width":1536,"height":1024}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000109056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000109056"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000109056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000109087,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000109056\/revisions\/2000109087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000109065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000109056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000109056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000109056"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000109056"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000109056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}