"BALWYN professor Michael Cowley has some welcome news for those struggling to lose weight - willpower alone is not the answer.
Prof Cowley has been awarded the 2009 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year for his research into understanding metabolism and obesity.
The Monash University Department of Physiology professor has spent the past 10 years researching the complex issue of how people’s brains control their metabolism.
'There are good metabolic reasons why we struggle to lose weight,' Prof Cowley said.'“It’s not just about willpower. For some of us, compulsive food consumption mirrors drug addiction.'
Working with mice and monkeys, Prof Cowley identified neurons in the brain that responded to leptin, a hormone that helps regulate body weight.
He found leptin activated neurons that suppressed weight, and inhibited those increasing it."
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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