The answer to obesity: Scientists say it may lie in the way our body stores fat
Nitric oxide helps regulate daily body functions - from how cells communicate to blood flow. In this case, it helps play a role in influencing how cholesterol and fat are made.
New Delhi: Scientists may have found a new clue to why the body stores fat so easily—and how that process might be slowed down. In a recent study published in Science Signaling, researchers uncovered an enzyme that appears to act like a switch for fat production. When this switch was turned off in laboratory mice, the animals gained less weight, had lower cholesterol levels, and showed signs of healthier livers, even when fed diets designed to promote obesity.
The discovery matters because obesity has become one of the most common health problems worldwide. It raises the risk of heart disease, fatty liver disease, and other conditions that shorten life expectancy. While diet and exercise remain central to weight control, scientists are increasingly looking at what happens inside the body at a chemical level—and how those processes might be altered.
The enzyme in the study was also associated with nitric oxide, a molecule naturally produced by the body. Nitric oxide helps regulate daily body functions - from how cells communicate to blood flow. In this case, it helps play a role in influencing how cholesterol and fat are made. Under normal conditions, nitric oxide slows down fat production. But the newly identified enzyme removes nitric oxide from key proteins, effectively lifting that restraint. Once that happens, the body shifts into fat-making mode.
To test what would happen if this process were interrupted, researchers blocked the enzyme using genetic techniques and an experimental drug. The results were clear. Mice that received the treatment were less likely to gain weight, had lower levels of "bad” cholesterol, and were protected from liver damage often seen in obesity.
The findings also suggest that weight gain is not about how much a person eats, but about how the body processes and stores energy. By targeting the internal signals that drive fat production, treatment options in the future could go a long way in supporting lifestyle changes. The research is in a nascent stage as of now, and the drug has not yet been tested in humans. Therefore, it will take a lot more research before the new therapy reaches patients.
Still, the study adds to a growing understanding that obesity is not simply a matter of willpower. It is shaped by complex biological systems—some of which may now be within reach of medical intervention