Losing flab the easy way may be around the corner

Statistics in the United States show that more than one-third of the population is overweight, leading to health issues involving high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, insulin resistance and belly fat.

The research says higher levels of Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) that keep body's systems in balance may help fight the weight gain and health problems caused by a high-fat diet.

''Our findings show that GDNF may cause increased calorie burn in both brown and white fat cells and in muscle tissue,'' said Simon Musyoka Mwangi from Kenyatta University (KU) in Nairobi.

The protein also helps develop and maintain nerve cells responsible for a host of bodily functions such as digestion and muscle control.

In this study on mice, researchers looked specifically at how the increased presence of GDNF might affect obesity caused by a high-fat diet.

They found that the GDNF-mice fed a high-fat diet resisted diet-induced weight gain, visceral (around the organs) fat development, fatty liver, high lipid (fat) levels in the blood and insulin resistance.

The GDNF mice also experienced improved insulin sensitivity and increased calorie burn compared to control mice on a high-fat diet.

''The research suggests that GDNF and its receptors may be unique and effective targets for obesity prevention and treatment therapies,'' Mwangi noted in a paper published in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.

The researchers conclude that further studies are needed in order to determine how GDNF works in the body and it's affect on brown and white fat cells.