Researchers See Possibility Of Controlling The Molecule That Controls Metabolism

Swiss and U.S. researchers have discovered that limiting the effect of a molecule called NcoR that adjusts metabolism much like a dimmer switch adjusts electric flow could provide a way to ramp up metabolism and reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes. According to the researchers, it might be possible to produce drugs that specifically target NCoR activity only in one tissue or another, such as fat or muscle. "With this adipocyte [NCoR] knockout you get systemic insulin sensitivity; the liver and muscle gets better too," the researchers concluded. "At the end of the day, it's doing something good for metabolism."