Drugs from lizard saliva reduces the cravings for food

[GysdeJongh]

This cannot be true. My lizard does not crave chocolate. He likes a thin
slice of rat. But only a very thin slice on his birthday.

Gys



<http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-drugs-lizard-saliva-cravings-food.html>

In a study with rats published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Assistant
Professor Karolina Skibicka and her colleagues show that exendin-4
effectively reduces the cravings for food.

A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in
reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy,
University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment
ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate.

An increasing number of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes are offered
a pharmaceutical preparation called Exenatide, which helps them to control
their blood sugar. The drug is a synthetic version of a natural substance
called exendin-4, which is obtained from a rather unusual source - the
saliva of the Gila monster lizard (Heloderma suspectum), North America's
largest lizard.

In a study with rats published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Assistant
Professor Karolina Skibicka and her colleagues show that exendin-4
effectively reduces the cravings for food.

The implications of the findings are significant" states Suzanne Dickson,
Professor of Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy: "Most dieting fails
because we are obsessed with the desire to eat, especially tempting foods
like sweets. As exendin-4 suppresses the cravings for food, it can help
obese people to take control of their weight," suggests Professor Dickson.