A little-known fatty compound produced in the small intestine could hold the key to permanent weight loss. Oleylethanolamide (OEA) is a type of fatty acid that is produced in the small intestine in response to food. This compound, oleylethanolamide (OEA), could lead to the development of better treatments for eating disorders and obesity.
The effects of OEA are striking and profoundly different from those of traditional appetite suppressants. This implies that molecular mimics of OEA, or synthetic molecules that resemble OEA but are more potent and more resistant to degradation by the body, could be used in the treatment of obesity and overweight.The study shows that when injected into the bodies of rats, OEA caused the rats to eat significantly less food and gain weight at a slower pace. Studies are now under way to investigate how OEA works on a cellular and molecular level, and to determine whether OEA has appetite-suppressing effects in humans, the researcher noted.
