TUESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A fatty acid found in olive oil and other heart-healthy monounsaturated fats wards off hunger pangs, a new study suggests.
The findings might one day lead to the development of new drugs to limit, or even enhance, appetite, the researchers said.
Daniele Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, and his colleagues infused the fat -- called oleic acid -- into the intestines of laboratory rodents and found that it was converted into a fat messenger called oleoylethanolamide (OEA).
"This OEA activates a receptor protein causing a specific type of satiety," Piomelli said. "This protein initiates a series of physiological events that lead to activation of nerves in the intestine."
The result: A message goes up to the brain and tells the body, in effect, that it's full. "This is different than compounds that make you eat less at a given meal," he said.
