Amino acids may hold key to battle against obesity
A study into the roles two essential amino acids play in metabolic health – which may help in the fight against obesity – attracted the attention of a number of media outlets. The research, led by Monash BDI’s Dr Adam Rose and published in Nature Communications, showed that by reducing the amount of the amino acids threonine and tryptophan in young healthy mice, the mice were able to burn more calories than they consumed, without calorie reduction. This kept them lean and healthy without the side-effect of lower muscle mass. A low-threonine diet even protected mice that were morbidly obese and prone to developing type 2 diabetes. The research was picked up by The National Tribune, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Mirage, MedINDIA, Medical Xpress and BrightSurf. It was conducted in conjunction with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.