Obesity is a serious condition that affects people all over the world. Molecules that increase weight loss are under research constantly to become the new "miracle pill" to treat obesity. One of these molecules is serotonin, which is more commonly associated with depression. However, serotonin has also been linked to increased weight loss.
Serotonin
Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter in the brain that affects mood and sleep. Imbalance of the brain levels of serotonin causes depression, emotional problems and eating disorders. Your body makes serotonin from tryptophan, and hence serotonin is also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in certain foods that contain proteins. All proteins are built from amino acids and there a few essential amino acids that you must get from food; tryptophan is one of these. Good sources of tryptophan are cheese, chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts and soy.
Drugs that Affect Serotonin Levels
There a several drugs on the market that increase the brain levels of serotonin. Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, SSRIs or SNRIs, are drugs commonly used to treat depression. These drugs work by blocking the uptake of serotonin in the brain, and therefore increase the levels of the molecule in your body. There are several different SSRIs and SNRIs on the market, including sibutramine.
Antidepressants and Weight Loss
Besides having a role in treating depression, serotonin has also been shown to target weight loss. Several studies that evaluated the role of sibutramine found that the drug increases weight loss. Sibutramin treatment increases the feeling of satisfaction and reduces appetite. A study conducted by the Centre for Obesity Research in the UK showed that a 15mg daily dose of sibutramine significantly reduced weight in overweight and obese patients. The FDA approved sibutramine in 1997 to treat obesity.
Serotonin Receptor in Weight Loss
Drugs that act like serotonin, by binding its receptor, have also been shown to increase weight loss. Lorcaserin is one of these drugs and has a positive effect on weight loss. In a one-year clinical trial, patients who used lorcaserin lost almost 6 percent of their body weight, whereas patients taking a placebo gained approximately 2.5 percent body weight. However, the FDA did not approve lorcaserin as a diet pill due to its side affects.
References
- "Lehningner Principles of Biochemistry"; David L. Nelson et al.; 2004
- MedlinePlus: Tryptophan
- "Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism"; Sibutramine is effective for weight loss; Finer, et al.; April 2000
- Federal Drug Administration: FDA Briefing Document
- The New York Times: No F.D.A. Approval for New Diet Pill
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