Insulin as an appetite suppressant?

Insulin regulates the metabolism. Apparently it also works in the brain. According to a study, it can be administered as a nasal spray to help curb the appetite. So is it a diet? It is not that easy, explained Stefanie Brassen from the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital

Insulin against fat rolls?

In the study of the Uniklinik Hamburg, volunteers were given either insulin or a placebo as a nasal spray on different days. Afterwards, they had to evaluate how much they liked food or objects. On the insulin days, it was found that the subjects evaluated only foods as less attractive. "The effect was significantly significant," says Brassen. According to this, seven to ten per cent of the food was assessed less well than on the placebo day.

No weight loss effect for people overweight

How does this effect come about? Insulin affects the brain receptors, which control the release of dopamine, which is also known as a reward hormone, says Stefanie Brassen: "Insulin acts in the dopaminergic reward system". On the insulin day there was a signal decrease in the subjects there compared to the placebotag. The decrease reflected a reduced release of dopamine. The brain is no longer so worthwhile to eat something.

As a potential dietary remedy, however, an insulin nasal spray according to breams would only be of limited use: the study also examined severely overweight people who had already developed an insulin resistance. With these, the insulin did not have an appetizing effect. Whether it could help slimmer people in losing weight is still unclear. There are initial indications, however, that the underlying behavioral studies have too small samples to be really meaningful.