Briefly in education

Dieters may someday have an unconventional aide in their fight to shed

those extra pounds. A chemical related to marijuana that exists in the

body has been found to reduce obesity, UC Irvine researchers say.

The chemical, called OEA, reduced rats’ desire for food and

significantly decreased their weight gain, indicating that the chemical

eventually could be developed into a drug to treat human weight problems.

Daniele Piomelli, professor of pharmacology, led a team that found

that giving OEA to rats resulted in a sharp reduction in food intake and

a decrease in weight gain. However, OEA did not affect various functions

of the rats’ nervous systems like other weight-loss drugs, indicating

that it may not have many of the side effects associated with existing

diet treatments.

Nearly 30% of Americans are obese, according to the Centers for

Disease Control, which has declared obesity an epidemic disease.