HELP FOR THE JUNK FOOD JUNKY

There could soon be an injection to help curb those junk food cravings.  

Are you constantly dieting but struggling with incessant cravings? We've got good news for you - scientists are working on an injection that blocks your hunger for junk food. And in doing so it can help you slim down by stopping you from eating as much. The injection has also been shown to reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases like diabetes in fat monkeys - more good news! A protein, called GDF15, has been found to naturally regulate body weight in humans and animals. When it's injected into mice it made them eat less and lose weight, reports New Scientist. Several teams have tried to use it as an obesity treatment before but were unsuccessful as the protein broke down too quickly in the body for it to have any effect. But now a team from pharmaceutical company Amgen has found a way to make it last longer in the body. They used an antibody and added it to the protein, which made it take longer to break down. When it was used on obese monkeys it made them eat 40 percent less. And when given weekly injections they lost an incredible 10 percent of their body fat over a six week period. They were also more tolerate of glucose, or sugar, which meant their risk of developing type 2 diabetes was reduced. There are currently five obesity medications that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. These have been found to help patients lose an average of seven to 12 percent of their body weight over the course of a year. But none have been as successful as the new drug looks like it could be. Study author Murielle Véniant said the GDF15 hybrid injection did not appear to cause any adverse side effects in monkeys. Clinical trials will be needed to see how the drug works on people before it is available. Other studies have found that when injecting the protein into mice it binds to neurons in the stomach and intestines and sends signals to the part of the brain responsible for appetite. That same part of the brain is responsible for your cravings. The protein caused mice to keep food in their stomachs for twice as long, making them feel fuller for longer.