GLP-1s may work by activating an unlikely weight loss ally

( NewsNation ) — A brain cell once thought to be an obstacle to weight loss may actually be the key to maintaining it.

Scientists at Yale were studying how GLP-1s work inside the brain, specifically how their main ingredient, semaglutide, helps sustain weight loss. They published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in July.

They discovered that a neuron known for stimulating hunger, called agouti-related peptide (AgRP), is actually triggered into overdrive by semaglutide. But instead of increasing hunger, it began helping the body burn more fat at rest.

Research in mice genetically altered to lack AgRP neurons found they lost less weight and were unable to maintain long-term weight loss on GLP-1s . However, unaltered mice lost weight and maintained a loss of about 10 to 15 percent.

Unfortunately, testing AgRP neurons in a living person isn’t possible, but the study’s authors hope their data can guide researchers toward new weight loss treatments.

“By identifying a previously unrecognized neural mechanism involved in sustaining weight loss, our work provides new biological insights that could eventually help researchers design therapies that are even more effective or have fewer side effects,” study author Mateus d’Ávila told Science Daily .