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A hunger protein reverses anorexia symptoms in mice

Mice with boosted levels of the protein gained weight, but it’s unclear what this means for people

Two white mice sit side by side as they eat from a pile of bird seed off of a white table.

A protein involved in stimulating hunger may show promise for helping researchers uncover ways to treat anorexia in people, a study in mice suggests.

William R Casey/Getty Images

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

An appetite-stimulating protein can reverse anorexia in mice.

Mice with lack of appetite and weight loss — symptoms similar to people with anorexia — that were genetically tweaked to secrete a protein called ACBP ate more food and weighed more than anorexic animals with an ACBP deficit, researchers report August 14 in Science Translational Medicine.