
Brain receptor that regulates body heat may also help accelerate weight loss A discovery from Scripps Research shows that blocking the kappa opioid receptor while on a restricted-calorie diet could help shed pounds faster.
November 27, 2019
LA JOLLA, CA The brain mechanism that enables us to maintain a constant body temperature may also be the key to rapid weight loss, a new study finds. In experiments involving mice that were given a calorie-restricted diet, scientists at Scripps Research discovered that blocking a brain receptor that normally regulates body heat resulted in significant weight reductions.
The findings will be further explored as a potential treatment approach for obesity, which the World Health Organization has called a global epidemic. Obesity affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups increasing risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and many other serious health conditions.
The new study, led by Scripps Research Professor Bruno Conti, PhD, appears in Current Biology.
Up to 50 percent of what we eat every day is used as energy to maintain body temperature, Conti says. But when food is scarce, mammals adapt by lowering their temperature, limiting energy expenditure and the loss of body weight.
Some species, he notes, can go into complete hibernation. Of course, humans don't hibernate when they're on a calorie-restricted diet, but they do naturally experience a lower body temperature just like other mammals. And that makes it harder to lose weight when on a diet.
It's a basic survival mechanism, Conti says. The body is saying: Let's save energy today and maybe we will find food tomorrow.
In a continuation of their earlier research on lifespan and aging, Conti and his team investigated the cellular mechanisms that regulate the body's cooling response to calorie restriction. Biological data obtained in collaboration with the Scripps Research lab of Gary Siuzdak, PhD, suggested the possibility that opioid compounds that naturally occur within the body could be mediating these effects.
Next, the team tested whether blocking the activity of opioid receptors would affect body temperature during calorie restriction. It did. They also determined that this mechanism was uniquely regulated by one of the three known opioid receptor types: the kappa opioid receptor. The finding made sense, as the kappa receptor is the most abundant opioid receptor in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain already known to play a role in regulating both body temperature and feeding.
Conti's team then wondered if by blocking the kappa receptor, the body would continue to burn up calories to regulate heat even when food was restricted. We developed an experimental protocol that would allow us to determine what changes were happening as a result of body heat regulation, not diet, says Rigo Cintron-Colon, PhD, first author of the study.
In one set of experiments, the scientists observed two groups of lean mice that had already been on calorie-restricted diets for six weeks. One group was then treated with a drug to block the kappa receptor. The control group had adapted to the new diet and weight loss plateaued, while the experimental group showed greater energy expenditure and lost an additional 6 percent of body weight.
When we blocked the kappa receptor, the animals did not lower their temperature during calorie restriction and lost more body weight, Conti says.
Similar results were obtained with mice that had developed diet-induced obesity. Blocking the kappa opioid receptor during calorie restriction nearly doubled the body weight loss that the obese animals would normally undergo if the receptor was functional. However, when animals were allowed to eat freely, blocking the kappa opioid receptor had no effects on body temperature and did not alter the normal rate of body weight loss.
This is important, Conti says, as it tells us that kappa opioid blockers are effective in both lean mice and obese mice, but that the medicine is able to affect body weight only in animals that are dieting.
The findings suggest a possibility that by translating these findings into humans, a pharmaceutical product may be able to help those who are struggling to lose weight, despite their adherence to a calorie-restricted diet. As a next step, Conti would like to explore whether existing medicines that are known to block the kappa receptor could be repurposed and refined to safely treat obesity.
The tools to interact with this mechanism may already be available, and if they are, they may be able to translate quickly into a medicine, he says. Unfortunately for many people who are obese, losing weight isn't as simple as eating less.
Authors of the article, Activation of Kappa Opioid Receptor Regulates the Hypothermic Response to Calorie Restriction and Limits Body Weight Loss, include Rigo Cintron-Colon, Christopher W. Johnson, J. Rafael Montenegro-Burke, Carlos Guijas, Lila Faulhaber, Manuel Sanchez-Alavez, Carlos A. Aguirre, Kokila Shankar, Mona Singh, Andrea Galmozzi, Gary Siuzdak, Enrique Saez and Bruno Conti.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (GM113894, RC2 DK114785, R01 GM114368-03, P30 MH062261-17, P01 DA026146-02) and the Cloud Credits Model Pilot, a component of the NIH Big Data to Knowledge program.
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Disorders Conti, Bruno
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
17/04/2026
L3Harris towed array systems provide U.S. Navy submarines with extended acoustic...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media Partner to Transform Accessibility Compliance into a More Engaging Viewer Experience at NAB Show 2026
Collaboration integrates...
17/04/2026
Strengthening Appear's North America team with a new Vice President of Business Development
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE: APR), a global leader in live producti...
17/04/2026
New framework helps broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sports organizations apply AI to live video for monetization, metadata, highlights, and downstream wo...
17/04/2026
New whitepaper gives broadcasters and OTT operators independent, codec-by-codec evidence that the VisualOn Optimizer transforms viewer quality of experience.
V...
17/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive 100G
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
World's first immersive cinema camera f...
17/04/2026
NAB 2026: Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Solution that Significantly Re...
17/04/2026
What Makes a Good Marathon Running Playlist? We asked Xander Dawson, an eighth-semester saxophone major at Boston Conservatory running the Boston Marathon thi...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
At NAB Show 2026, PTZOptics (Booth N1902) will showcase a live sports streaming demo created in collaboration with Moondream, offering a new look at how Visual ...
17/04/2026
The Eindhoven University of Technology is a research university in the Netherlands spanning 25 buildings, specialising in engineering, science and technology. D...
17/04/2026
Documentary Editor - US, Remote
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
Documentary Editor
April 13, 2026Freelance Video Cameraman - Los......
17/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF 100G
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
Revolutionary digital film camera brings cinem...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Dubformer, the AI-powered dubbing platform, and Adapt, a global leader in AI-driven localization and dubbing solutions, have enabled Goalcast, the inspirational...
17/04/2026
At NAB 2026, Mavis will launch Mavis Studio, a new live production app for iPad that gives creators, broadcasters, and production teams a powerful new way to bu...
17/04/2026
Avid and Google Cloud today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to integrate generative and agentic AI into the media and entertainment industry's...
17/04/2026
At NAB Show, LucidLink will showcase how its platform brings content, people and workflows closer together than ever before, with newly available capabilities a...
17/04/2026
Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berkle...
17/04/2026
Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta to Receive Honorary Doctorates at...
17/04/2026
Back to All News
A Turn-of-the-Century Superpower Adventure of Goofy Misfits: ...
16/04/2026
Appear ASA (OSE: APR) will announce three additions to its X Platform at NAB Sho...
16/04/2026
Harmonic has announced that CentralCast, a centralized master control facility for U.S. public media, has deployed Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor t...
16/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Encompass Digital Media has integrated its BA...
16/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate its Media Infrastructure capabilities at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C2408, Central Hall), bringing routing, signal processing, and orche...
16/04/2026
As preparations ramp up for the FIFA World Cup 2026, Verizon has outlined a sweeping connectivity and infrastructure initiative that will underpin broadcast ope...
16/04/2026
Advanced Image Robotics (AIR) has announced its selection for the 2026 MLS Innovation Lab. AIR will work with MLS clubs, players, and executives on automated vi...
16/04/2026
JWX has announced the acquisition of True Anthem, an AI-powered social publishin...
16/04/2026
Jomboy Media and FuboTV Inc. have launched the Jomboy Media Channel, a 24/7 channel available to FuboTV base plan subscribers. The channel, timed to the start o...
16/04/2026
Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company (Booth C2820), and EVS Broadcast Equipmen...
16/04/2026
Tata Communications and Formula 1 have released Race Before the Race, the firs...
16/04/2026
DPA Microphones has released a firmware update for its N-Series Digital Wireless...
16/04/2026
Sony's Live Stage at NAB Show 2026 is the place to hear directly from the content creators, end users, and technology experts who are pushing boundaries in ...
16/04/2026
Perfect Game and Youth Prospects have announced a partnership covering broadcast...
16/04/2026
National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) has announced a media rights partnership with Al...
16/04/2026
Audio-Technica has announced two new mid-side (MS) stereo broadcast microphones:...