Forget the Atkins diet... now an Atkins pill could help you lose weight fast

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The Atkins diet set for a resurgence after scientists found swapping bread and potatoes for fried breakfasts and steaks can help you lose weight
However researchers hope to make Atkins protein pill or supplement
This would harness the health benefits without needing an extreme diet

By Victoria Allen Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published: 19:01 EST, 7 November 2016 | Updated: 20:52 EST, 7 November 2016

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It was followed by three million people in Britain at the height of its popularity.

And the Atkins diet may be set for a resurgence after scientists found swapping bread and potatoes for fried breakfasts and steaks actually can help you lose weight.

A high-protein diet has been found to trigger hormones which make us feel full and tell our bodies to stop eating.

However researchers, worried about the high fat content of Atkins-style diets, hope the key ingredient of protein could be made into a pill or supplement. This would harness the health benefits without needing to stick to an extreme diet.

Researchers, worried about the high fat content of Atkins-style diets, hope the key ingredient of protein could be made into a pill or supplement

Atkins, popular with celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger, took off in the late 1990s, advising followers to cut out carbohydrates for two weeks.

Dr Robert Atkins’ theory was that the body could be turned into a fat-burning machine by eating mainly meat, fish and eggs.

A chemical produced in the gut when we eat these foods was looked at by researchers at Imperial College London. They found this chemical, phenylalanine, cuts levels of ghrelin, the hormone which tells us when we are hungry, and ramps up another hormone, GLP-1, which sends a message that we are full up.

Atkins, popular with celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger, took off in the late 1990s, advising followers to cut out carbohydrates for two weeks

Professor Kevin Murphy, Professor of Endocrinology & Metabolism at Imperial College London, said: ‘All foods stimulate these hormones, but for some reason protein seems to have a greater effect on GLP-1 release than other types of nutrient.

‘I think people do not stick to high-protein diets, and there is evidence they might not be great for you in the longer term, so if you could exploit this in a pill that would be the ideal.’

The study, conducted on rodents, found those given a dose of phenylalanine over a week lost weight. The hormones produced are believed to make someone feel more full after eating fewer calories.

When gut cells were studied in a petri dish, researchers found the chemical interacted with a calcium-sensing receptor which cut feelings of hunger and triggered the body’s signal to stop eating.

While this backs up the Atkins argument that eating protein helps you slim, a high-protein diet could cause other problems.

The Rowett Institute in Aberdeen found the Atkins diet, by cutting out carbohydrates, could increase someone’s risk of getting bowel cancer by also cutting levels of bacteria which kill off cancerous cells.

A high-protein diet has been found to trigger hormones which make us feel full and tell our bodies to stop eating

Other research has suggested the diet can change blood fat levels and the way the body processes sugar, while causing higher rates of kidney damage.

However the new findings, to be presented today (TUES) at the annual Society for Endocrinology conference in Brighton, could lead to a treatment which avoids having to eat large amounts of protein.

The next step will be to establish that phenylalanine has the same effects in humans as mice.

Lead author Mariana Norton said: ‘Our work is the first to demonstrate that activating CaSR can suppress appetite. It highlights the potential use of phenylalanine or other molecules which stimulate CaSR – like drugs or food components – to prevent or treat obesity.’