TOKYO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- A protein that can suppress appetite, help treat obesity and metabolic syndrome has been identified by a group of Japanese researchers, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said Tuesday.

The protein, named Nesfatin, was identified by a team of scientists from Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine led by Prof. Masatomo Mori. The findings have been published Monday in a paper on the online version of the British science magazine Nature.

According to the paper, Nesfatin works on the part of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which controls appetite and various other human functions. Nesfatin is secreted by the hypothalamus.

In experiments, it was found that when Nesfatin was administered to rats for ten days, their daily food intake decreased to two thirds of their normal amount. The rats' subcutaneous fat also dropped by about 20 percent. However, no loss in the rats' muscular strength was found. Enditem