Hormone helps mice lose weight

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a hormone in mice that can cause their bodies to start burning stored fat. Scientists have long known that when mice(or humans) are starving, their bodies will switch from producing energy using carbohydrates to using stored fat. Now scientists have discovered a specific hormone in mice that actually causes the switch. The researchers think that this could lead to new drugs and treatments to combat obesity in humans. They discovered this by starving mice and isolating the hormone, known as FGF21. They then tested the hormone by injecting it into healthy(non starved) mice to verify their findings.
The article is pretty interesting, so you should check it out. I especially liked the quote by one of the scientists, Dr. Steven Kliewer. He said, "We want to see if we can get some benefits of eating less without actually eating less.” That just cracked me up.
Via Eurekalert: Hormone helps mice 'hibernate,' survive starvation

For a previous mouse torture/testing article: Nanotech Injection helps paralyzed mice walk