Have Scientists Discovered A Way To Eat Sugar Without Gaining Weight?

Scientists have discovered a naturally occurring enzyme that could be a breakthrough in the fight against rising obesity and diabetes rates around the world. Known as the "detox enzyme," researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center have shown that the hormone G3PP zaps excess sugar and prevents our body from storing it as fat.They believe it could offer a cure or treatment for obesity and diabetes in people who naturally have trouble removing sugar from their bodies.

"When glucose is abnormally elevated in the body, glucose-derived glycerol-3 phosphate reaches excessive levels in cells, and exaggerated glycerol 3 phosphate metabolism can damage various tissues," Marc Prentki, a principal researcher for the study said in a statement. "We found that G3PP is able to breakdown a great proportion of this excess glycerol phosphate to glycerol and divert it outside the cell, thus protecting the insulin producing beta cells of pancreas and various organs from toxic effects of high glucose levels."

In other words, this means that in the future this enzyme, which our bodies already produce naturally, could allow regular, everyday people to eat sugary snacks guilt-free and without packing on the pounds. The researchers note that a discovery that could impact our metabolic systems is exceedingly rare.