Study identifies a hormone that may hinder weight loss

A series of experiments in mice demonstrates that a well-known hormone might have a previously unidentified role in the metabolic response to energy restriction during weight loss. Scientists have known about growth hormone (GH) for several decades. It plays a role in bone growth and is particularly important as our bodies grow. It also helps maintain organs and tissues as we go through our adult lives. However, researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil have found an entirely new and unexpected role for GH: It appears to play a part in energy conservation during weight loss. José Donato Junior and his team published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.