The experiment not only showed that soy peptides could interact with receptors in the brain, it also demonstrated that eating less isnt always the reason for weight loss, the researcher said.
"Weight loss is a complex physiological event. Its not always as simple as Eat less or exercise more, said de Mejia.
"Losing weight is a cascade of many steps, beginning with the production of certain hormones and continuing with their action in the brain. Some people are resistant to these hormones, just as other people are insulin-resistant. These people never receive the message from the brain that tells them theyre full," she added.
de Mejia plans to continue investigating the effects of soy proteins on weight loss. She believes soy contains anorectic peptides that signal a feeling of satiety as well as peptides that boost the metabolism. Her next step will be to fractionate and purify the soy hydrolysates so that she can identify each peptide and understand its bioactivity.