Leptin leapt into the headlines when it was identified in 1995 as a protein that triggers weight loss in mice. Leptin (the Greek term for thin) is a hormone released by your fat cells. When you lose fat, leptin levels drop and when you gain fat, leptin levels rise.

Recent research into leptin has revealed what is likely to be very important in the control of appetite, weight loss and the regulation of body weight. Advances in leptin research and its role in the control of obesity would lead to reductions in diabetes, coronary heart disease and many forms of cancer, all of which are increased in obesity.