weight & body fat

nutrition

CNTF

How Does This Brain Signal Cause Weight Loss Without Leptin? (CNTF)

Written by Jasmine Foster, BSc, BEd on June 17th, 2020

CNTF is a neurotrophic factor that protects tissues from damage and drastically reduces appetite. Could it help manage obesity and improve weight loss outcomes? Read on to find out.

What is CNTF?

CNTF encodes ciliary neurotrophic factor (also abbreviated CNTF), a hormone that stimulates the growth of neurons and the production of some neurotransmitters [R].

CNTF is best-known for its function in the eye, where it protects the retina from damage and degeneration. Animal and cell studies have found that introducing CNTF to eye tissue was able to both prevent and help repair damage [R, R].

Researchers have also found that genetic variants in CNTF affected the way people responded to aerobic exercise [R].

How Does CNTF Affect Weight Gain?

CNTF is an anorectic: a compound that reduces appetite and prevents us from eating. The most common and best-known anorectic is leptin, the major hormone responsible for making us feel full [R, R].

However, much to their surprise, researchers have discovered that CNTF’s anorectic effects have nothing to do with leptin. This makes CNTF a very promising target for people who struggle with weight gain and leptin resistance [R].

One clinical trial investigated the effect of supplemental CNTF on 173 obese patients. Those who received CNTF lost weight over the course of the 12 week treatment period, while those on a placebo did not. What’s more, patients receiving a higher dose (1-2 micrograms vs. 0.3 micrograms) lost more weight [R].

This study opens the door to the possibility of one day using CNTF as a treatment for obesity. It also strongly suggests that high-expression CNTF genetic variants could confer protection against weight gain [R, R].

CNTF protects eye tissues from damage, affects response to exercise, and reduces the desire to eat. Researchers have begun to study whether CNTF can be used to treat obesity.

CNTF Variants & Weight

One variant in the CNTF gene, rs1800169, is associated with weight gain. One study found that the uncommon ‘A’ allele at this SNP has been linked to increased weight gain, but this effect only reached significance in women [R].

In men, the ‘A’ allele at rs1800169 is only significantly associated with weight gain when combined with the ‘C’ allele at rs1800795, a variant of IL6 [R].

The authors of the study concluded that the weight regulation effects of CNTF are different in men and women, though they did not speculate on exactly why this difference might exist [R].

Your CNTF Results for Weight Gain

SNP Table

variant	genotype	frequency	risk allele
rs1800169

SNP Summary and Table

CNTF rs1800169

‘G’ = Not associated with unusual weight gain.
‘A’ = Associated with increased weight gain in women; only associated with weight gain in men when combined with high IL6.
Only about 22% of all people worldwide have at least one copy of the ‘A’ allele.
The ‘A’ allele is significantly less common in people of African descent (7%).

Recommendations

Diet

Spicy Food

Capsaicin activates receptors (TRPV1) that appear to increase CNTF activity in some parts of the brain [R].

TRPV1 activation may speed up the metabolism, increase energy expenditure, and reduce appetite [R, R, R, R].

When ingested orally with green tea, capsaicin reduced appetite and food intake in humans. Early research indicates that taking capsaicin as a weight loss supplement is safe, but more must be known about its effectiveness [R, R, R].

If you like spicy food, you’re in luck: capsaicin is found in chili peppers and is responsible for their spicy flavor. The spicier the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains [R, R].

Spicy foods activate TRPV1 receptors, which increase CNTF activity in some parts of the brain, accelerate metabolism, and increase energy expenditure.

Green Tea

EGCG, the primary polyphenol in green tea, may increase the expression of the CNTF gene [R].

EGCG caused between 0.2 and 3.5 kg of weight loss in limited human studies. Green tea, meanwhile, is hypothesized to make us burn more calories, even at rest. In most studies, this amounts to a modest 3-4% increase in energy, though some studies have shown an increase as high as 8%. For a 2,000 calorie diet, 3-4% amounts to an additional 60-80 calories per day [R, R, R, R, R, R].

In one study of 60 obese individuals, the group taking green tea extract lost 7.3lbs and burned 183 more calories per day (on average) after 3 months [R, R].

According to a review of 11 studies, green tea extract or EGCG can slightly improve weight loss and maintenance. However, a Cochrane database review of 14 studies regarded the change in weight as nonsignificant in most studies, so the evidence is inconclusive [R, R].

The majority of weight loss trials used special extracts with higher concentrations of active ingredients (catechins and caffeine), compared with regular tea. Hence, it may be necessary to take an EGCG-rich green tea extract for beneficial effects [R].

EGCG, the major active compound in green tea, may increase CNTF expression and improve weight loss.

Supplements

Cinnamon

Sodium benzoate, a compound that is produced when our bodies digest and process cinnamon, may increase the expression of CNTF in the brain. Sodium benzoate is also a common food preservative [R].

Supplementation with cinnamon improved body weight and BMI in a meta-analysis of weight loss studies. Best results were achieved with dosages of at least 2 grams per day, which is more than you would usually consume if you were just using cinnamon as a cooking spice [R].

Jasmine Foster

BSc, BEd

Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.

Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.

Disclaimer

The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other official medical body. This information is presented for educational purposes only, and may not be used to diagnose or treat any illness or disease.

Also keep in mind that the “Risk Score” presented in this post is based only on a select number of SNPs, and therefore only represents a small portion of your total risk as an individual. Furthermore, these analyses are based primarily on associational studies, which do not necessarily imply causation. Finally, many other (non-genetic) factors can also play a significant role in the development of a disease or health condition — therefore, carrying any of the risk-associated genotypes discussed in this post does not necessarily mean you are at increased risk of developing a major health condition.

Always consult your doctor before acting on any information or recommendations discussed in this post — especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have been officially diagnosed with a medical condition.

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Content

What is CNTF? How Does CNTF Affect Weight Gain? CNTF Variants & Weight Your CNTF Results for Weight Gain

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