Sweat does more than burn calories. It also sparks chemistry that can quiet hunger, at least in mice. A new study from researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine and collaborating institutions shows how a small exercise-made compound can dial down appetite through a specific brain pathway. The work focuses on a molecule called Lac-Phe and explains, step by step, how it can lead to weight loss by changing how hunger neurons behave. “Regular exercise is considered a powerful way to lose weight and to protect from obesity-associated diseases, such as diabetes or heart conditions,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Yang He, assistant professor of pediatrics; neurology at Baylor College of Medicine and investigator at the Duncan NRI. “Exercise helps lose weight by increasing the amount of energy the body uses; however, it is likely that other mechanisms are also involved.” This study leans into that “other mechanisms” idea. The researchers did not challenge the basics of weight loss. Instead, …