(HealthDay News) -- A fatty acid found in olive oil and other heart-healthy monounsaturated fats wards off hunger pangs, a new study suggests.

The findings might one day lead to the development of new drugs to limit, or even enhance, appetite, the researchers said.

Daniele Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, and his colleagues infused the fat -- called oleic acid -- into the intestines of laboratory rodents and found that it was converted into a fat messenger called oleoylethanolamide (OEA).

SATURDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Could a novel with an embedded message about good health help overweight girls develop the motivation to lose a few pounds? New research suggests that it just might, but the results weren't dramatic.

Duke University researchers found that obese girls who read a book featuring a weight-management storyline were slightly more likely to control their weight than two comparison groups.

(HealthDay News) -- Researchers have uncovered a genetic link between obesity and the risk for colon cancer. The discovery could lead to greater accuracy in predicting who is at risk for the disease, experts say.

Research has suggested that colon cancer risk rises with increasing weight, but this finding points to a genetic reason for the link.

(HealthDay News) -- Drugs used to treat obesity may be effective against a wide range of viral infections such as the flu, hepatitis, and even HIV, say researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center and Princeton University.

In cellular metabolism, glucose can be converted into fatty acids -- a process known as fatty acid biosynthesis. Fatty acid biosynthesis is not essential in humans, but many viruses use these fatty acids to build their viral envelopes, or outer coatings, which help the viruses penetrate and infect human cells.

MEXICO CITY - Abraham Leon was getting a checkup when he found out he had high blood pressure and was at risk of developing diabetes.

On the spot, the 5-foot-6-inch, 240-pound lab researcher joined "Vamos Por Un Million de Kilos" (Let's Lose a Million Kilos), a national campaign to get Mexicans to collectively trim about 2 million pounds.

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