Dr. Louis J. Aronne is a great supporter for Acomplia, as obesity has become a major health issue and concern for many individuals.

"What many people have traditionally viewed as a lack of willpower [to stop eating] could actually have a biochemical basis" could be found in the endocannabinoid system.

"It's not just a matter of lack of willpower to stop eating, or of an obesity drug not working, but the body's counterbalancing a mechanism that stops people from losing weight," Aronne says in the February issue of Food and Fitness Advisor, a monthly newsletter from Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center, is a booster of Acomplia, an experimental drug not yet approved by the FDA said to have the reverse effect on the endocannabinoid system of marijuana -- namely, instead of giving you "the munchies," Acomplia turns off appetite.

When your EC system is activated, it increases hunger and decreases satiety, making one crave for tasty food, says Aronne. He calls this the "feed-forward" mechanism.

"When you eat a high-fat, high- carbohydrate food, it activates the endocannabinoid system, leading you to eat even more," he explains. "The endocannabinoid system interacts with other hormones to make you feel hungrier, increases body fat, and drives weight gain.

"We now know that the endocannabinoid system is overactive in obese people. In one study, obese women were found to have higher levels of endocannabinoids than lean women," he says

According to Arrone, the blocking of cannabinoid receptors may dampen an overactive EC system, reining in appetite.

The intake of food, triglycerides and glucose is reduced by the blockers. The level in 'good' HDL cholesterol is increased in the body.