(CBS) A natural hormone in the body that helps regulate appetite can also reduce food intake in people who suffer from obesity, new research shows.

London researchers studied the hormone PYY3-36, which is produced in the gut when people eat. Medical Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explained on The Early Show that the hormone tells the brain to stop eating when a person has had enough.

The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined 12 obese people and 12 lean people, who were given a dose of the PYY3-36 hormone before sitting down to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Both groups ate about 30 percent less from a buffet lunch after being given the hormone compared to how much they ate when given a placebo.

The research also showed lower natural levels of PYY3-36 in the obese, which may explain why they get hungrier and overeat in the first place, or it may explain their difficulty trying to lose the weight when they become obese.

The researchers say that these early results provide a potential target for the future development of drugs to treat obesity. But, Senay says, it remains to be seen whether or not the hormone could result in weight reduction as opposed to eating less.

The appetite-curbing effect in the study lasted for about 12 hours. The researchers say long-term effects will have to be studied before it's developed further as a treatment for obesity.

Senay says the idea that obesity can be treated by controlling the biological processes of appetite has been the subject of a lot of attention. She says if medical experts can unlock the secrets of hunger and appetite, they might be able to develop a pill that could magically keep the pounds off.

Of course, that pill does not exist yet. The latest research, however, is tantalizing evidence that hormones like PYY3-36 could end up playing a significant role in weight loss.

PYY3-36 is one of a number of hormones that stimulate or suppress hunger. Studies of a similar hormone called leptin had proved disappointing. Most experts don't think PYY3-36 or any of the related appetite hormones by themselves will provide a magic bullet against obesity.

But, Senay explains, a better understanding of how they work together may prove useful in the development of a variety of drugs that mimic the action of appetite hormones.

She says doctors may use a number of different drugs to counter the different ways the body prevents the loss of fat.

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