It is important to search for a promising therapeutic target or small molecules that can control excessive eating since limiting the intake of foods, especially tasty ones, could be effective in the treatment or prevention of
obesity. Some studies indicate
betahistine as an unique
drug having the ability to ameliorate, for example,
antipsychotic-induced
weight gain. This study aimed to determine whether repeated administration of
betahistine (
histamine H1R agonist and H3R antagonist) could be beneficial in reducing the intake of tasty foods or the body's response to
overeating via mechanisms such as by influencing the levels of
hormones involved in the regulation of food intake or the levels of selected metabolic parameters. Studies were performed in the excessive eating model in rats, which perfectly illustrates the harmful high-caloric intake from freely available tasty products rich in
sugar and fat. Our results indicated that repeated administration of
betahistine to rats caused lower gain of body mass compared to the control rats fed palatable feed. Interestingly,
betahistine treatment increased the consumption of cheese, which is a source of
histamine. Although
betahistine did not prevent the development of metabolic disorders, such as reduced
glucose tolerance, in test animals, it significantly increased the level of
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which could certainly be considered beneficial. Further studies should be conducted to investigate the effect of repeated administration of
betahistine on satiety,
gastrointestinal disorders, and the preference for
histamine-containing foods.