A synthetic hormone may help people feel more full and reduce the desire to binge and eat high-fat foods, researchers say.

In a study by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, pramlintide was given to 88 obese men and women. Pramlintide is a man-made form of amylin, a hormone made by the pancreas that lets the brain know when to stop eating.

Pramlintide is sold as Symlin to treat diabetes.

The six-week study put some people in a control group that received only a placebo. Through most of the study, subjects lived at home and maintained normal routines. The first four days and last three days they were in a facility, but checked in with doctors at other times.

Participants who received pramlintide lost an average of 4.5 pounds, about 2 percent of total body weight, while the placebo group remained about the same weight.

The weight loss was in line with a 3.7 percent weight loss during an earlier 16-week study, the authors said.

Those taking the hormone also ate 680 fewer calories after being injected than they did before, based on a "fast-food challenges" set up by researchers. In general, they ate less at each meal when they were being treated.

By developing therapies based on naturally occurring hormones, it may be possible to help people control how much they eat, reduce binge eating and resist the drive to overeat, researchers said.