Good News About A Bad Enzyme

Enzymes play a very important role in our bodies -- they help chemical reactions happen. They serve as catalysts. They can do good things and bad things.

An example of a bad enzyme is dgat1. This enzyme, just discovered, is necessary for a serious liver infection called hepatitis c to become aggressive. Over 160 million people are infected with hepatitis and infection can lead to severe liver disease in many cases.

According to the research, dgat1 actually helps make the hepatitis c virus more aggressive.

There is good news: researchers think that medication designed to attack dgat1 could help reduce the aggressiveness of hepatitis c.

Reported By: Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio Medical Editor