Swedish scientists have recently discovered a protein that could allegedly help fight off obesity. The discovery, if verified, could be considered one of the frontliners in the global cure for obesity, which many now consider a growing epidemic.

The protein, tartrate-resistant acide phosphates (TRAP), reportedly simulates the production of fat cells, identified as responsible for obesity, through the inflammation of fat tissues.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute said that the protein "stimulates the formation of new fat cells and can thus precipitate the development of obesity."

According to Press TV, the scientists also identified the protein's ability to simulate fat cells as a means of curbing the risk of developing type II diabetes, a result of a decrease in insulin sensitivity due to inflamed fat cells.

The results were drawn from an experiment involving 14 obese women placed under observation for four years.

The study's results appeared in an issue of the U.S. online journal, Public Library of Science.