Researchers have discovered a fatty substance made in the stomach that sends signals to your brain, announcing when it is time to stop eating.

Scientists conducted experiments on mice and rats, which showed that the chemical called NAPE regulated the amount of food the rodents ingested. The same fat-derived substance is found in the human body, as well.

When the rodents were given a fatty meal, their small intestine released a large quantity of the NAPE chemical, which afterwards sent a signal to their brain that caused them to cease eating. When the mice and rats were fed protein or carbohydrates, their NAPE levels did not increase.

When the substance was synthesized by researchers and injected into the rodents’ bloodstream through their stomach, it also made them lose their appetite.