Professor Stephen Bloom from Imperial College London has received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list for his pioneering work in the field of obesity and diabetes research.

Prof Bloom is currently leading a research group investigating appetite control systems and gut hormones. Their discovery that oxyntomodulin, a naturally occurring 37-amino acid peptide hormone found in the colon, reduces appetite and offers a potential new treatment for obesity.

Prof Bloom told BBC News: "This is a testament to the efforts of a great many colleagues with whom I have worked over the year. This is a unique period in the history of scientific research when we are at last able to work out the details of how the body functions and therefore contribute to the prevention of disease."

Further information: Professor Stephen Bloom