Women gain weight more easily than men because their brains are "wired differently", a study has found.

Scientists say hormones responsible for regulating appetite, physical activity and energy expenditure work differently in the sexes.

The discovery could change the way obesity is tackled through targeted medication, experts at Aberdeen University believe.

Working with teams from Cambridge University and Michigan University, they used mice to study the difference in weight gain driven by differences in physical activity and energy expenditure.

During the study, researchers were able to transform obese male mice with increased appetite and reduced physical activity into lean, healthy mice, but the same transformation did not occur in the females.

The project was led by Professor Lora Heisler from the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at Aberdeen University.

She said: "The World Health Organisation reports higher rates of obesity in women worldwide, reaching twice the prevalence of men in some parts of the world. Currently there is no difference in how obesity is treated in men and women.

"However, what we have discovered is that the part of the brain that has a significant influence on how we use the calories that we eat is wired differently in males and females."

The research, published in the journal Molecular Metabolism, could lead to the development of new gender-specific medications.

Prof Heisler added: "More than half of people in the UK are overweight and one in four are clinically obese.

"This is an enormous percentage of the population and given the links established between obesity and serious medical illnesses including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, it is essential that we strive to find new methods to tackle this epidemic to improve our health."