They invented a new drug for weight loss

Two promising approaches to finding effective weight loss drugs were presented at the annual meeting of endocrinologists.

An experimental drug was given to some animals and they showed dramatic weight loss.

Another study shows that in men, the love hormone (oxytocin) reduces appetite. According to experts, finding a weight loss pill will be highly debated, especially since there will be doubts about its harm.

More work is needed to test whether these approaches pose a safety risk in humans, scientists said at a conference in San Diego.

First, a team at the Houston Methodist Research Institute used a drug that manipulated the amount of energy burned by the hormones produced by the thyroid gland.

“This drug accelerated metabolism and resulted in dramatic weight reduction,” said study leader Dr. Kevin Phillips.

The chemical GC-1 turns white fat, which is simply an energy store, into brown adipose tissue. This type of fat helps you lose weight by burning calories and turning them into heat. This fat is more common in babies.

In experiments with mice, the chemical increased the production of heat energy as well as the animal’s body temperature by four degrees. In two weeks, the overweight rats lost half of their body fat.

Dr Phillips adds: “Our data suggest that GC-1 is a novel fat converting agent that could be used to treat obesity and metabolic disease“.

It is too early to tell if this chemical can be used safely on humans. An excessive rise in the body’s internal temperature can be fatal.

There are also concerns that the drug could be dangerous to other parts of the body because of the sudden change in weight.

Dr. Jason Wexler, an endocrinologist in Washington, DC, commented, “Many people around the world are trying to lose weight, and this drug will generate a lot of interest. Excitement is high, but more research is needed before it can be brought to market.”

“There are probably a lot of safety issues and side effects that really need to be ironed out before therapeutically turning white adipose tissue into brown,” Wexler added.

Scientists believe that the use of a certain hormone can also help with weight loss. This hormone is usually released during childbirth and helps the mother bond with her baby.

A single dose of the hormone delivered to the body via a nasal spray before breakfast can reduce appetite and the number of calories consumed, according to a study involving 25 men .

The men in the study consumed 122 fewer calories per breakfast after using the nasal spray.

If this effect is maintained over three meals a day, over a period of one year you can lose about 17 kilograms, scientists estimate.

“We are still at the beginning of the research and it is very exciting for me because we are already trying to explain the effect of the hormone on humans,” Dr Elizabeth Lawson told the BBC.

“I think certainly obesity treatment has potential, but we need more research to make sure the drug is safe and doesn’t cause side effects strong>,” she added.