New research has developed a new drug that can promote weight loss, reduce appetite, increase energy expenditure and improve insulin sensitivity without causing nausea or loss of muscle mass.
Our weight is largely determined by the balance between the energy we eat and the amount of energy we expend. Eating more and burning less creates a positive energy balance, which leads to weight gain, while eating less and burning more creates a negative balance, resulting in weight loss.
Now, scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovery a new one weight loss drug that reduces appetite, increases energy expenditure and improves insulin sensitivity without causing nausea or loss of muscle mass. The discovery was reported in the journal Nature and it could lead to a new therapy for millions of people with both obesity and type 2 diabetes who do not respond well to current treatments.
The study
In the study published on Naturescientists at the University of Copenhagen described this new drug as reducing appetite without loss of muscle mass or side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. And, unlike the current generation of treatments, the drug energy expenditure also increasesor the body’s ability to burn calories.
This drug activates the neurokinin 2 receptor (NK2R) and scientists from the University of Copenhagen decided to test the effect of activating this receptor. They identified the receptor through genetic screens that suggested NK2R plays a role in maintaining energy balance and glucose control. They were amazed by the study results: activating the receptor not only safely increased calorie consumption, but also reduced appetite without any signs of nausea.
Further studies have shown that theNK2R activation lowered body weight and reversed diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol.
The discovery could lead to the next generation of drug therapies that offer more effective and tolerable treatments for the nearly 400 million people globally living with both type 2 diabetes and obesity.
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