New weight loss goal reduces appetite and burns calories without disease

A new weight loss goal could help reduce appetite and burn calories without causing illness, research suggests.

The discovery could lead to a new treatment for millions of people with both obesity and type 2 diabetes who do not respond well to current treatments, experts say.

Millions of people around the world benefit from weight loss medications based on the hormone GLP-1.

These drugs also improve kidney function, reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks and are linked to protection against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but many people stop taking them due to common side effects such as nausea and vomiting.

In the new study, scientists from the University of Copenhagen describe a powerful new drug candidate that reduces appetite without loss of muscle mass or unpleasant side effects.

Unlike treatments currently available, the drug improves insulin sensitivity and increases energy expenditure, the body’s ability to burn calories.

Associate Professor Zach Gerhart-Hines from the NNF Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen said: “While GLP-1-based therapies have revolutionized patient care for obesity and type 2 diabetes, reducing energy expenditure is used safely and Appetite without Nausea remain two holy grails in this area.

“By addressing these needs, we believe our discovery will advance current approaches to make more tolerable, effective treatments accessible to millions of additional individuals.”

In the new study, published in the journal Nature, scientists tested the effect of activating a molecule, a target, called the Neurokinin 2 Receptor (NK2R) in mice.

They identified the receptor through genetic screening that suggested it played a role in maintaining energy balance and glucose regulation.

The researchers found that activating the receptor not only safely increased calorie burn, but also reduced appetite without any signs of nausea.

Further research in primates with type 2 diabetes and obesity showed that activating the receptor reduced body weight and reversed their diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol.

PhD student Frederike Sass from CBMR at the University of Copenhagen, and first author of the study, said: “One of the biggest hurdles in drug development is translation between mice and humans.

“This is why we were excited that the benefits of NK2R agonism translated to non-human primates with diabetes and obesity, which represents a major step toward clinical translation.”