Aussie researchers' new pill to fight obesity
A new pill could be the next weapon in the fight against obesity, after researchers from the Garvan Institute discovered a way to turn ‘energy-storing’ fat into ‘energy-burning’ fat.
The Australian scientists found that blocking the Y1 receptor, which normally helps us regulate our body heat, could increase the amount of fat we metabolise and prevent weight gain.
“The Y1 receptor acts as a ‘brake’ for heat generation in the body,” said Dr Yan-Chuan Shi, Leader of the Neuroendocrinology Group at Garvan and a senior author of the paper published in Nature Communications.
“In our study, we found that blocking this receptor in fat tissues transformed ‘energy-storing’ fat into ‘energy-burning’ fat, which switched on heat production and reduced weight gain.”
Dr Shi continued, “Most of the current medications used to treat obesity target the brain to suppress appetite and can have severe side effects that limit their use.
“Our study reveals an alternative approach that targets the fat tissues directly, which may potentially be a safer way to prevent and treat obesity.”
Y1 receptor linked to obesity
In a seven-week trial, scientists tested their theory with mice divided into two groups and fed a high-fat diet.
One of the groups was also fed BIBO3304, the experimental treatment, which blocked the Y1 receptor.
This group of mice gained about 40 percent less body weight than the mice who were only given the high fat diet, caused by “an increase in body heat generation and reduction in fat mass,” Dr Shi said.
When the treatment was applied to human fat cells taken from obese individuals, the researhers found that the same genes that produced heat in mice also turned on, meaning that targeting the Y1 receptor pathway could increase fat metabolism and reduce weight gain in people too.
Targeting the brain versus human tissue
Researchers also emphasised that the experimental treatment does not cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning that the anti-obesity effects occur in peripheral tissues rather than the brain.
Most current weight-loss treatments reduce how much we eat by targeting our central nervous system, but this can result in significant psychiatric or cardiovascular side effects and “over 80 percent of these medications being withdrawn from the market,” said Dr Shi.
By targeting the Y1 receptor, Professor Herzog said the treatment “is effective at preventing obesity by increasing energy expenditure”.
“It reveals a new therapeutic approach that is potentially safer than current medications that target appetite,” said Professor Herzog.
With obesity affecting an estimated two thirds of Australian adults, the team of researchers hope human clinical trials can begin within three years.