 |
|
|
|
|
New Drug Counteracts Overeating
|
| | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 But what about humans?
According to Evans, the drug could indeed become a "fat pill," although "anything like this will be more effective in the context of a healthy diet and exercise. If you want to get a maximum benefit, just doing it with the drugs alone will always be somewhat of a challenge."
Several companies are testing drugs that target the genetic switch in people, Evans said.
Text Continues Below
While an effective weight-loss pill is the "holy grail" of obesity research, there are plenty of reasons to be cautious about the new finding, said Leah Whigham, a research scientist who studies nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison.
"The most obvious caution is that this work is in mice, which are much different from humans and have different energy expenditure mechanisms. It remains to be seen if this research can translate into something useful for humans," she said.
Also, mice are much more similar to each other than humans. "Something that works in all mice of a given strain might not be as effective across a population of humans with differing genetic, ethnic, cultural environmental backgrounds," she explained.
Still, Whigham said, "that doesn't mean this research isn't very exciting. It is just very preliminary at this point."
More information
Learn more about obesity from the American Obesity Association.
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2
|
Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 4/30/2007
|
|
SOURCES: Ronald M. Evans, Ph.D., investigator and Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor, Salk Institute, San Diego; Leah Whigham, Ph.D., research scientist, University of Wisconsin, Madison; April 29, 2007, presentation, Experimental Biology 2007, Washington D.C.
|
.gif)
