Scientists claim they have discovered a new drug that promotes weight loss similar to Ozempic, but without causing muscle loss. The treatment – which aims to curb appetite and boost calorie burning – reportedly works without other negative side effects, including nausea.
The 47 scientists behind the study hope the new drug candidate, which is referred to as NK2R, could eventually become an option for people who haven’t had success with other weight loss therapies.
“Doses of semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic) can cause a significant aversive nauseating response. However, our drug had no such trigger,” Associate Professor Zach Gerhart-Hines – metabolism researcher at the University of Copenhagen and co-author on the study – told BBC Science Focus.
“The weight loss driven by our drug also spared muscle compared to semaglutide/Ozempic, which causes significant lean mass loss.”
So how does it work? The research, published in the journal Nature, claims NK2R affects the body in two main ways: firstly, by targeting your brain and reducing appetite. Secondly, the drug increases calorie burning in the muscles and body fat (which scientists call adipose tissue).
NK2R, the scientists say, acts on a different neural circuit in the brain than Ozempic. While Ozempic mimics a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which reduces hunger and appetite, the proposed NK2R drug works differently.
Instead, it targets a molecule found naturally in the body’s cells, known also, rather confusingly, as NK2R (which stands for neurokinin 2 receptor).
Scientists say activating NK2R through the drug can influence blood sugar, body weight and cholesterol.
When the research team administered the drug to overweight mice, it resulted in weight loss and a decrease in food intake.
But some health experts have reservations about the impact this treatment will have on humans. In particular, how increasing energy expenditure through a drug may work in practice – given that many current obesity treatments only focus on curbing appetite and intake.
“The study is currently a hypothetical based on animals, and I am sceptical as to its rationale and application for humans,” Dr Adam Collins – Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Surrey who was not involved in the study – explained to BBC Science Focus.
Researchers aim to begin clinical trials of NK2R on humans within the next two years.
About our experts:
Dr Zach Gerhart-Hines is an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. His research focuses on diet, the circadian clock and metabolism.
Dr Adam Collins is an Associate Professor at the University of Surrey. He specialises in weight loss, metabolism and nutrition.
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