Experimental Drug Helps Obese Mice Burn Fat Without Eating Less

An experimental drug helped obese mice lose body fat without eating less, while largely preserving lean tissue.

Medicine

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Researchers are testing a very different approach to weight loss in mice. Instead of mainly making animals eat less, the experimental compound TOFA appears to change how their cells handle energy and fat. In a four-week study, obese male mice given TOFA lost an average of about 18 percent of their body weight, with most of the loss coming from body fat while lean tissue was largely preserved. Their food intake and physical activity did not increase or decrease, and researchers did not observe a rise in overall body temperature. The compound appears to affect several parts of fat metabolism at once, including pathways involved in making new fat and using stored fat for energy. The researchers also reported improvements in measures related to blood sugar, triglycerides and fatty liver disease. TOFA is an old experimental compound rather than an approved obesity treatment, and earlier drugs aimed at similar metabolic pathways have faced safety problems. The current findings are preclinical and come from mice, so they do not establish that the same effect or safety profile will occur in people. Any human treatment would require extensive testing before it could be considered for routine use.

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