Obesity is a serious health problem around the world. It raises the risk of many other health issues, like heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Even though it affects so many people, there are still no pills that work well for treating severe obesity. This makes it even harder for people who are trying to lose weight and stay healthy.
But scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine may have found a new possibility. They have been studying a drug that was first made to treat brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia, as well as a blood disorder called sickle cell disease. This drug works by blocking a certain enzyme in the body called PDE9.
In their research, the scientists found that this drug helped mice lose weight and get rid of fat in their liver. It also helped improve how their hearts worked. What’s more surprising is that the mice didn’t need to go on a diet or exercise for the drug to work.
This discovery adds to earlier research from 2015, when the same team showed that the PDE9 enzyme can make heart problems worse, especially in people with high blood pressure. That finding made them wonder if blocking this enzyme could also help with other health problems, like obesity.
Drugs that block PDE9, called PDE9 inhibitors, are still being tested. They are not available to the public yet. These drugs work in a similar way to drugs like Viagra, which blocks another enzyme called PDE5.
Both PDE5 and PDE9 affect something in the body called cyclic GMP. This chemical helps control different functions in our cells, like blood flow and fat storage.
In the new study, the researchers tested whether blocking PDE9 could also lower blood pressure, reduce blood sugar, improve cholesterol, and decrease body fat—especially around the belly.
They used a specific drug called PF-04447943, which was originally made by the drug company Pfizer to treat Alzheimer’s. It didn’t work for that purpose, but it was found to be safe when tested in more than 100 people. None of the participants had serious side effects.
This could be a big deal because more than 40% of adults in the United States are considered obese. For women over the age of 60, the number is even higher—about 43%.
If the results seen in mice also happen in people, someone who weighs 250 pounds could possibly lose around 50 pounds just by taking this medicine, without changing their eating or exercise habits.
The study, led by David Kass, was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. It opens the door to a new way of managing obesity. If this drug works in people the way it did in mice, it could make weight loss easier and more available to more people.
This is especially important because many experts believe that obesity isn’t caused only by eating too much. There may be other reasons, like how the body handles fat.
Still, it’s important to remember that more studies are needed to see if this drug really works in humans and is safe to use. If it passes those tests, it could become a powerful new tool in the fight against obesity. For now, the findings give hope to millions of people who struggle with their weight and are looking for better ways to manage their health.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about orange that could help obesity, and a berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes and obesity.
For more health information, please see recent studies about ginger’s journey in weight management, and green tea: a cup of weight loss.
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