Severe obesity is a major health issue around the world, increasing the risk of many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and liver problems.
While there are many weight-loss treatments and surgeries, there isn’t yet a pill proven to effectively treat severe obesity. A new study, however, has found hope in an unexpected place—a drug originally developed for other illnesses.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine discovered that a drug first designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and sickle cell disease might also help reduce obesity and fatty liver while improving heart health. What makes this particularly exciting is that the drug appears to work without requiring changes in diet or physical activity.
This research builds on earlier work by the same team in 2015. At that time, the scientists found that an enzyme called PDE9 plays a role in heart disease, especially when linked to high blood pressure.
PDE9 is similar to another enzyme, PDE5, which is targeted by drugs like Viagra. Both enzymes affect a molecule called cyclic GMP, which plays an important role in how cells in the body communicate and function.
Unlike PDE5 inhibitors, which are widely used, PDE9 inhibitors are still experimental and do not yet have brand names.
In this study, researchers looked at whether blocking PDE9 could help with common health problems like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and excessive body fat, particularly around the stomach.
The researchers tested a PDE9 inhibitor developed by Pfizer (known as PF-04447943) that was originally created to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Although this drug was not successful for Alzheimer’s, it was found to be safe in earlier human trials involving over 100 participants. Another PDE9 inhibitor is currently being tested for heart failure.
The study was conducted on mice, and the results were promising. The drug not only reduced obesity but also helped prevent fat buildup in the liver and improved heart function. The most surprising part? These benefits were achieved without the mice eating less or exercising more.
Obesity is a growing problem, especially in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 40% of Americans are obese.
Among women over 60, the percentage is even higher, at 43%. For people struggling with obesity, this new drug could represent a game-changer.
If the results in mice can be replicated in humans, someone weighing 250 pounds might lose up to 50 pounds simply by taking this drug, without changing their lifestyle.
This study sheds light on how obesity might be managed in the future. It also aligns with emerging research suggesting that overeating may not be the main cause of obesity.
Instead, underlying biological factors might play a larger role, and targeting these could offer new solutions.
The study was led by Dr. David Kass and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. While the findings are still in the early stages, they offer hope for developing effective treatments for obesity and related conditions in the years ahead.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a diet that can treat fatty liver disease and obesity, and coffee drinkers may halve their risk of liver cancer.
For more information about liver health, please see recent studies that anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease, and results showing vitamin D could help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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