A new drug that fights obesity may also reverse diabetes and lower cholesterol.
Scientists are now one step closer to developing a drug that would combat three chronic health problems at the same time: obesity, cholesterol and diabetes.
The drug, currently known as fatostatin, has been proven effective in helping obese mice lose weight and regulate blood sugar levels.
It works by stopping the body from producing fat and releases the energy from food instead. Mice injected with fatostatin weighed 12 percent less and had 70 percent lower blood sugar levels after just four weeks.
Results of the study were published in the journal Chemistry and Biology.
Although the effectiveness of the drug has not yet been proven in human, lead researcher Salih Wakil says he is "very optimistic" about the results.
"Fatostatin blocked increases in body weight, blood glucose, and hepatic (liver) fat accumulation in (genetically) obese mice, even under uncontrolled food intake," he wrote.
Wakil has patented the drug and is currently looking for a drug company to partner with.
