Are you planning to lose weight? Getting a few pounds off your body is probably one of the hardest things you'll ever do. But if this drug becomes more commercialized, that may change the whole dynamic of losing weight.
For many of us, putting some weight is a breeze. The hard part is how to get it off as soon as possible. Thus, we try various slimming pills in the market. However, many of them have risks or side effects including damage to the liver and kidney.
This new experimental drug seems to be a completely new breed. First, it doesn't stop you from eating. Rather, it makes you feel fuller. This means that you're not really deprived of food. It's just that you don't end up eating more than you should.
It's called fexaramine, a type of drug that works closely with FXR (farnesoid X receptor), which a team from Salk Institute in California has been studying for quite some time now.
The drug works by mimicking the different biological processes after you've eaten a meal. After you've ingested the pill, it stimulates the receptor and compels it to release acids from the bile toward the intestine. It also reduces your blood sugar level and increases the production of brown fat, which helps in burning more calories. In other words, it speeds up your metabolism-the same things that happen when you've eaten some food.
Moreover, since the drug goes all the way to the intestine instead of being part of your bloodstream, it has fewer side effects.
But before you get too excited over this new drug, keep in mind that the trial has been conducted with mice only. Obese mice that had taken the drug eventually stopped gaining weight through imaginary calories.
Before it can be tested to humans, it may have to be tried to primates. Nevertheless, hopefully within the next 3 years, this becomes commercially viable.