Women who love to diet and is thinking of obesity drugs should probably not bother. There is a new report that says obesity drugs only work for men, but not for women.
A Molecular Metabolism study, cited by Telegraph, showed that with the help obesity drugs, male mice can lose weight. However, female mice did not show experience the same transformation as their male counterparts. "What we have discovered is that the part of the brain that has a significant influence on how we use the calories that we eat is wired differently in males and females," lead researcher Lora Heisler explained.
The study showed that brain hormones are altered by obesity medications among male mice, leading them to have reduced appetite and yet improved energy levels to engage in increased physical activity. These drugs specifically boost the production of POMC peptites, helping the male mice shed energy quickly, leading therefore to faster weight loss. However, among female mice that took the same medicines, only their appetite was changed.
Because obesity drugs in the US specifically affect POMC neurons only, it is highly likely that the female population looking to lose weight fast with these drugs will not benefit fully from the treatment.
The findings called for differentiated treatment of obesity between men and women. "Currently there is no difference in how obesity is treated in men and women," Heisler said. The obesity rate is prevalent among women compared to men and the rate might be reduced if doctors started to pay attention to these differences and lead research on "sex-specific medications."
In a related news, To Your Health reported that it is high time that women stand up to obesity. Women can literally just stand up more throughout the day and see their weight dropping.
