An anti-diabetic to fight obesity?

New hope in the fight against obesity: an anti-diabetic treatment, injected once a week, would allow you to lose up to 20% of your weight in 16 months, according to a recent study conducted by University College London.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health and Solidarity, in France, more than 8 million people are suffering from obesity, or 17% of the adult population. A scourge that persists despite the many prevention campaigns put in place by the public authorities. However, this progressive chronic disease increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, not to mention the psychological and social consequences it entails. While there are treatments such as orlistat which partially block the absorption of fat (around 30%), it only works in addition to strict hygiene and dietary measures and many undesirable effects have been reported. But researchers at University College London seem to have found an effective alternative to a drug administered against type 2 diabetes: semaglutide. The results of their work have been published in the prestigious journal “The New England Journal of Medicine”.

On average, participants lost 15 pounds, compared to 2.6 for people who took a placebo. 75% of them lost more than 10% of their body mass, and more than a third lost more than 20%. To reach this conclusion, the scientists injected this treatment subcutaneously into the participants once a week, for almost a year and a half. In total, the study brought together nearly 2,000 people with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. As in any clinical trial, half of the cohort received the drug and the other half received a placebo. In both cases, the participants were followed by a dietitian. “No drug has allowed such weight loss,” said Rachel Batterham, co-author of this research, “this is really a turning point. For the first time, people can be successful with a drug which does not. was possible only with bariatric surgery before. ” In addition to weight loss, patients have noticed an improvement in their quality of life, including a decrease in their cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and blood pressure. The results of this study were sent to health authorities, including the EMA (European Medicines Agency) in order to validate the use of this medicine to fight obesity.