A NEW weight loss drug could hijack the brain like a ‘Trojan horse’ to double weight loss.
The drug could help the body to lose fat while training the brain to accept the new weight as normal, scientists said.
GettyA new weight loss treatment could hijack the brain like a Trojan horse to boost weight loss results[/caption]
GettyThe treatment used GLP-1 weight loss jab technology to sneak in molecules that help train the brain to accept weight loss[/caption]
Scientists tested the experimental new drug on mice and claimed the promising new therapy could lead to greater weight loss that existing medications.
It used technology similar to Ozempic and Wegovy, which are referred to as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA).
Aside from work by mimicking a hormone produced naturally by the gut after a meal to slow digestion, dull hunger pangs and shed body weight, the new drug also smuggled neurosplasticity molecules into rodents’ brains to make them more responsive to weight loss.
Researchers with the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen said increasing brain plasticity – meaning its ability to change – may allow it to adapt better to weight loss.
So piggybacking neuroplasticity-promoting molecules onto GLP-1 medications could enhance their results, they claimed in a study published to the journal Nature.
Lead author Associate Professor Christoffer Clemmensen said: “I consider the drugs available on the market today as the first generation of weight-loss drugs.
“Now we have developed a new type of weight-loss drug that affects the plasticity of the brain and appears to be highly effective.”
Scientists used the NMDA receptor agonist MK-801, which affects neuroplasticity in the hypothalamus and brain stem, to promote weight loss-friendly changes in the brain.
GLP-1 hormones can leak through areas of the blood-brain barrier, so they can serve as “Trojan horses” that sneak the plasticity-promoting molecules into the brain, researchers said.
The blood-brain barrier is a protective layer of cells lining blood vessels in the brain, which filters out harmful substances and germs.
It can make it difficult to administer medications directly to the brain, but GLP-1 medications, however, can make their way through permeable parts in the blood-brain barrier.
According to Prof Clemmensen: “The effect of GLP-1 combined with these molecules is very strong.
“In some cases, the mice lose twice as much weight as mice treated with GLP-1 only.”
Researchers suggested this breakthrough could mean might allow patients lose weight on lower dosages of weight loss drugs.
The new drug could also serve as an alternative to people who don’t respond well to existing weight-loss drugs.
“Our studies in mice show side effects similar to those experienced by patients treated with the weight loss drugs available on the market today, including nausea,” Prof Clemmensen said.
“But because the drug is so effective, we may be able to lower the dosage and thus mitigate some of the side effects in the future -though we still don’t know how humans respond to the drug.”
The drug has so far only been tested on mice, but the next step would be to test it on humans.
As it would need to undergo three phases of human clinical trials, it might take eight years for the treatment to become available on the market.
HOW CAN BRAIN PLASTICITY AID WEIGHT LOSS?
According to researchers, the human body has evolved to protect a certain body weight and fat mass.
Prof Clemmensen told Medical News Today that medications might be more effective when they’re combined with drugs that target neuroplasticity in the brain.
“The idea of applying this approach to obesity and weight regulation is very new. This approach is still quite speculative, but something we are intensely working on,” he explained.
“The thinking is that using a drug to lower body weight and then coupling it with another drug that consolidates the neuronal wiring at this adjusted lower weight might help patients maintain a lower weight.”
In other words, GLP-1 medications can help the body to lose weight, but enhancing neuroplasticity could help retrain the brain to accept that new weight as the new normal and boost weight loss results.
Researchers suggested that this approach could be used to supercharge treatments for other conditions.
“In this study, we have focused on obesity and weight loss, but in fact this is a completely new approach for delivering drugs to specific parts of the brain,” Prof Clemmesen said.
“So, I hope our research can pave the way for a whole new class of drugs for treating conditions like neurodegenerative diseases or psychiatric disorders.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
What you should know about Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories sharing how they helped them shed the pounds.
In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less calories and therefore lose weight.
To do this, an ingredient found in the fat-busting drug, known as Semaglutide, mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
What other options are there?
Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.
Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.
It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.
Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.
“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake.”