New Drug Counteracts Overeating

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Several companies are testing drugs that target the genetic switch in people, Evans said.

While an effective weight-loss pill is the "holy grail" of obesity research, there are plenty of reasons to be cautious about the new finding, said Leah Whigham, a research scientist who studies nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison.

"The most obvious caution is that this work is in mice, which are much different from humans and have different energy expenditure mechanisms. It remains to be seen if this research can translate into something useful for humans," she said.

Also, mice are much more similar to each other than humans. "Something that works in all mice of a given strain might not be as effective across a population of humans with differing genetic, ethnic, cultural environmental backgrounds," she explained.

Still, Whigham said, "that doesn't mean this research isn't very exciting. It is just very preliminary at this point."

More information

Learn more about obesity from the American Obesity Association.