'New Target' for Obesity Treatment
A new report published in the FASEB Journal has highlighted a new discovery that could allow for the avoidance of certain metabolic problems related to obesity.
Melanin, a common anti-oxidant, is made to excessive levels by obese people, researchers from George Mason University and INOVA Fairfax Hospital found.
Ancha Baranova, one of the researchers, said that most efforts have been focussed on reducing the weight of obese individuals, but that success has been limited in such cases.
"Hopefully, this study will lead to a drug that keeps obese individuals healthy, reducing the cost burden to society, as well as some of the stigma associated with this condition," the researcher said.
However, editor of the journal Gerald Weissmann pointed out that healthy living, a good diet and plenty of exercise will never be replaced by a pill, but that this development could allow for the creation of a drug that helps to keep people healthy while they work on reducing their weight.
Recent research conducted at the University of Western Sydney in Australia found that eating disorders and starvation diets are partly to blame for a rise in obesity levels among young women, the Sydney Morning Herald notes.
