New Drug Changes 'Bad' Fat into 'Good' Brown Fat for Startling Weight Loss

A new, experimental drug may just turn "bad" fat into "good" fat. Scientists have tested a new drug that causes weight loss in mice by speeding up metabolism and burning off fat cells.

Until several years ago, scientists thought that only animals and human infants had energy-burning "good" brown fat. Yet recent findings have shown that human adults also have brown fat, though it seems to lose its calorie-burning activity over time.

White adipose tissue, or fat, becomes a "metabolic villain" when the body has too much of it. Individuals that have more brown fat, though, have shown to have a reduced risk of diabetes and obesity. That's why researchers have focused on shifting white fat into brown fat.

In this case, they may have their answer-at least for mice. The scientists found that a new drug, called GC-1, seems to be able to convert white fat into brown fat.

The new drug works by activating the receptors for thyroid hormone, which plays a role in regulating metabolism. Thyroid hormone receptors also help with adaptive thermogenesis, in which the body converts excess energy (calories and fat) to heat. The scientists found that genetically obese mice that were given GC-1 lost weight and more than 50 percent of their fat mass in about two weeks. Treated mice also showed antidiabetic effects.

"Our data demonstrate that GC-1 is a novel fat-browning agent that may have use in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disease," said Kevin Phillips, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The drug has yet to undergo testing for weight loss in humans. However, it may be a promising new drug for weight loss in the future.

The findings were presented at the Endocrine Society's 97^th annual meeting in San Diego.

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