Obesity

What if you could inject a drug into a "problem area" – like the abdomen – and have it safely and rapidly kill off fat cells? We could be within 12 months of this reality, as the world's first safe, targeted fat-loss jab enters Phase 3 trials.

While Ozempic and other drugs like it have proven effective in helping people lose weight, many gain it back when the injections stop. A new drug targets weight loss differently, leading to a more permanent fat-shedding solution.

The first human-tested weight-loss drug that burns calories through creatine-based heat generation, without reducing appetite, has successfully completed its Phase I trial. In the trial, participants lost an average of 3% fat mass in two weeks.

At a time when more than one billion people are living with obesity,GLP-1s are widely viewed as among the biggest advances in obesity treatment. But one important question is becoming harder to avoid: what happens when people stop taking them?

A lengthy trial robbing adults of 90 minutes of sleep a night has uncovered the effect even this small amount of lost shut-eye has on the waistline after little more than a month. It also increased the risk factors for chronic disease.

A once-a-day oral GLP-1 pill known as CX11 has met its dosage and efficacy goals in a trial on US patients and will now advance to its first North American Phase 3 trial. It's already cleared this final hurdle in China where it awaits approval.

Weight-loss jabs are the latest craze for shedding a few pounds. But as effective as GLP-1 drugs are, not everyone who uses them will lose a significant amount of weight. Research suggests that between 10% and 30% of patients fit into this group.

Scientists have identified a new way to supercharge obesity drug semaglutide by targeting key neurons. It could dramatically boost GLP-1 weight-loss power and prevent the dreaded plateaus that not even this "wonder drug" has been able to circumvent.

Could glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) nix the inflammation that drives asthma? Maybe, according to a large national study of more than 27,000 older adults, which was presented to scientists last week.

High-protein diets are often touted as a great way to lose weight. A new finding from a team of researchers, however, found that under certain conditions, mice on a low-protein diet converted energy-storing white fat to calorie-burning beige fat.

New research shows that people with obesity host a distinct oral microbiome. The study turns our attention to the mouth as a signal of metabolic health in a shift that challenges long-held assumptions about where obesity-related biomarkers can be measured.

After a century of false starts, scientists believe they have found a way to make cells burn more energy without the dangerous side effects – and it could be a breakthrough that reshapes weight-loss and anti-aging medicine as we know it.

The sustainability of weight-loss drugs is under scrutiny as new research shows that people who stop taking GLP-1s regain the pounds and return to their original size after 1.7 years. It questions whether we're relying on this "magic cure" too heavily.

The next transformative phase of weight-loss medication is upon us, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving Novo Nordisk's highly anticipated oral GLP-1 drug – with a starting dose available in early January for US$149.

The World Health Organization has finally made its recommendations on using GLP-1 therapeutics for weight loss, though it remains to be seen whether it changes their status for prescribing or price. And scientists still have some concerns.

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding how fat cells grow in size, in response to accommodating larger droplets of fat. The findings unlock a new path in tackling obesity, by reducing the amount of fat our cells can store away.

A new class of weight-loss drug has shown it can significantly boost weight loss when paired with GLP-1 therapy – without adding side effects – in a mid-stage clinical trial, pointing to a powerful new combination approach to tackling obesity.

In a world where slimness is often equated with health, a new Danish study has flipped the narrative: being slightly overweight, or even mildly obese, may not be as deadly as once thought. In fact, in some ways it could be safer than being thin.