Drug hope in battle against obesity

Drugs which mirror the effects of appetite-suppressing surgery may offer the ultimate solution to obesity, scientists said.

Researchers are trying to discover how obesity surgery alters hormones in the gut to reduce hunger.

The work could lead to drug treatments that are as effective as surgical procedures in five to 10 years, say experts.

Surgery remains the only "proven way" to maintain weight loss in obese patients and help them live longer, according to Dr Carol Le Roux, from Imperial College London.

One of the two most common kinds of obesity operation involves tightening a "gastric band" round the entrance to the stomach. The other re-directs food so that it by-passes the stomach and part of the intestine.

The operations mainly work not through physical effects but by changing the balance of hormones that cause people to feel hungry or full.

Trials have shown that obese patients who undergo surgery can lose 20% to 25% of their body weight over several years. Many who suffer from type 2 diabetes - which is closely linked to obesity - are less affected by the disease or even cured.

How this happens is still not clear. But scientists hope that investigating the process will lead to the development of drugs which have the same effect as surgery.

Speaking at the British Association Festival of Science at the University of Liverpool, Dr Le Roux said: "We hope to be able to understand the mechanisms of how the surgery works which would allow us to effectively 'put it in a bottle'.

"Our aim for one day in the future would be to produce some sort of drug, which would have the same outcome as surgery, whilst avoiding the need to operate. I'd like to think that in five to 10 years surgery will be redundant as new medical treatments become available."

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