In what may be the first published breakthrough of its kind in the global battle against obesity, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain and reduced body fat in animal models.

The study is being published in an advanced, online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of July 31 to August 4.

In the new study, mature male rats immunized with specific types of the active vaccine ate normally yet gained less weight and had less body fat, indicating that the vaccine directly affects the body’s metabolism and energy use.

This finding may be especially important to stop what is commonly known as “yo-yo dieting,” the cycle of repeated loss and regain of weight experienced by many dieters.

The new vaccine, which is directed against the hormone ghrelin (pronounced “grell-in”), a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate energy balance in the body, has shown the potential, in animal models at least, to put an end to that risky and often futile struggle.

Ghrelin molecule

Reference - Scripps Research Institute

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