Harvard’s Obesity Pill Promises To Replace Treadmill

Harvard University is working on a new obesity pill that they believe will change the future of weight loss forever. The obesity pill will aid in the fight against obesity by reducing the amount of the body’s harmful fat cells.

Researchers at Harvard believe they have discovered the secret to losing weight and combating obesity. The secret behind the obesity pill would lie in two molecules that have the ability to transform white fat cells or ‘good’ cells to brown fat cells or ‘bad’ cells. White fat cells are stored by the body as lipids and contribute to our body fat, while brown fat cells are used by the body to generate heat. Chad Cowan, an Associate Professor at Harvard University when speaking about the obesity pill said that, “it’s the first step toward a pill that can replace the treadmill.”

“You’re constantly replenishing your fat tissue, so if you were on a medication to convert the cells, each new fat cell would be more metabolically active and would convert to brown fat over time.”

According to The Telegraph, Harvard’s obesity pill is, as of now, still a concept. The researchers do however believe that their discovery of the fat converting molecules shows much promise for obesity research and for the development of an obesity pill in the future. The Harvard Magazine reported that Scientists have known for a long time about the role brown fat deposits play in regulating the body temperature of babies. They’ve since learned that these cells may also have positive implications for adults, especially in the race to eliminate obesity.

“With the realization that adults can and do retain some brown fat, came the understanding that if the amount of brown fat in the human body could be increased, this could help with weight control, as well as with a whole suite of metabolic diseases, because the body would be able to release excess calories as heat.”

Harvard is not the only institution concerned about growing obesity rates. In fact, obesity pills seem to be the newest trend in this line of research. In September, The Copenhagen Post reported that the FDA approved the release of a new obesity pill known as Saxenda.

“We look forward to working with the FDA as they complete their review of Saxenda. Obesity is a serious public health issue in the US and we are committed to making Saxenda a new treatment option for adults with obesity.”

Also in September, the Inquisitr reported that the FDA had approved another obesity pill, ‘Contrave’, the third obesity pill to be approved by the FDA in more than a decade.

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