Friday, August 11, 2006

Vaccine in the fight against obesity?

Obesity is a very big health problem, both in Malaysia and also worldwide. We must understand that obesity is dangerous because it carries with it the extra baggage of hypertension, T2Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and of course coronary artery disease. Eating and sedentary lifestyle are probably the main causes for obesity. We all like to eat and eat (often junk food) and we all do not like to exercise. Our forefathers do not have the problem because they do manual hardwork and eat a more wholesome diet.

It is therefore very welcomed that researches in Scripps, San Diego, have discovered three vaccines against the hormone ghrelin, which stimulate hunger and weight gain. The researchers found that they could develop 3 vaccines against ghrelin. They injected the vaccine into fat rats and found that the rats developed antibodies against the ghrelin, and the rats failed to gain weight although the rats continue to eat well. It therefore means that the vaccines also induces some reaction that incraeses metabolism. It is not so simple and straight forward, anti-ghrelin. But this discovery is greatly welcomed, although we must be careful as antibodies can have other adverse reactions and of course there is always the problem of tolerance and resisitance. We had also posted earlier, the soon to come, Rimanobant, a Endocarbabinoid receptor blocker. This obesity and metabolic syndrome treatment agent from Sanofi Aventis, will soon reach our shores. The early clinical results have been very impressive and we are awaiting FDA approval. So effective treatment for obesity is on the way. But the best way to manage obesity is still diet and exercise.

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