A new weight loss drug may help curb appetite and burn calories without causing illness, research suggests.

The discovery could lead to a new treatment for millions of people with both obesity and type 2 diabetes who do not respond well to current treatments, according to experts.

Millions of people around the world benefit from slimming drugs based on the GLP-1 hormone.

These drugs also improve kidney function, reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks and are linked to protection against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but many people stop taking them because of common side effects such as nausea and vomiting.

In the new study, scientists from the University of Copenhagen describe a powerful new drug candidate that decreases appetite without muscle loss or unpleasant side effects.

Unlike treatments that are currently available, the drug improves insulin sensitivity and increases energy expenditure, the body’s ability to burn calories.

Associate Professor Zach Gerhart-Hines from the NNF Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen said: “While GLP-1-based therapies have revolutionized patient care for obesity and type 2 diabetes, harnessing energy expenditure security and controlling. appetite without nausea remain two holy grails in this field.

“By addressing these needs, we believe our discovery will propel current approaches to make more tolerable and effective treatments accessible to millions.”

In the new study, published in the journal Nature, scientists tested in mice the effect of activating a molecule, a target, called the Neurokinin 2 Receptor (NK2R).

They identified the receptor through genetic screening that suggested it played a role in maintaining energy balance and glucose control.

The researchers found that not only did activating the receptor safely increase calorie burn, but it also decreased appetite without signs of nausea.

Subsequent studies in primates with type 2 diabetes and obesity showed that activation of the receptor decreased body weight and reversed their diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol.

PhD student Frederike Sass from CBMR at the University of Copenhagen, and first author of the study, said: “One of the biggest hurdles in drug development is translation between mice and humans.

“That’s why we were excited that the benefits of NK2R agonism translated to diabetic and obese nonhuman primates, which is a big step toward clinical translation.”