Drug Helps ‘Couch Potato’ Monkeys Lose Weight Within Four Weeks
- Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:30pm by
Liz Klimas
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Is a new drug announced earlier in the month showing significant fat trimming in rhesus monkeys with “couch potato”-like habits the wonder weight loss drug people have been waiting for?
Creating a weight loss drug for commercial use wasn‘t the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers’ ultimate goal. What they are really looking to see is if getting rid of excess fat in obese prostate cancer patients makes their cancer better than without weight treatment. But, the effectiveness of the weight loss drug in the monkeys they first tested it on may mean it could see the commercial market once human testing is approved and complete.
“Obesity is a major risk factor for developing cancer, roughly the equivalent of tobacco use, and both are potentially reversible” said co-senior author Wadih Arap, M.D., Ph.D., in a press release. “Obese cancer patients do worse in surgery, with radiation or on chemotherapy — worse by any measure.”
Watch the Reuters report:
Although the researchers call the drug “fail proof” — meaning it has worked in each monkey that they’ve given it to — they do acknowledge that when the monkey stops taking the drug, the weight comes back on. This bounce back they attribute to them monkeys going back to eating excessive amounts of food.
As a whole the drug works by targeting the blood vessels that keep fat cells alive. According to the press release, killing the blood cells means the fat cells get reabsorbed and metabolized. On average, the monkeys lost about 11 percent of their body weight.
The rhesus monkeys in the current study were “spontaneously” obese, said study first author Kirstin Barnhart, D.V.M, Ph.D., a veterinary clinical pathologist at MD Anderson’s Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research in Bastrop, Texas. No specific actions were taken to make them overweight; they became so by overeating the same foods provided to other monkeys in the colony and avoiding physical activity.
According to the researchers, this primate model is similar to human obesity with factors in common such as metabolic syndrome, characterized by an increased resistance to insulin, which can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Monkeys treated with the drug called Adipotide showed marked improvements in insulin resistance — using about 50 percent less insulin after treatment.
Monkeys in the studies remained bright and alert throughout, interacting with caretakers and demonstrating no signs of nausea or food avoidance, according to the release. This is a potentially important finding since unpleasant side-effects have limited the use of approved drugs that reduce fat absorption in the intestines.
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Comments (60)
Deb C
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:55amDrug Companies are the Thugs of the Medical World
No less than 19 drug companies made AllBusiness.com’s Top 100 Corporate Criminals List for the 1990s — which is par for the course when it comes to the drug giants. Fraud, bribery, illegal kick-backs and criminal activity are not at all unusual, and the fines and legal fees they eventually end up paying for their “get out of jail free card” are widely regarded as merely the cost of doing business.
Once you’ve been exposed to the seedy underbelly of the drug business—the LEGAL drug business—you can‘t but realize that we’re dealing with a very large group of criminals and felons — the thugs of the medical world. There’s really no nicer way to put it.
What will really get your blood boiling, however, is how easily these companies are able to manipulate the system and get off scot-free for crimes that “ordinary” Americans would be sentenced to life in prison for committing.
For instance, Pfizer, which was found guilty of fraud many times over in 2009, should have been banned from dealing with Medicare and Medicaid again, as is automatically required for any company found guilty of fraudulent activity. But Pfizer is still doing business with these government programs because federal prosecutors allowed the drug giant to avoid being sentenced for massive fraud and deception by letting them form a sham company to take the fall.
Report Post »Blazer123
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 11:34amWell said Deb. It infuriates me how millions of Americans will blindly use legal drugs because the FDA says they’re safe then those same people call me a lowlife because I like cannabis. Meanwhile these fools are feeding Ritalin to their kids who misbehave, taking Fen-Phen because they’re fat, having Viagra because they want an erection, and Vioxx because they hate their lives.
The biggest anti Cannabis lobbies are the legal drug and alcohol manufacturers. Chew on that fact for a bit while you have another Zoloft.
Drugs are bad, mmmmKay?
Report Post »Workingthedirt
Posted on December 2, 2011 at 10:40amYes and shame on them for the thousands, no millions of lives they have saved.
Report Post »AARABON
Posted on December 2, 2011 at 3:08pmwell….the next time you get a severe headache…drink water….or maybe if you get cancer….eat a banana….etc…people love to complain about drug companies until they get ill and need them….
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:26amTHIS ONE is too easy! OK here is one…..Why dont the “monkeys” join a union and go on strike like others have done within the same species. The MONKEYs have rights, and claim they should be on the “new” ACLU’s endangered species list that Obama had just put out!
Report Post »AZ_Dennis
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:40amSadly, I think that’s covered under Agenda 21.
Report Post »jado1981
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:21amI believe the name of the drug should be, “Gettoffyerfatazzanexerciseitall”
Report Post »Go Glenn
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 11:59amLove that name
Report Post »smithclar3nc3
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:02amput those same monkeys in trees and they wouldn’t be couch potatoes in the first place.
Report Post »No Quarter
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 8:09amWould it not be easier, and/or less expensive to just remove the couch?
Report Post »Maybe replace it with a tread mill or something.
SpankDaMonkey
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 7:43am.
Report Post »They need to feed a handful to Baby Jihad’s Mama…….
Gonzo
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 7:49amHey Bulldog, thought you had to change your handle?
Report Post »Quiata
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 7:22amEXERCISE induces weight loss, but exercise can’t be patented and sold.
Report Post »smithclar3nc3
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:04amJust think about all the thin sexy monkeys this drug will produce….LOL
Report Post »MommyNeedsMoreCoffee
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 6:25amAnyone remember the miracle weight loss drug fen phen?
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 11:55amYeah 3 people died from heart attacks and they pulled ephedra…..while 2000 people a year die from using aspirin as prescribed! They actually I believe re-instead enphedra but in such significantly small amounts it is worthless!! That stuff not only helped enhance my weight loss but gave me the energy to excel in weight/exercise programs! Nopw I prefer NoXplode to give me that vascular rush while I lift volkswagons :)
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 2:28amAre these the same monkeys that they use to culture vaccines? Er, excuse me… the same monkeys’ kidneys? And aborted fetal tissue? Just gross. Now, not only will we have vaccines cultured with green rhesus monkey kidneys, but fat green rhesus monkey kidneys. Vaccine for obesity next? Oh wait… that’s what this pill is. Sort of.
Report Post »SubHuman
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 2:14amI’ve seen this episode of Doctor Who.
Report Post »RyanEdwardParker
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 2:00amHi there,
So, this drug is going to be another diet pill right? I’m sure of these monkeys stopped taking the drug they will easily gain back their weight again. I’m 100% sure of that, that is just how diet pills work. They never present a long-term solution for weight loss. The only way to get a permanent solution is to understand that it requires a lifestyle change towards a healthier model. It will be painful initially but most good things are.
Ryan Parker
Report Post »Zdiets.net – Lost 170lbs – Hypertension GONE! – High Cholesterol GONE! – Pre-Diabetes GONE!
Locked
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 6:46am“So, this drug is going to be another diet pill right? I’m sure of these monkeys stopped taking the drug they will easily gain back their weight again. I’m 100% sure of that, that is just how diet pills work.”
The article itself said this. I‘m not sure why you seem to be making predictions when we’re told that’s exactly what happens :-P
“Although the researchers call the drug “fail proof” — meaning it has worked in each monkey that they’ve given it to — they do acknowledge that when the monkey stops taking the drug, the weight comes back on. This bounce back they attribute to them monkeys going back to eating excessive amounts of food.”
Report Post »Cosmos102
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 1:38amThe Monkeys were given only arugula and kale to eat though out the trial, resulting in Lotsa carbon emissions…
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 1:02amOh Dear Lord… what idiots. These once wild Primates are used to living in the wild, swinging and climbing around in trees, running, having fun, socializing, mating, taking care of family members, fighting for dominance, etc. Now, they are stuck in cages, do not have to forage for food, are being tamed and given names, no freedom, no place to roam wild and these so called scientist are wondering why they are fat!!! Now they’re making DRUGS to counter the effects of living in small cages and being fed every day with no natural exercise? If you what these primates to lose weight just put them back in their natural environment. These scientists have made monkeys into OWS protesters and they sit back in their laboratories wondering what has gone wrong. Oh good grief; the irony is too thick for words. Put the primates back into the wild and the OWS protesters back on a job and stop making drugs in an effert to solve EVERY MANMADE PROBLEM!
Report Post »Free_Thinker
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 1:27amReally Monk? They are not confused about why the monkeys are fat, they know why the monkeys are fat. They don’t care about fat monkeys, they are just testing the drug on them and not all drugs are bad.
Report Post »Californiasodbuster
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 2:53amNo, not all drugs are bad, but alot of bad scientist should be put in cages.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 9:20pm@Free_Thinker
Report Post »Exercise and proper food…. GOOD!
Drugs to loose weight…… BAD!
macpappy
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:28amBig news there, there has been a drug around forever that will make you lose wieght very fast. Of course Cocaine is illegal. I bet they gave the monkey crack.
Report Post »Locked
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 6:45amOr… any amphetamine will take suppress your appetite and let you lose weight easily. Many used to treat ADHD, like Adderall, are legal with a prescription and will have almost the same effect if you’re looking for weight loss.
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:23amI bet when they said they limited their physical activity they meant that the monkeys were locked up in small cages 24/7.
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:16amGreat news, but they of course will want exorbant amounts of money for it and therefore only the rich will be able to use it.. Isn’t it how it always works! God help us!
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:33amAny certified manufacturer will be able to purchase the rights to manufacture this product. Competition will set the retail price. The consumer gets it at the lowest possible price and everybody in the manufacturing/retail process makes a profit. It’s called the free market.
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 1:15amGrayling 646Tell that to a cancer patient.. I don’t know what planet you live on?? But anything that helps the obese will have astronomical prices.. Have you been in a hospital lately..try a MRI.. Its ridiculous.. God help us!
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 2:11amAbby you sound like a liberal…the rich the rich the rich waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…Do us a favor and get off your lazy ass and work to get what you want like I do! Stop waiting for the f;ing Government handout!!! You whiney ass teat suckers make me sick.
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 5:23amTee Hee…you said ass teat suckers.
Report Post »sawbuck
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 8:05amUmm…
I don’t want to come off as some kind of a blood sucker.
And I could care less about this break-through.
My concern like many people that have paid their taxes
their whole life and is surrounded by decisions .
The decisions get a little tougher when your up their in age,
Or heaven forbid stricken down with some kind of ailment ,
that requires you to buy a script that cost a exorbitant price.
This not only a pandemic effecting the old and the unfortunate ,
but anyone on a tight budget.
To say anything , to the condemning of these people ,
puts you in the same category and share the same mind-set
as the “death panels” “ of the health nightmare scenario”.
There are “the needy” among us though.
The corruption is enormous and needs fixed… Soon.
But.. All.. Entitlement programs are draining our economy .
And lets no forget ALL the government employees and
their vampire fangs in our necks.
I cant believe this comment I’m writing..?
I thought this was a no brainer …!
If your young and healthy. Or
If your in your golden years and healthy
and have no financial burdens.
Maybe you forgot or was never told. Be thankful..!
Their but the grace of God go I .
Report Post »objectivetruth
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 10:07amI understand your frustration.You aren’t alone in it.
Report Post »@baddoggy
You are a complete imbecile.You can’t tell the difference between someone complaining at being gouged and a freeloader.Tell you what why don’t YOU GET OFF YOUR AZZ AND FIND REAL WORK.
By the way Do your parents let you use the bathroom upstairs or do you have to urinate and defecate in a corner of the basement?OWS reject.H#ll even they have standards.Oh and one other thing if your toileting in the corner Grab a method to off yourself you will save your parents money time and heartache.
MrMagoo
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:13amAsk Micheal Moore.
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:10amtest it on moochelle before they do human trials just to be safe
Report Post »whatthecrazy
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:24amThats hilarious
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:10amPure Progressive.Monkeys and humans.And jackasses.
The rest of us are God’s creatures.
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:59pmOooohhhh, WAIT!!!
DID they actually print PRINT that obesity and CANCER were one of the same beasts equivalent to tobbacco use???
Should all you McD‘s lovers have to stand outside to eat your BIG Mac’s? How about the new ObamaCARe hits you big time if you actually have to USE the health care benefits? Too far fetched?…Give it time. lol
Report Post »Jezreel
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:59pmThe obesity problem won’t last long when food becomes scarce and all hell breaks loose, that is, if our country cannot repent and turn itself around. Those who are morbidly obese will be able to live off their fat. It will actually help to keep many alive longer.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:57pm“Drug helps couch potato monkeys lose weight within four weeks”
That‘s great news if you’re an overweight darwinist…
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:55pmGee, does this include frequent trips to the bathroom??? lol
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:51pmThey will make it in cookies and creams flavor or Ben and Jerrys Chunky Monkey.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 11:36pmThis will be the kid’s School Food… in no time! Thanks, BigBrother!
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