Against alcoholism and obesity
A remedy for alcoholism in 4 weeks removed obesity without diet and exercise
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The drug disulfiram, which has long been approved for the treatment of alcohol addiction, as it turned out, can be an effective means of reducing excess weight. Fattened on fatty foods, laboratory mice lost 40% of their weight on it in four weeks without physical exertion and continuing to eat high-calorie food. An additional advantage of therapy was the improvement of rodent metabolism.
This is not the first study of the effectiveness of the drug disulfiram for the treatment of alcohol-related conditions, published in 2020. Scientists (so far – in pre-clinical studies) have shown its effectiveness in the treatment of cancer (1, 2) and for blocking the cytokine storm in sepsis and, potentially, for the treatment of COVID-19. In a new work by an international group of scientists, the results obtained are of great importance for the treatment of obesity.
Article by Bernier et al. Disulfiram prevents and treats diet-induced obesity and related co-morbidities in mice published in the journal Cell Metabolism – VM.
The team conducted experiments with mice that were fed fatty foods for 12 weeks. They developed overweight and soon the first signs of prediabetes and metabolic disorders appeared. Then the rodents were divided into four groups, which followed their regime for another 12 weeks. The first adhered to the usual diet, the second – with a high fat content. Rodents from the third and fourth groups were given a high-fat diet with simultaneous intake of low or high dosages of disulfiram.
In the first and second groups there were predictable results. The rodents who changed their diet lost weight against the background of a decrease in fat levels. The latter continued to gain weight and develop metabolic disorders in the body against the background of a stable high-calorie diet.
But when taking disulfiram, the results were significant even against the background of a high-calorie diet. With a high dosage of the drug, the weight of rodents decreased by 40% in four weeks.
In general, both dosages had a positive effect on the weight of mice and normalized glucose levels, unlike mice who were simply returned to a normal diet. The experiments showed no side effects from the treatment. In no group were the mice subjected to physical exertion.
Scientists associate the effect of disulfiram with its anti-inflammatory properties.
It probably also protects the pancreas and liver from damage caused by metabolic disorders and overweight, they believe.
The results obtained cannot yet be extrapolated to humans. "Further studies are needed to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of the drug and its effect in overweight and obese people. Therefore, it is impossible to use disulfiram for other purposes," the authors stressed.
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