New obesity compound shows promise in mice

A compound similar to the once-promising weight loss drug Acomplia helped obese mice lose weight and lower their blood fats and blood sugar without causing psychological side effects, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Like Acomplia, the drug targets cannabinoid receptors that become active after smoking marijuana, but the team tinkered with the compound to keep it from crossing over into the brain, reducing the risk of depression, anxiety or other neurological problems seen in the original drug.

While obese mice do not lose as much weight on this new compound, it was just as effective as Acomplia in reducing obesity-related metabolic changes, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Northeastern University reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation...