Tree Bark Drug To Fight Obesity

A new drug which contains an element found in the bark of trees may be able to provide new treatments for obesity as well as a number of other major illnesses. The compound, Betulin, which is found in abundance in the bark of birch trees, is able to target genes that produce fats in the blood stream.

In trials it has helped to prevent obesity induced by dietary factors as well as reducing the risk of both diabetes and heart disease. Mice that were fed an atypical high-fat diet when then treated with betulin. The compound caused the mice led to increase the rate at which they burned calories...