Always stay slim? A future drug could make it possible: the study

A drug can make us stay thin even by eating a lot. Thanks to a study this will soon be possible.

Everyone’s metabolism is unique and determines how our body processes food. Who has a faster metabolism could actually burn excess calories more easily of those who have a slower one. In addition, there are other factors that can affect it, such as genetics, lifestyle, age and general health.

So while some can actually afford to eat whatever they want without gaining weight, it is important for most of us to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly to maintain our ideal weight and overall health. Thanks to a study we can now understand why carbohydrates make us fat.

What research has found into the causes of obesity

A recent study by the University of Pisa has identified a possible solution for the metabolization of carbohydrates, which lies in genetics and in our body’s ability to produce the hormone glp1. This hormone helps burn the carbohydrates we eat and asks the pancreas to produce more insulin to burn them and remove them from the blood. This research could lead to the creation of a drug that acts on carbohydrate metabolism and will no longer make us fat.

Paolo Piaggi, senior author of the study and professor of bioengineering in the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Pisa, explains that if carbohydrates accumulate in the blood, can be harmful to health. The research conducted by the University of Pisa focused on why we gain weight and on understanding how some people manage to maintain a stable weight despite eating a high calorie diet.

The principle of Piaggi’s experiment consists in the ingestion of approx 4 thousand kilocalories in 24 hoursthrough a high carbohydrate diet (75% carbohydrates), with the aim of stress the metabolism and to analyze any differences between the subjects in their way of managing this excess of calories. One could think of this situation as a sort of Christmas lunch, however it is not an everyday practice.

We are trying to understand how each individual’s metabolism reacts to carbohydrate intake and how this reaction can be different from person to person. The study identified that glp1 hormone levels may be a major factor in ability to dispose of carbohydrates.

Thanks to this study, it will be possible to recommend a specific diet for that particular metabolism, fighting obesity. In fact, every individual reacts differently to each diet and that there are those who are more inclined to burn carbohydrates and those who prefer fat instead.