The drug is now in the earliest stages of clinical trials, meaning that, if found to be effective, it would probably take several years to become available to consumers.
The spray incorporates… a hormone made by the small intestine that is sent to the brain to signal satiety. There is some evidence that obese people make less of this hormone than leaner people, suggesting that their brains might be receiving only a weak signal to stop eating.” (New York Times)
I realize that the burgeoning science of obesity and weight reduction is a complicated and active field, and I do not presume to understand the intricacies of the regulatory mechanisms governing appetite and body weight, which become more complex the deeper we dig. However, if this is all that this hormone, and this drug, do, I am dubious about the role they will play in significant weight loss. Signalling satiety to the brain all you want is not going to stop most people from overeating, which is more influenced by cultural mores and psychological habits. When the average MacDonald’s customer super-sizes their order every time they patronize the place, is it because their body isn’t telling them it is full or because they are ignoring the signals that they are already receiving? People eat for comfort or pleasure far beyond the satiety point.
