Ending obesity and diabetes? First success for this promising treatment

Mitochondria, often called the powerhouses of cells, play a crucial role in our health by processing the nutrients from our diet and supplying the energy needed for various cellular processes.


Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have recently highlighted a class of drugs that, by blocking mitochondrial function, could significantly improve the treatment of obesity and diabetes.

This discovery was published in the journal Nature Metabolism. Professor Nils-Göran Larsson and his team have developed drug candidates that specifically block mitochondrial function, thus preventing the production of cellular energy.

The study, carried out on obese male mice fed a high-fat diet, showed after four weeks of oral treatment, a notable increase in fat metabolism, leading to significant weight loss and improved glucose tolerance.

The potential of these findings to treat common diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes is considerable. However, the path to human application is still long. Professor Larsson is collaborating with a biotechnology company to further develop these drugs, although many more years of research are still needed to confirm their effectiveness in humans.