Obesity is becoming a serious problem in the USA and UK, and many other parts of the world. Scientists have now found that two somatostatin vaccinations show promise in keeping the body slim – the vaccines are called JH17 and JH18. The researchers published their study in the Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology.
Keith Haffer, who works for Braasch Biotech LLC, says that both growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) accelerate metabolism and help people lose weight. Somatostatin, however, a peptide hormone, blocks (inhibits) the action of GH and IGF-1.
Haffer and team found that a vaccine with modified somatostatin triggers the body into producing anti-somatostatin antibodies, effectively removing the inhibition of GH and IGF-1.
The researchers had two groups of diet-induced obese mice. Over a six week period, they observed 10 mice which were administered the vaccination, as well as a control group of mice which were given a saline solution. All the mice were given their vaccines twice, once on day one, and then again on day 22.
Within four days, the modified somatostatin group had an average 10% drop in body weight. The animals in the control group continued weighing the same.
At the end of the study, the mice in the modified somatostatin group had significantly lower body weight than those in the other group, and still had normal levels of growth hormone IGF-1, and insulin levels.
The author explained that therapeutic vaccine usage in medicine already exists for the treatment of human prostate cancer and melanoma. A therapy to treat and manage obesity in humans by vaccination would provide doctors with a common and well accepted medical procedure to tackle a globally widespread and progressively worsening human disease condition. If successful, this vaccine could be used to treat obesity without the use of drugs or surgical procedures.
Haffer added that the vaccine effect still worked when the mice were continuously fed a 60% kcal fat diet.
Haffer wrote:
The final result of the study is the demonstration of the usefulness of treating obesity with vaccination and warrants additional studies and parameter monitoring in other animal models (normal pigs, obese minipigs and obese dogs).
Obesity rates in the USA and many other parts of the world have been rising steadily over the last thirty years
Written by Grace Rattue