Leptin Supplements

Obesity is a major public health problem, and the pharmaceutical industry has recently rushed to find a scientific breakthrough in a cost-effective treatment for individuals who are already obese. For many obese individuals trying to lose weight, exercise and sound nutrition are not enough or are exceedingly difficult. A pharmaceutical approach, thus, is increasingly being sought as an adjunctive therapy to lifestyle changes.

Discovery of the Leptin Protein and the Promise of Leptin Replacement

The leptin protein was discovered in the 1970s in different strains of mice that either had decreased production of, or a decreased response to, leptin. Researchers took a group of obese mice and noticed a mutation common among the mice that resulted in the inability to generate a protein called leptin. Further, subsequent studies in mice showed that when recombinant leptin was injected into these obese mice, there was a marked decrease in food intake and the mice lost weight.

This discovery sparked frenzy among the pharmaceutical industry. There was now a race to formulate a leptin pill that could ultimately reduce America's burgeoning public health problem. There was a problem, however. Some experiments in humans showed that after six months of giving leptin replacement, many of the subjects began to gain weight again. The roadblock was intensified by the fact that not all obese individuals, in fact only a small minority, were deficient in leptin. In addition, it appeared that obese humans were partially resistant to leptin, not just deficient in production to leptin. So, giving leptin as a supplement did not have much of an effect. In short, leptin was only part of the puzzle.

The advances made with leptin research have advanced current approaches. Current advances are focused on a more comprehensive approach. For example, Rimonabant, an experimental drug that has different biological actions than leptin, is being currently tested not only for the treatment of obesity but also for smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. The discovery of leptin was one impetus that increased the search for other medications that could either decrease appetite, increase energy expenditure, or a combination of both. The initial discovery of leptin came at the right time, just as public health professionals were really beginning to warn of the dangers of the increasing rates of obesity. Therefore, the research involving leptin had a unprecedented audience. While much of the research involving leptin did not hold the promise of its beginning, leptin research has paved the way for current advances.