Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that could potentially revolutionize the field of obesity treatment. According to a new study, a naturally occurring hormone has been identified that may aid in weight loss without the side effects commonly associated with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.

A team of scientists at Stanford Medicine, who published their findings in the journal Nature, utilized artificial intelligence to identify a previously unknown peptide. This peptide appeared to safely reduce appetite and weight in mice and miniature pigs without causing nausea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Further studies are needed to confirm the molecule’s safety and effectiveness in humans, but the findings provide a promising glimpse into the future of obesity treatment.

In recent years, the emergence of semaglutide and similar drugs has been a game-changer for obesity medicine. These medications, also used to treat type 2 diabetes, have proven to be significantly more effective at promoting weight loss than diet and exercise alone, with clinical trial results showing a weight loss of 15% to 20%. Semaglutide works by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone that regulates appetite and metabolism, among other functions.

Although these drugs have been revolutionary, they are known to cause annoying gastrointestinal symptoms and may rarely lead to more severe complications like gastroparesis. As a result, scientists have been working to develop newer generation drugs that could provide greater weight loss or offer other benefits, such as being available in pill form. The Stanford Medicine researchers took a novel approach to find their drug candidate, which involved a computer algorithm to narrow down the list of potential molecules that fit their criteria.

The algorithm, nicknamed Peptide Predictor, helped identify an initial batch of 373 prohormones that could yield some 2,700 different peptides. The researchers then tested 100 peptides that they knew or suspected could affect the brain’s hunger drive, including GLP-1 for comparison. This led to the identification of a 12 amino acid-long peptide called BRINP2-related peptide, or BRP, which appeared to be particularly promising.

When tested on lab mice and miniature pigs, BRP was found to greatly reduce appetite in the short term, sometimes by as much as 50%. Obese mice given BRP also significantly lost weight over a two-week period, with most of this weight being stored fat. Further experiments showed that BRP’s hunger-reducing effects on the brain don’t involve the GLP-1 receptor and didn’t cause gastrointestinal symptoms commonly associated with Ozempic-like drugs.

According to study senior researcher Katrin Svensson, an assistant professor of pathology at Stanford, “The receptors targeted by semaglutide are found in the brain but also in the gut, pancreas, and other tissues. That’s why Ozempic has widespread effects, including slowing the movement of food through the digestive tract and lowering blood sugar levels. In contrast, BRP appears to act specifically in the hypothalamus, which controls appetite and metabolism.”

While the team’s findings are preliminary, they suggest that semaglutide has sparked a significant shift in obesity treatment. There are now dozens of experimental drugs in the pipeline that could rival or surpass Ozempic/Wegovy, including different formulations of semaglutide. The researchers have already filed patents on BRP and have co-founded a company to develop the molecule for clinical use.

Although no drug is completely without side effects, the future of obesity treatment may involve fewer gastrointestinal symptoms. As research continues to uncover new and innovative approaches to weight loss, the potential for more effective and tolerable treatments is on the horizon.