Obesity Vaccine: Is There Really A 'Cure' For...

Doctors are experimenting with a new 'obesity vaccine.' Obesity is considered a disease; it is an epidemic in the U.S. and spreading quickly worldwide. But a vaccine for obesity, really? This sort of seems like another band-aid over the problem rather than a real solution.

The drug would help the body generate antibodies to somatostatin, which is a hormone in the body that inhibits the action of other hormones that increase the metabolism. The idea is that the vaccine would remove this inhibition "without directly interfering with the growth hormones and subsequently increasing energy expenditure and weight loss." This was tested on mice, and the vaccinated group had a 10% drop in body weight.

So, is it safe to manipulate the body's hormonal chemistry like this? They aren't sure yet. The author of the study, Keith N. Haffer, says that overweight dogs and pigs may be tested next. Safe or not, many people are willing to try anything to lose weight. It also does not say how long people would have to keep this up, or how often they would need to be injected, so it could potentially be really expensive.

Perhaps this new obesity vaccine could make a small difference in the epidemic, but it would only be a tiny part of the solution. People need to start learning how to eat better, exercise more and make healthier choices, simple as that. It would be destructive if people used the drug and then thought they could just start eating whatever they wanted because of a little boost in their metabolism, which could easily happen. What do you think of the new vaccine? Would you try it?

Comments: 4

Dan H. Jul 10, 2012, 2:09pm UTC

From the purple vertical striae on his abdomen, that man has Cushing's Syndrome. I wonder if he knows?

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Vic Damico Jul 10, 2012, 2:55pm UTC

Obesity is a sensitive subject to many, but in reality, it usually relates to a combination of over-indulgence verses the individual's metabolism, accompanied by a total lack of personal control. Eating healthy and in appropriate amounts is not automatic, and it does not start off as a mental issue, but in time is guaranteed to become just that. Any child is subject to taking various directions in life and the parents should guide that direction from the beginning. Children do not need to be allowed to eat the equivalence of three meals as a child, simply because they tell the parents they are still hungry. Many children will eat a massive meal, and immediately drink sodas or eat snacks simply because they are allowed to by their parents. With the amount consumed by the child and the number of snacks or unhealthy foods, the parents need to address this issue from the beginning and simply learn to say no. This is the source of the problem, and unless it is addressed as it applies to children, the learned habits will continue into adulthood and will give you what you have shown in the above picture. Parents need to step up and be responsible, and stop allowing the children to move in a direction that is certainly to lead to a condition that is unhealthy and even dangerous to the individual in the future. If that "eat until you cannot eat anymore" mentality is allowed as children, nothing is going to help if that same behavior is allowed to continue into adulthood. Controlling the initial concerns is far easier than to deal with the issue after it has moved to adulthood.

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Horace Nick Jul 10, 2012, 3:00pm UTC

hahahahahahah oh, sorry...... hahahahahahah..... lol Just to think that you can get vaccinated against being fat.... wake up people! Eat well and move!

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Obesity Vaccine: Is There Really A 'Cure' For Obesity?

Comments: 4

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