As well as helping people to lose weight, a drug which turned white cells into brown cells would reduce the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes and protect against heart disease.
A pill which would help the body burn away excess fat is being developed by Harvard University who claim it could one day 'replace the treadmill'.
Scientists discovered how to trigger a molecule which can turn 'bad' white fat cells, into 'good' energy-burning brown fat cells.
Humans have two types of fat tissue. White fat is the type of fat we associate with chubby stomachs and hips and which circulates in the blood to fuel muscle.
Alternatively, brown fat is used by the body to generate heat. The colder you become, the more brown fat disappears, so it is easier to get rid of.
Now researchers have discovered a molecule that can turn white fat into brown fat and how to stimulate its production.
When the body takes in excess energy it is stored as lipids in white fat cells.
When there are too many calories coming in, and not enough being burned, adult stem cells in the body produce more white fat cells, which leads to a flabby physique.
Marketed
But the researchers have discovered which molecule is behind turning stem cells white or brown.
Increasing the molecule tells the body to make more brown cells, rather than white.
Although Harvard has merely shown proof of concept, they believe that a pill could be created to produce the same effects.
In fact, a drug called tofacitinib, which triggers the molecule, is already being marketed for rheumatoid arthritis, and it could also be an effective treatment for obesity.
"It's the first step toward a pill that can replace the treadmill," said co-author Chad Cowan, associate professor in Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology unit.
"What we saw here was a stable conversion of the white fat cells to brown cells.
"You're constantly replenishing your fat tissue, so if you were on a medication to convert the cells, each new fat cell would be more metabolically active and would convert to brown fat over time."
One in four adults in England is obese and these figures are set to climb to 60pc of men and 50pc of women by 2050.
Obesity and diabetes already costs the UK over €6bn every year, which is likely to rise to €55bn in the next 36 years.
As well as helping people to lose weight, a drug which turned white cells into brown cells would reduce the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes and protect against heart disease.
Obesity
Prof Cowan has been working with fat stem cells for more than seven years, looking for ways to prevent disease and obesity.
He is in discussions with several pharmaceutical companies about producing a drug, and clinical trials have already begun in Germany.
"We expect to have results fairly soon," said Prof Cowan, adding that "the compounds appear to work the same way in mice, but we don't know what the long-term metabolic or immune system effects are.
"We thought that working with stem cells would lead to the discovery of new drugs and therapies, and now it's really starting to happen - a decade of hard basic scientific work is paying off."
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