A PILL that combats obesity, diabetes and frailty could be on the horizon after a breakthrough by scientists.
The all-in-one drug was shown in trials to improve glucose tolerance and blood sugar levels, prevent weight gain and fatty liver disease and boost skeletal muscle.
It may ease the obesity crisis which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Treating diabetes costs the NHS £10billion a year.
The pill could also conquer weakening changes to muscles, bones and joints in the elderly.
Professor Mark Febbraio said: “It is the first time we’ve demonstrated pharmacological evidence we could treat obesity, type 2 diabetes, muscle loss and a loss of bone density with a single drug.
“These ageing related diseases have a devastating impact on sufferers and their families, while putting stress on the health care system.”
His team at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, fused two molecules known to improve insulin resistance and modify food intake to create IC7Fc.
An estimated 370 million people currently live with type 2 diabetes – a figure set to double by 2030.
People lose bone mass or density as they get older – especially women after the menopause.
The bones lose calcium and other minerals. Vertebrae also lose some of their mineral content, making each bone thinner.
It was found to lower glucose levels and stop the build-up of blood fats in the liver in tests on mice. The rodents also ate less and lost weight, while maintaining or increasing muscle mass.
The drug also had no obvious side-effects on mice or monkeys.
There are no current drug on the market that have these multiple, positive benefits on overall health and metabolism, he said.
Professor Febbraio said he hopes to raise cash to start human testing in the “foreseeable future”.
