The days of dreadful fat-reducing diets may be nearing an end. Losing weight and keeping it lost could soon be a simple matter of getting an injection from your doctor.
A report in New Scientist magazine says researchers have come up with a new treatment that destroys fat cells. In recent lab tests, rats given the jabs lost about 10 percent of their body weight -- and they didn't regain it for the remaining three months of the trial despite being fed milk chocolate and peanuts.
Human trials in Europe could start as early as next year, and there's likely to be no shortage of volunteers. "The advantages are that the effects last a long time after treatment and may even be permanent," says Dr. David Flint, who helped develop the injections.
He says the technique uses the body's immune system to destroy the fat cells that store fat. His team modified antibodies to zero in on these cells, setting off an immune reaction that effectively tears holes in the membrane which destroys fat cells.
