Fat Vaccine

Sorry, but this is just sick to me.

Whoever patents this vaccine will be a multi-billionaire.

The diet industry will find something wrong with this vaccine and have it banned. There's too much money at stake.

Crazy, they are trying to make a vaccine for obesity. A vaccine to attack a natural hormone. If we keep this up the human genetic nature will evolve dramatically in a 1,000 years.

Everyone will be perfect, then the few unperfect ones are the desired ones.

This is very interesting and something that I will like to see into the future be a pill you can take. Maybe I am just looking for an easy solution but it would be nice for people struggling with their weight.

Good god. Talk about a freaking waste of money.
whats wrong with the simple obvious solution of, oh i dont know, healthy diet (ie a lifestyle thing, not a dieting diet), education for those who have no idea about nutrition, exercise?????

How about making healthy foods cheaper and more accessible?

And yeah, we'd all like quick fixes so we can continue to do what we know we shouldn't be doing... but this is real life and we need to grow up and learn that what we do has consequences. Science, like mommy and daddy, shouldn't be there to bail us out because we're acting like spoilt little whiny toddlers.

The vaccine will supposedly supress your appetite. But will it really lead to weight loss for all? I think not.

Most of us eat for a variety of reasons, being hungry is just one of them. We are more likely to eat because we are stressed, bored, frustrating, happy or sad, or out of habit ("it's dinner time!") etc, than because we are HUNGRY!

I know we'd all like think everyone should just snap their fingers and start eating healthy and exercising, but it just doesn't happen that way. So, let's be sure to chastise and scold people that are willing to use science as an aid in weight loss.

I'm sure that will motivate them.

Science provides alot of 'quick-fixes'. Things like Penicillin. Screw it, now we've got a bunch of little penicillin-resistant germs floating about, and that isn't worth the millions of lives saved and billions of lives spared needless suffering. Toss it all out and quit wasting money! Hey, that hi-tech wicking material that makes that daily run in the heat a little more comfortable? Wear cotton and chafe like the rest of us. What a waste of money that stuff is. And don't get me started on those running shoes with the cushioning material and ankle support - bare feet were good enough for the native americans, so it's good enough for me. And I'm better than you because I run barefoot!

Wow a vaccine for obesity is definetely over the top... I don't believe this is the way of curing it. Why don't they stop wasting their time and money on this stuff... *rolls eyes*

I'm sorry to say, I agree with Neclace Lady. I heard a news blurb about this on the radio yesterday, and it was quickly followed by, "But scientists are quick to remind us that it *only* worked in rats, and we are human beings, not rats." WTH??? When a vaccine or medication shows miniscule promise for any other condition (cancer, disease, hair loss, erectile disfunction), we are bombarded with "The NEW CURE!!!" But a potential new tool in the fight against weight comes along, and those of us with serious problems with our weight are told, don't get all excited, it's no big deal, and it probably won't work anyway.

Fascinating...

The mice were fed a "low fat, low energy diet". How does that relate to the average American? Also, I can't tell if the vaccinated mice only gained 70 to 80 % of that gained by the unvaccinated mice or actually lost 20 to 30 % of their original bodyweight. Neither you nor the quoted article clarifies this. I'm not sure that this isn't going to be another "female hormone replacement" disaster

The vaccine is good for those who really have genetic obesity who have struggle with diet and exercise, not for those who want an easy way out of all those years of food abuse.

I just want to second BSN's comments and Laura's comments (I guess that would be a 3rd for the necklace lady!) I saw this on GMA this morning and I beleive they talked about human testing in Europe. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! I'd volunteer for testing, but with my luck I'd be in the placebo group (grin).

I think its a great idea. Obesity is a societal problem now, not just a personal one. If people cannot or won't excercise but take the drug to slim down it may lessen the burden of an obese population on society (medical care and such) Some say that they are lazy, but i see akin to being wealthy. If there were a drug to make you rich, you would take it. Geting rich takes hard work, just like losing alot of weight takes hard work.

I think it is nice to dream of a day when popping a pill would be the way to lose weight. But right now, I am sceptical. Right now, good old fashioned hard work is the way I trust.

Alan: Updated the post - the vaccinated mice did not gain as much weight as other mice.

European tests:
I did some digging (updated the post) and discovered that a Swiss-based company is already well underway with clinical trials!! The vaccine is similar to (but independent of) the Scripps research in the US.

Results from the Swiss trials should be released in "the second-half of 2006"... so I'll keep an eye out.

Messing with hormones is probably not the safest thing in the world to do. Your body regulates ghrelin/leptin levels based on its current condition so it can regulate its own weight. What would happen with this vaccine: You get the shot that reduces ghrelin levels so your appetite goes down and you lose weight. Then, you reach the ideal weight and you stop the vaccine. Then your body's feedback system is all screwed up and your brain tell your stomach: "Make ghrelin! We are extremely LOW on it" and you all of a sudden have a ravenous appetite and you will probably gain the weight back. Talk about screwing up your metabolism. People need to realize that losing weight is directly related to how much you eat and how much you work out. The balance is different for everyone, but real hormonal weight gain due to ghrelin/leptin problems have only been documented 2 times in humans. So that kinda proves that this vaccine probably won't work in the long haul.

Oh, and comparing something like this to the discovery of penicillin (a NATURALLY occuring mold) is pretty dumb. Why not eat foods that NATURALLY curb your appetite? Like fresh fruits and veggies?? Oh, but that would be too much work and not as delicious as a BigMac.

"Oh, and comparing something like this to the discovery of penicillin (a NATURALLY occuring mold) is pretty dumb. "

Obviously, you missed the whole point. I was showing the HYPOCRISY of the AUTOMATIC dismissal of the possibility of scientific advances improving the ability of people to lose weight. How many people are dismissing this out of hand? How many are responding solely to media reports, rather than reading the research themselves? I haven't read it, but then again, I haven't criticized it. Nor, if you read what I wrote, have I supported it. I just think it's DUMB to ignore the possiblities.

Science has given us many things from which we benefit. After all, I could go off on a rant about how DUMB it is for people in residential neighborhoods to buy a treadmill when there are perfectly good and safe sidewalks and roads to walk on. But, I know there are many factors that affect an individual's decision to purchase a treadmill, including being self-conscious about exercising in front of the neighbors. So, I don't disagree with the method because I know the important thing is to do SOMETHING to improve one's health.

If scientist come up with a safe pill that regulated hormones and assisted me in my weight loss, and I was still as heavy as I am now, I'd take it. In the same way that people spend money on treadmills, steppers, and rowers when there are plenty of NATURAL ways to get the same exercise.

BSN

PS: I've NEVER eaten a Big Mac in my life. Cheeseburgers, yes (too many!), but never a Big Mac.

Take it easy, BSN, geez, I was just saying that there is a difference between taking advantage of a naturally occuring compound and trying to find an easy button to push to get out of having to work hard for a good body. Everyone wants a pill to cure whatever ails them now...depression, impotence, etc. Some conditions are really easy to cure with a pill. Any bacterial infection is pretty much going to be wiped out with antibiotics and they're pretty safe...they don't mess with your system too much and they wipe out all the germs. Hormone/neurotransmitter drugs aren't always as safe. Look at the effects from withdrawing from Effexor...I had a friend who almost died because her brain got so messed up after taking that. Positive/negative feedback systems in the body like hormones/neurotransmitters have to stay in balance or you can screw things up. If obesity were really caused by a true lack of leptin or overabundance of ghrelin, this vaccine would be a viable option, but like I said before, leptin/ghrelin-based obesity is extremely rare in humans. To put it bluntly, our appetites aren't really what is making us fat. We eat when we aren't hungry and we don't work out enough. A little self-discipline might be just what the country needs to lose the weight. Like a previous poster said...you can't get rich instantly, it takes hard work. People accept that but want to get thin instantly with no hard work.

Some people really need the help. My husband's aunt wieghed 600 pounds when she died. Doctors could never help her and dieting did not work. Can you even imagine what her life was like?

When I first read Jim's article about this, I had visions of babies being injected with the vaccine after birth.

To me, a vaccine is used to PREVENT something. A lot of the posters above talk about using it to CORRECT an already existing issue (being overweight or obese). Am I missing something here?

I don't see this as something that can help US--people who want to or need to or are just interested in getting healthy. This is for our children, and our world's future. What's wrong with using science to try to make life better for those that come after us?

Jen-It wouldn't work as a preventive thing. It'd be like giving non-diabetics insulin shots to prevent diabetes from developing. If you give a kid a shot to reduce ghrelin, their body may eventually produce more ghrelin than before receiving the vaccine. All these side effects of course haven't been tested yet, but I'm guessing that this vaccine will cause many more problems than it could be worth.

As for people that really NEED to lose weight, many of them elect to have gastric bypass surgery as it is so far one of the only really permanent way to lose weight for a lot of people that are severely and/or morbidly obese.

"obesity is a societal problem"... pleeease. what the hell does that mean anyway? what IS the problem? lifestyle? diet? societal norms? how does tinkering with hormones change any of that...

maybe as a society we should instruct the FDA to ban unhealthy processed foods... after all they are bad for health esp in large quantities. oh wait, we can't do that because it's not the food... it's the amount eaten...

As for the "genetically obese" - I would imagine that is not a huge % of the obese population, and for anyone in that GO category my sympathies and prayers are with you... but for the rest of us I suspect it is just as simple as not eating healthily and not exercising. It certainly is/was in my case. There were other factors surrounding it - depression mainly - but it was eating too much of the wrong foods and not exercising that were the basic problems.

I'd far rather see this research money spent on actually *really* helping people build a healthy lifestyle - making healthy choices about what they eat and how they live - than in trying to find a pill to cure the problem. The diet industry claims to want to help; but in reality a lot of it is driven by the bottom line (no pun intended)

First off, ROCK ON, BSN. Having said that, yes, we should all jump up refreshed every day without a care in the world, no finacial issues, no marital/relationship woes, family skeletons, and a perfect work atmosphere, stress free and devote all our hard earned time to making ourselves a priority, and completely in control of how we process stress. But that's not going to happen for most of us. Even skinny and "healthy" people poison themselves with their stress addiction of choice: drinking, drugs, sex (so someone will love them, of course), smoking, bulimia, anorexia, cutting etc... And some have not one, but a few lovely addictions. (I have seen people tweek all day and smoke grass all night, but they won't eat red meat, or dairy because they are trying to level the playing field, stay "HEALTHY"). Everyone who has issues with food is affected psychologically, even if it didn't start out that way (Oh, I just love food!), pretty soon that changes when you start feeling bad about yourself for loving too much food,people start treating you differently and give themselves a free pass to criticize and give their opinion of what you SHOULD be doing, which leads to eating more food, which leads to guilt, which leads to a never ending circle. (And a life time of therapy isn't always going to do it, and some of us can't afford it.)

SO, If there is something that becomes available to help motivate and encourage us all to do the "hardwork" and "exercise" that we so desperately need to incorporate into our lives, why not try it?

Then maybe seeing the number go down on the scale (some light at the end of what seems to be an endless tunnel)will perpetuate those good feelings and bring us up a little and make us feel worthy again to be a part of the human race.

Didn't Oprah say "No Judging"? NO JUDGING!

I know someone who has Prader-Willi sydrome. He literally has an insatiable appetite and it is caused by a genetic mutation. As a kid, he used to raid the fridge, raid cupboards, hide food everywhere, etc. and his parents really didn't know what to do. They really tried to keep him a normal weight, but that didn't happen. He was very large when he went to high school and he knew he was genetically obese, but he tried to eat healthy, got a lot of nutritional education, and started working out and lifting weights. He lost enough weight to be considered normal weight and he doesn't complain about it. So yeah, a vaccine would be nice, but there's proof that you can overcome even genetic obesity if you have the willpower and the tools to do it.

Well since vaccines directly cause food allergies, if they simply get sloppier in the manufacturing process, then being severely allergic to many foods will change one's diet.

Seriously, vaccines do not have to list all the ingredients such as the foods used in the culture medium or mixed vegetable and animal oils in the vaccine adjuvant. It is a protected trade secret. Trace amounts of food protein in a vaccine causes food allergies. This was proven 170 years ago.