Weight Loss Designed medicine plaster reduces belly fat by more than 30 percent

A so-called micro needle patch could revolutionize weight loss

Researchers have succeeded in developing a new revolutionary approach to reducing fat in the abdominal area. The experts developed a micro-needle patch containing medication. These are able to convert unhealthy white fat in the human body into energy-burning brown fat.

The scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a patch that can break down fat in the abdominal area. The doctors published a press release on the results of their study.

Researchers have developed a new patch that could in the future help overweight people to easily break down fat. (Image: Kurhan / fotolia.com)

Great success in experiments on mice

Singaporean physicians are now developing a new method for reducing body fat in the abdominal area. With the help of a patch with microneedles unhealthy fat is to be converted into fat, which then burns energy. This patch has already been applied to mice. The mice were given a high-fat diet, but Pflaster's fat could be reduced by 30 percent in just four weeks.

How is the pavement built??

The plaster used has hundreds of so-called microneedles, each of which is thinner than a human hair. The drugs contained in the patch are a so-called beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonist and a drug called T3 triiodothyronine. The researchers said that it is sufficient to push the patch on the skin for only about two minutes, then penetrate the microneedles already in the skin and peel off the plaster. The patch can then be removed. The needles gradually degrade over time and the drug diffuses into the white subcutaneous tissue. There, the drug turns the energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fats.

Plasters could reduce the problem of obesity worldwide

Brown fat is highly present in babies. It helps the baby to keep warm by burning energy. As people get older, the amount of brown fats decreases and these are replaced by visceral white fats. Researchers believe that the new patch and drug could help reduce the obesity problem worldwide without the need for surgery or medications that require large dosages and can have serious side effects.

Drug has lower costs and reduced side effects

"With the embedded microneedles in the mice's skin, the surrounding fats began to brown in five days, which increased the mice's energy consumption and then led to a decrease in body fat," said Professor Xu Chenjie in the news release. The amount of medication we use in the patch is much lower than with oral medication or an injected dose. This reduces the cost of drug ingredients while minimizing side effects through the slow-release design, the expert adds.

Fat in the body can lead to dangerous diseases

Obesity associated with excessive fat formation is a major risk factor for various diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Plaster should be affordable and easy to use

"We wanted to develop a painless patch that everyone could easily use," says Professor Chen. It should also be affordable. The solution aims to use a person's body fat percentage to burn more energy. This is a natural process in babies.

Which medications are included?

The patches treated mice also had significantly lower blood cholesterol and fatty acid levels compared to the untreated mice, the authors of the study explain. In addition, the patch was inexpensive to produce. Contained are the beta-3-adrenergic receptor agonists in combination with hyaluronic acid. This substance occurs naturally in the human body and is often used in skin products such as moisturizers. The beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonist is a drug used in overactive bladders. T3 triiodothyronine is a thyroid hormone commonly used to treat hypothyroidism. (As)