It seems that the discovery was born absolutely by chance , and then the researchers used mice to prove its effectiveness: it seems that, according to Dr. Zhang’s team, a drug used for glaucoma is capable of absorbing excess fat. from nutrition , which is primarily responsible for overweight in a diet in which carbohydrates are also present (and yes, fats actually make you fat, pushing us to eat more). In fact, this drug would prevent fats from being absorbed in the intestine , making them pass directly into the last section of the colon where they would then be expelled. According to researchers from Yale University, it would be possible to eat without gaining weight and progressively reduce body weight without effort. But what exactly happens once the drug is ingested?

The drug would block a specific action of the intestinal protein called growth factor A of the vascular endothelium involved in both vasculo- and angiogenesis: in practice it would be one of the proteins that stimulate the formation of blood vessels (not the only one) and which has a role of receptor, together with neuropilin 1, of chylomicrons , or lipoproteins that collect fats and cholesterol. By inactivating the chylomicrons, the fats would remain in the small intestine and be eliminated. In the mice this happened:divided into groups, those who received the drug intestinal managed to eat without putting on any type of fatty food. Therefore the drug, if it is also used in overweight patients, could help them to significantly reduce the absorption of fats, and therefore not to assimilate the energy provided by dietary fats.

Of course, it is premature to talk about the discovery that it will finally make us all thin, since the drug only works with dietary fats, but we can always take in more calories by means of proteins and carbohydrates; moreover, we need a percentage of daily fats, simply to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and for other structural functions of our body (synthesis of hormones, cell membrane, etc.). But if perfected, this discovery could allow scientists to introduce a new drug to market soon.