Drugs That Treat Heart Failure May Also Prevent Obesity, Study Finds

U.S. researchers have found that drugs capable of blocking the action of two types of hormones produced in the adrenal cortex may be useful in preventing weight gain and other health problems associated with a high-fat diet. The drugs, known as MR antagonists, play a key role in treating heart failure and high blood pressure. But in a study in mice, researchers found that the drugs helped prevent weight gain and increased the number of energy-burning brown fat cells. The researchers concluded that their findings “open new unexpected applications of MR antagonists in the treatment of obesity and its metabolic complications”.