New weight-loss compound melts fat without curbing appetite — and preserves muscle

A team of researchers led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, has identified a decades-old oral compound that produced substantial weight loss in obese mice.

Rather than suppressing appetite, the compound appears to boost energy expenditure, according to a study published in Science Advances.

The molecule, known as TOFA, reduced the mice’s body weight by an average of 18% without changing how much they ate or causing a statistically significant loss of lean mass.

NEW OBESITY TREATMENT MAY HELP PRESERVE MUSCLE DURING WEIGHT LOSS While popular injectable weight-loss medications such as semaglutide can produce substantial weight loss partly by reducing food intake, some patients experience gastrointestinal side effects and loss of lean mass.

Studies have also found that people often regain a significant amount of weight after stopping treatment.

Preserving muscle during weight loss remains one of the greatest clinical hurdles in obesity medicine , according to experts.

"Muscle mass is really important for our function during the day.

It helps fight the effects of aging ," Dr.

Leslie Pristas, a bariatric surgeon and owner of Best Life Bariatrics and Medical Weight Loss in Northeast Ohio, told Fox News Digital.

"Building muscle is really hard.

It takes a really long time.

So if we can avoid having muscle loss while we're having weight loss, that's going to be so much better." THIS COULD BE WHY YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATION ISN’T DELIVERING RESULTS Instead of primarily targeting appetite, TOFA acts inside cells, according to the researchers.

It blocks enzymes involved in the production of lipids, including fats such as triglycerides, while also activating cellular receptors that turn on genes involved in fat burning and energy production.

Treated mice burned up to 18% more energy under room-temperature and mildly warm conditions, without becoming less active or developing a dangerous increase in body temperature.