Obesity or overweight is indeed the biggest health problem in the world. Obesity occurs when there is excessive fat accumulation fat in the body. If left unchecked, obesity can affect the health of the sufferer. Besides having an impact on physical appearance, obese people are also at high risk for diseases from high blood pressure, diabetes, to heart disease.

A variety of diets such as mayo, ketogenic, vegan, and Mediterranean diets offer promising results for obese people. But in reality, there are still many who have failed even though they have done the diet well. Until finally there is a more promising new study for obese people. Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen researchers found a celastrol-based drug that can help to suppress hunger so that more effective in losing weight.

Celastrol is a plant that is often used as a medicinal ingredient in China. Calestrol is a natural chemical that can be found in native plants of South China, Tripterygium wilfordii. For years, the potential of celastrol has been tested in healing rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. Until 2015, Harvard Medical School researchers discovered the potential for celastrol in overcoming obesity. In their research, celastrol is known to be able to activate ‘satiety’ in the brain so that the food intake decreases and the body weight can go down.

A study conducted by Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen also found similar results. Celastrol consumption can suppress the food intake so that body weight can go down by 10% within one week. Celastrol works by increasing the body's sensitivity to leptin which is a hormone that is responsible for giving a 'full' signal to the brain. A person who is resistant to leptin will always feel hungry so that the person eats excessively and obesity occurs.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Getty Images

Source(s):

• Junli, L., Jaemin, L., Salazar, M. A. H. et all (2015). Treatment of Obesity with Celastrol. Cell, 161(5): 999-1011, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.05.011.
• Pfluger, P., Pfuhlmann, K., Schriever, S. C., Baumann, P. et all (2018). Celastrol Induced Weight Loss is Driven by Hypophagia and Independent From UCP1. Diabetes, https://doi.org/10.2337/db18-0146.