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A drug used in organ transplants can help you lose weight.
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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A team of American scientists has found that a drug commonly used in organ transplants to "train" the body to live with new organs and not reject them may be useful in the fight against obesity. The experts made such conclusions after conducting successful animal tests - after the first use, the animals' weight decreased by 13%.
At the University of Florida, a team of researchers studied the properties of rapamycin, which is commonly used in medicine to make new organs take root more easily and not be rejected by the human body. During the research, it was found that this drug effectively helps fight excess weight.
Rapamycin was discovered in the 1970s. It was found in soil samples taken from Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. This chemical compound is a metabolic product of streptomyces (Streptomyces hygroscopicus).
The name rapamycin comes from the name of the island of Rapa Nui.
A more detailed study of rapamycin has allowed scientists to suggest that it could be used to create effective drugs to combat obesity.
The drug was not used for its intended purpose, as is usually the case with transplants, but was administered to elderly rats (two-year-old animals, which in human terms is equivalent to 65 years old).
Experts noted that rapamycin should be used primarily by elderly patients with excess weight, since it is difficult for such people to perform physical exercises. During the study of the new properties of the old drug, a team of specialists found that the weight of the experimental rats decreased by 13%. In older rats, the ratio of muscle and fat mass was noted, which is usually characteristic of younger representatives of the rodent family.
After the first stage of the research, the specialists conducted the next one, in which it was found that small doses of the drug led to weight loss, and this effect was observed in both young and old rats.
Rapamycin also worked most effectively in the group of animals (regardless of their age) that had the highest percentage of fat mass.
In addition, rapamycin is responsible for the production of the hormone leptin, which is produced by fat cells. This hormone improves metabolism and reduces hunger.
It is worth noting that a few years ago, a group of researchers from the United States studied the properties of rapamycin, in their studies they found that the use of this drug prolongs the life of rodents by 15%, but at the same time, the body's tolerance to glucose is impaired, which increases the risk of developing diabetes.
Also, in the course of other studies, specialists found out that rapamycin can be used in the treatment of cancer patients and tuberculous sclerosis. Another unusual property of this drug is its ability to resist the spread of the immunodeficiency virus throughout the body and prevent the development of autism and Alzheimer's disease.