Imagine being able to eat whatever you want without fear of losing your abs.
That could soon become a reality after scientists developed a vaccine that makes the body ‘immune’ to gaining fat.
It works differently than Ozempic, making you feel full for longer and thus preventing you from overeating.
Instead, the new once-a-week injection works by stopping harmful inflammation that makes the body more susceptible to weight gain.
Researchers from the University of Colorado injected mice with Mycobacterium vaccae, a healthy bacteria found in cow’s milk and soil.
The team found that weekly injections essentially made the mice immune to weight gain, despite feeding them a diet high in sugar and fat.
Moreover, there was no difference between rats that had been vaccinated and ate unhealthy food, and rats that had not been vaccinated but ate healthy food.
The findings suggest that the vaccine “effectively prevents the excessive weight gain caused by a Western diet,” the researchers write.
However, they cautioned that more research is still needed in humans.
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The experts believe the bacteria reduces stress-induced inflammation, which can be caused by diets high in inflammatory foods like processed meats, refined grains and sugary drinks.
Inflammation and excess calories can increase levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, increasing the amount of fat the body stores.
Inflammation also disrupts the production of leptin, a hormone that regulates metabolism and appetite, causing the need to eat more to feel full.
The findings come as the US faces an obesity epidemic, with a record three in four adults overweight or obese.
And weight-loss drugs like Ozempic have created a multimillion-dollar market for drugs intended to combat obesity.
Dr. Christopher Lowry, senior study author and professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado, said: ‘What’s striking about this study is that we saw complete prevention of diet-related weight gain in these animals.
‘This suggests that exposure to beneficial bacteria may protect us from some of the negative health effects of the typical Western diet.’
The study, published last month in the journal Brain, behavior and immunitybuilds on previous research suggesting that Mycobacterium vaccae could reduce inflammation associated with weight gain.
In the new study, a group of mice ate normal rodent food and did not receive the vaccine.
Another group ate a diet consisting of 40 percent fat, 40 percent carbohydrates – half of which came from sugar – and 20 percent protein.
Of those with an unhealthy diet, half received the vaccine, half did not.
Vaccines were given once a week.
By the end of the ten weeks, the unvaccinated group eating an unhealthy diet had gained 16 percent more weight than healthy eaters and had significantly more visceral fat.
This type of fat accumulates around the internal organs and is directly linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
However, there was no difference in weight gain between the junk food group that received the vaccine and the healthy eaters.
Inoculated mice fed an unhealthy diet also had less visceral fat than the healthy eaters.
Luke Desmond, first author of the study and PhD candidate in Dr Lowry’s laboratory, said: ‘This finding suggests that M vaccae effectively prevents the excessive weight gain caused by a Western diet.’
However, it is unclear whether people would see the same effects, and it is unclear what the vaccine would cost or how it would be distributed later.
The team is hopeful that a future vaccine can reduce the burden of obesity across the country, especially amid growing numbers of ultra-processed foods, which take up nearly three-quarters of the U.S. food supply.
Dr. Lowry said: ‘More than half of the food sold in supermarkets is junk food.
“If we can simply restore our exposure to these old friends, we may be able to prevent weight gain and other health consequences, even in the presence of our terrible Western diet.”