Stimulation of thermogenesis in the treatment of obesity: a rational approach
1988
Dulloo, A.G.
It is tempting to attribute gluttony and sloth to the aetiology of obesity, but there is growing evidence that there are two necessary conditions to become obese: not only an ample supply of food, but also a genetic predisposition for a high efficiency of converting food to fat. Over the past decades, this predisposition has been attributed to various reduced hormonal secretions, biochemical abnormalities, defects in adipose tissue cellularity or insulin receptors, defects in ion pumps and futile cycles, etc. These theories have led to the testing of a wide assortment of compounds, but enthusiasm has waned primarily because they have not produced any advances in treatment. This review concentrates on the proposal that the underlying cause of obesity is a thermogenic defect associated with a disorder in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, an approach that has led to a number of drugs that are being used experimentally today for their ability to raise metabolic rate.
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