The effectiveness of current medications for weight loss and diabetes could be improved by ‘tricking’ the body’s metabolism, a study in mice has suggested.

Research, led by the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and also involving EARA member the University of Turku, Finland, investigated the function of the Plvap gene in mice, which – when it is absent in people – disrupts how the liver regulates the burning of nutrients, such as fat and sugar, for energy (metabolism).

The researchers found that during fasting, Plvap allows the body’s metabolism to shift to conserve energy and support vital functions, and when the gene was ‘switched off’ in mice, the liver could be ‘tricked’ into not recognising the body is fasting and continue to burn nutrients, namely sugar.

Weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, aid weight loss by causing a loss of appetite, but often stop working for people after a certain stage.

Lead researcher Kim Ravnskjaer, at SDU, said: “If we can control the liver’s burning of sugar and fat, we might also increase the effectiveness of weight-loss and diabetes medications.”

The discovery could also help to better understand and treat complications with type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases, although the researchers said that clinical trials are still a long way off.