Potential weight-loss drug could help burn fat without losing muscle, scientists say

Scientists have uncovered unexpected results when testing a new type of weight loss drug, as this one successfully retains muscle while encouraging fat loss throughout the body.

Referred to as 5-tetradecyloxy-2-furoic acid, or 'TOFA' for short, this new drug has been formulated researchers at the University of California's Department of Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology and it could be the key to enhancing weight loss treatments that have taken over the world.

Currently something that many who take injections like Ozempic or Mounjaro struggle with is muscle loss, as while GLP-1 treatments are great for rapidly shedding the pounds, it can be difficult to transition that into a toned or muscular body.

This could soon change with the introduction of TOFA, however, as it causes you to lose weight in a completely different way, with results from tests on mice showing that the body is capable of retaining muscle while you lose weight rapidly.

How does TOFA work?

As reported by Dexerto, the study published by scientists at the University of California in Science Advances indicates that TOFA "promotes energy expenditure and rebalances lipid synthesis, thereby significantly alleviating obesity, abnormal glucose homeostasis and fatty liver-related diseases without affecting food intake or muscle mass."

GLP-1 drugs like Mounjaro suppress your appetite, but TOFA actively increases the rate at which you burn energy (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

This offers a significant contrast to how semaglutide and tirzepatide work, as they effectively 'trick' your body into eating less by slowing down the rate of digestion and suppressing your appetite, which could be more sustainable in the long term for certain individuals.

Effectively, TOFA would cause your body passively to burn significantly more calories, and while exercise can increase this even further, it appears to work without needing those taking the drug to do anything outside of their regular routine.

It has only been tested on mice so far, with human trials likely to happen in the near future, so it's unclear whether it will produce the same results and also be safe for us to take in both the short- and long-term.

Would TOFA replace drugs like Ozempic?

While TOFA does offer a different way for people to lose weight, the researchers behind its discovery have emphasized how it should work as a complimentary or auxiliary treatment alongside existing weight loss jabs instead of replacing them altogether.

Don't expect TOFA to replace Ozempic, as researchers recommend using it alongside the popular weight loss drug (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

"TOFA acted more than additively with incretin analogs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide to improve obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance," the study illustrates, adding that "the coordinated multi-targeting of energy metabolism and lipid homeostasis by TOFA is an effective approach to address multiple associated metabolic diseases."

Don't expect this to completely wipe out existing treatments then – especially as they themselves appear to be improving and growing stronger as research continues – but instead offer a enhancement to existing weight loss methods that could further improve the lives, health, and wellbeing of those who are taking them.