A patch that promises to burn off pockets of unwanted fat such as “love handles” is being developed, scientists have announced. Successful initial trials in the US indicated the device could reduce localised fat by 20 per cent.
The patch delivers metabolism-altering drugs encased in nanoparticles which enter the body via dozens of microscopic needles.
Humans have two types of fat, white fat which stores excess energy in large triglyceride droplets, and brown brown fat which has smaller droplets and a high number of mitochondria that burn fat to produce heat.
For years, researchers have been searching for therapies that can transform an adult's white fat into brown.
There are several clinically available drugs that promote browning, but all must be given as pills or injections, exposing the whole body to the drugs, which can lead to side effects such as stomach upset, weight gain, and bone fractures.
By contrast, the skin patch circumvents these complications by delivering the drugs directly to the region needed, such as the areas of flesh above the hips.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York trialed the device on mice and found they lost 20 per cent of fat on the treated side compared to the untreated side.
"The nanoparticles were designed to effectively hold the drug and then gradually collapse, releasing it into nearby tissue in a sustained way instead of spreading the drug throughout the body quickly," Professor Zhen Gu, of the University of North Carolina, who co-authored the study.