Obesity is an age-old health condition. Regard for it differ among cultures but it is mostly and especially today, considered a health problem. The condition spread throughout the world like an epidemic gravely hitting developed countries where food and sources of food is abundant.



For years we've struggled against it but more and more people become subject to it. Obese people become more common despite the low regard for it. Some treat obesity simply as unattractive, some consider it a major health problem. Society as a whole prefers the slim figure. The medical society advocates prevention and treatment of obesity due to the string of health conditions brought by obesity.

The food industry are of little help to the situation, profiting no matter what the world chooses to eat. The people, however, we can't seem to help ourselves as we continue to indulge in whatever food no matter how much problems they can cause. As obesity climbs the charts, we turn to science for help. Despite the numerous diets, exercise programs, drugs and surgery, we're still struggling against it. But now science responds with a vaccine.

One study by the Scripps Research Institute has developed an obesity vaccine directed against a naturally occurring hormone named Ghrelin. The hormone regulates eating behavior and assists in regulating the body's energy. It encourages the body to eat, gain weight and store fat. The obesity vaccine creates antibodies that will prevent Ghrelin from reaching the central nervous system in order to reduce weight gain. By removing the hormone away from the bloodstream, the body retains its current body fat and gains the very little weight.

Another group from Cytos Biotechnology AG, Zurich, Switzerland, has also developed a similar Ghrelin-based obesity vaccine. It has the same aim of producing antibodies to prevent Ghelin from entering the brain.

This approach in treating obesity may be very effective compared to numerous diets and surgery procedures. Although the benefits of preventing obesity from such a minute but highly influential element of the body are showing great rewards, it does not seem to target the source of the problem.

If all other approaches have been exhausted without positive results, can we rely on an obesity vaccine to actually solve the problem? One of the causes of obesity is over-eating and inactivity. The reason behind those vary and are quite elusive that determining which caused which is like a mobius strip. There is an underlying problem that may grow to dangerous fields.

A vaccinated person may have the tendency to disregard modify his eating habits due to the vaccine that prevents him from gaining weight. This does not solve the problem of over-eating. The world need to be responsible enough not to make a problem out of solution. When or if that happens, the world would then be ready for an obesity vaccine.