Editor's Picks: Could weight-loss drugs eat the world?

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  The Economist Hello, it's Alok Jha here.

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  I host Babbage, our weekly podcast on science and technology.

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  Welcome to Editors' Picks.

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  You're about to hear an article from the latest edition of The Economist.

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  Enjoy.

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  The Gila monster is a poisonous North American lizard that measures around 50 centimeters and sports a distinctive coat of black and orange scales.

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  This lethargic reptile,

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  which mostly dwells underground and eats just three to four times a year,

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  is the unlikely inspiration for one of farmers biggest blockbusters.

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  a new generation of weight loss drugs that has patients and investors in a frenzy.

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  Originally made for diabetes,

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  evidence is growing that they also have benefits in diseases of the heart,

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  kidney, liver and beyond.

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  Since the late 1980s,

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  scientists believed that a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1,

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  or GLP-1, which is secreted by the intestines after a meal, could help treat diabetes.

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  GLP-1 increases the production of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar levels,

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  and reduces the production of glucagon, which increases blood sugar levels.

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  But GLP-1 is broken down by enzymes in the body very quickly,

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  so it sticks around for only a few minutes.

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