A drug that treats obesity and reduces the incidence of chronic diseases associated with it has been named the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of 2023 by Science magazine on Tuesday.、

Obesity is not just an individual struggle, it is also a public health crisis. In the United States, about 70 percent of adults are affected by excess weight. Obesity carries significant health risks, sometimes life-threatening. Obesity can also lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatty liver disease and some types of cancer. Human society has been plagued by the failure to find safe and successful drugs to treat obesity.

A new drug therapy offers hope for reducing the incidence of obesity and related chronic diseases. The drugs, which mimic an intestinal hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), were originally developed to treat diabetes and have since been found to lead to significant weight loss with manageable side effects. Clinical trials this year found that the drugs can also ease symptoms of heart failure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. There is strong evidence that such drugs have significant health benefits beyond the treatment of obesity.

According to Science magazine, the drug is reshaping medicine and popular culture, and even the global market, in "exciting and disturbing" ways.

Other scientific breakthroughs or discoveries cited by Science this year include: the slowing of deep ocean currents in Antarctica; Enthusiasm for developing underground natural hydrogen sources is high; Weather forecasting with artificial intelligence; Malaria vaccine development; Advances in therapies for Alzheimer's disease; The origin of the earliest humans in the Americas; A signal from the merger of giant black holes; Exascale supercomputer era.