Fenretinide, a drug initially designed as a cure to breast cancer, could improve the lives of billions of people who are suffering with type-2 diabetes and obesity, researchers at the University of Aberdeen shared.

The team has been working on their bio-medical research focused on the complex connection of type-2 diabetes and obesity. They gave their test drug, Fenretinide, to a mouse that was on a high-fat diet, to find out that its blood sugar became normal and its weight started to drop.

"Fenretinide has beneficial effects that are similar to vitamin A but also have the effect of reducing the production of a harmful type of molecule called ceramide," said Dr. Nimesh Mody, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Medical Sciences and the expert who led the study.

According to the Press and Journal, Vitamin A and retinoids have always played an important role in maintaining weight, burning body fats and controlling blood sugar levels. In fact, it has also been used as a cure to obesity.

Through their research, the group has discovered how Fenretinide, a retinoid, can be used as a safe medication to prevent and cure to type-2 diabetes and obesity.

"We think that the combination of these unrelated effects is what makes Fenretinide a potential safe, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic treatment," Dr. Mody added.

As stated by Express, days before the success of this research, Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Catherine Calderwood shared how obesity is becoming a threat to their nation's health. She said that most adults in Scotland are now becoming overweight and almost 28 percent of the total population is already obese.

Meanwhile, as reported by the Diabetes Scotland, an estimated of 276,000 Scots are living with the condition and almost 90 percent of them suffer type 2 diabetes.

Because of this situation, the team is urged to move forward to their next step. Dr. Mody said that his team's next plan is to modify Fenretinide to produce two varieties of the drug: one with retinoid-like properties and one without. After that, they will compare them. The goal of the study is to confirm whether the beneficial effects of Fenretinide are due to retinoid-like properties or not.

Dr. Mody shared, "This information will help us further our understanding of the complex connections between obesity and the development of type-2 diabetes and may help us develop new drugs better at treating these medical conditions."