According to an animal study conducted by researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute the blood pressure drugs which are angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) could possibly be adapted to become specific weight loss drugs.

Such blood pressure drugs help control blood pressure and reduce fluid buildup in the body via the renin-angiotensin system which is suspected of having a role in the accumulation of body fat and obesity.

The scientists used mice that did not have the ACE enzyme and found that they weighed 20 per cent less and also had 50-60 per cent less body fat compared to normal mice.

This was particularly so in the abdominal area and this was despite the fact that the mice were no more active than normal mice and did not eat less.

Dr. Michael Mathai and colleagues say this suggests their lower body fat resulted from a higher metabolism.

The research team found that the ACE-deficient mice not only broke down fats faster in the liver, they processed blood sugars more quickly than the other mice, and this made them less likely to develop diabetes.

Dr. Michael Mathai says their research confirms the important role that the renin-angiotensin system plays in fat metabolism.

Dr Mathai says it is possible that the ACE inhibitor and ARB drugs could be adapted to become specific weight loss drugs but such a drug would need to be used along with a healthy diet and lifestyle to achieve and maintain weight loss, and to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes.

Dr. Mathai says the next step is to find out if the brain is responsible for increasing metabolism, or whether it is from a direct effect on the main body organs involved in fat metabolism.

Extra and excessive weight, especially around the middle, is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Professor Cassidy says they hope to show that adding flavonoids to the diet will provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of heart disease in the future.

The researchers aim to recruit women who have not had a period for at least a year, and who have been taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs for at least 12 months; the women will have their risk of heart disease assessed five times over the year.

Experts warn that people should not start eating a lot of chocolate as it is very high in sugar and fat and say people with diabetes should eat a diet low in fat, salt and sugar, with plenty of fruit and vegetables.

The research is funded by the charity Diabetes UK, and is led by a team at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, partnered by the Elsie Bertram Diabetes Centre, Norfolk, Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and the Institute of Food Research (IFR).