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Summary
The hormone leptin, which made a stunning debut 5 years ago as a potential weight-loss drug, has met with disappointment after the conclusion of its first clinical trials in humans. On a positive note, the results, which appear in the 27 October issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, show that some study participants given leptin lost more weight than controls. The reductions were statistically significant, however, only in obese subjects given the two highest leptin doses, and some patients on leptin even gained weight. Researchers now hope that they can find "markers" that distinguish those people who can be helped by the hormone.