Even though glucagon was once thought to be bad for you because it raises blood sugar and stresses the heart, turning it on purpose — especially with other hormones — might actually help your metabolism.

Blocking the hormone glucagon with drugs might actually make things worse for people — causing weight gain, higher blood pressure, and more liver fat.

Glucagon might help people eat less and lose weight on its own, even if it's not affecting blood sugar — but scientists used to ignore this idea because of old beliefs about how metabolism works.

Taking a drug that turns on the glucagon receptor for a long time might affect how the body manages energy and fat, but scientists aren't totally sure how it works yet.