(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The battle against the bulge has got a new twist with a small-scale pilot trial which moots a new approach. The idea is that by freezing a nerve that carries hunger signals from the gut to the brain, you can essentially trick the body to stop feeling hungry. In a presentation last week at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in Los Angeles, researchers reported that the unusual procedure led to decreased appetite and weight loss in all 10 participants. But, both the study authors and outside experts agree that more research is needed, Live Science reported.
The procedure targets a part of the vagus nerve called the posterior vagal trunk, which is located at the base of the esophagus and sends signals to the brain that the stomach is empty. To freeze the nerve, doctors insert a needle-like instrument into the patient's back and use a type of medical imaging called a computed tomography scan to ensure the instrument reaches the exact point they want to freeze. Then, surgeons release argon gas from the instrument. The gas cools the nerve to subzero temperatures, paralysing it and ultimately preventing it from sending signals to the brain.
The study included 10 people, ages 27 to 60, with body mass indexes (BMIs) between 30 and 37, which qualifies for mild to moderate obesity ('normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 25). According to lead study author Dr David Prologo, an interventional radiologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, the patients lost, on average, 14% of their excess body weight (body weight above normal BMI), equivalent to about 3.6% of their overall body weight, within 90 days of the procedure. 'That's exactly where you want to be at 90 days, Prologo told Live Science. 'If you lose weight too quickly, you rebound. But this amount of weight loss is exactly in line with the recommendations of how fast a person should lose weight.
Signalling hunger to the brain isn't the only function of the posterior trunk of the vagus nerve; the nerve also helps move food through the stomach. Once it is disabled, the transit of the food slows down, which keeps the patient feeling full longer, thus further decreasing the need to eat. The effects of the nerve-freezing wear off within eight months to a year, Dr Prologo said. During that time, the body's other mechanisms, ensure that the patient doesn't completely starve himself or herself to death. 'The procedure doesn't completely erase the need to eat, Prologo said. 'The nerve has an anterior trunk and a posterior trunk, we are only freezing one of them. Instead, the procedure is meant to decrease appetite.
This eight- to 12-month period of decreased hunger is, according to Prologo, enough time for a person not only to lose weight but also for the body to adjust to being at a lower weight. By freezing the hunger nerve, Prologo said, the researchers believe that they can essentially trick the body, so that it co-operates with the participant. Prologo said he and his team are already working with new patients and hope to publish more data soon. As things stand now, more studies are essential to confirm the efficacy of the new concept for sure.
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