New Approach to Treating Obesity and Diabetes
Jul 24, 2009
A new study in animals confirmed the effectiveness of a new way to treat obesity and resulting diabetes by planting a resistant lining on the upper portion of small intestine and stomach. This procedure of putting in the lining sleeve produced the similar results in the animal as is derived from gastric bypass surgery in humans. With this procedure, the animal’s diet as well as the diabetes symptoms reduced significantly. Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and Gastrointestinal Unit carried out the study, which is being considered a new procedural approach to treating obesity.
"This is a clear proof of principle that the human version of this device may be an effective treatment for obesity and diabetes. The clinical device would be placed endoscopically, making it far less invasive than surgical therapies," says the lead investigator, Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD, director. "The next step will be to complete large-scale controlled trials of this procedure in human patients. We also need to learn more about how this device affects the complex interplay between receptors that line the stomach and intestine which are stimulated by ingested food and the brain, pancreas, liver and other organs involved in metabolism and in eating behavior."
A 10 centimeter long impermeable sleeve was used to secure the stomach outlet and outlet of the duodenum and upper jejunum in the animals. This device prevented the area from sensing and absorbing the nutrients and also facilitated the flow of undigested nutrients to the lower jejunum.
"A key finding of this study is that the device induced a decrease in food intake as part of its effect and does not act by reducing absorption of nutrients," Kaplan says. "Like gastric bypass, it appears to change the way that neural and endocrine signals stimulated by nutrients act on their target organs. We still don’t know much about the mechanisms underlying these effects, but we and several other groups are working hard to improve our understanding."
Posted by admin | Tags: obesity
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