Food capsules - not weight loss surgery - 'could combat the obesity crisis'
Baku, July 22 (AZERTAC). Food supplements which trick the body into thinking the stomach is full could combat Britain's spiraling obesity crisis.
Scientists in London believe capsules could replicate the effects of gastric bypass surgery, by telling the body it is satisfied.
They hope the treatment, which could be available on the NHS in the next five years, could save thousands of people going through the irreversible operation.
The breakthrough could pave the way for revolutionary new treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes, predict the researchers, from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London.
The study, funded by the charity Bowel and Cancer Research and the Wellcome Trust, discovered the lower intestine could be targeted by special food supplements which trick the body in to thinking the stomach is full.
Lead researcher Professor Ashley Blackshaw, said the difference between obese and lean people is that overweight people ignore the signals from the small intestine telling the brain the body is full.
He said: 'At the moment, obese patients undergo gastric bypass surgery where they are essentially re-plumbed - undigested food bypasses the small intestine and is shunted straight to the lower bowel where it causes the release of hormones which suppress the appetite and help with the release of insulin.
'That makes the patient feel full and stops even the hungriest individual from eating.
'We believe it’s possible to trick the digestive system into behaving as if a bypass has taken place by administering specific food supplements which release strong stimuli in the same area of the lower bowel.
'It’s a bit like sending a special food parcel straight to the body’s emergency exit, and when it gets there, all the alarms go off.'
Bypass surgery is currently among the most effective treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The procedure is known to improve blood sugar levels and help patients lose weight quickly.
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has just produced new draft guidelines suggesting its use could be expanded in the NHS to tackle an epidemic of type 2 diabetes.
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