A new experimental weight loss procedure that “silences” hunger hormones by burning part of the stomach is said to be a game-changer in the treatment of obesity.
North Carolina doctors found that the technique, which involves a small cut in the stomach, can help patients lose up to 26 pounds in just six months.
The operation reduces stomach capacity by 42 percent, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in hunger pangs.
Experts say destroying part of the hunger lining limits the body’s production of the hunger hormone ghrelin, helping them lose almost a tenth of their body weight.
It is also less intensive than other weight-loss surgical interventions, such as a gastric bypass or gastric sleeve, and has long-lasting effects unlike the successful weight-loss drug Ozempic.
Doctors in North Carolina performed the experimental procedure in which a camera is inserted into the stomach, fluid is injected into the area to protect the tissues, while the top layer of the stomach lining where the hunger hormone is produced is burned.
Brooke Nelson was one of 10 people who underwent the minimally invasive procedure and said she lost 26 pounds in six months, bringing her weight to 183 pounds.
One patient who went from 209 pounds to 183 in just six months after the procedure also commented that her food preferences changed.
“The constant lack of food has decreased drastically,” he said. “There are still times when I want a chocolate chip cookie, but there are a lot more times when I want something like vegetables.”
Obesity is a major public health threat in the US, affecting around 40 percent of Americans, for whom it dramatically increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Despite new medical treatments, such as the injectable medications Ozempic and Wegovy, doctors say more options are still needed, as these medications have side effects and are in short supply.
The new procedure, known as endoscopic mucosal ablation, targets the hunger hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite and causes some people to overeat.
The experimental technique reduced ghrelin levels in patients by up to 40 percent and saw patients drop 7.7 percent one year after the procedure.
When people lose weight, the body perceives an energy deficit and causes other hormones such as ghrelin to increase appetite and store more food as fat.
Doctors at True You Weight Loss, a North Carolina-based clinic, said ablation begins when doctors insert a camera into the stomach and inject fluid into it to protect the underlying stomach tissues.
They then use a small device to remove (or burn) the mucosal lining of the upper part of the stomach, known as the gastric fundus, which produces ghrelin.
Dr. Christopher McGowan, founder of True You Weight Loss, said Good morning america: ‘We have patients who are a year or more removed from their initial procedure, and what we’re seeing is that they continue to have a decrease, a decrease in hunger, and they continue to report greater control over eating.’
The procedure does not require large incisions or deep penetration into the body, making it a solid, minimally invasive outpatient alternative to gastric sleeve surgery.
In gastric sleeve surgery, a large portion of the stomach is surgically removed, leaving a smaller, sleeve-shaped stomach.
In gastric bypass surgery, doctors create a small pouch at the top of the stomach and connect it directly to the small intestine.
This bypasses a portion of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum), which limits the absorption of calories and nutrients.
There are currently no pharmacological options to reduce the hunger hormone ghrelin. The procedure, if it becomes widespread, would give people a non-surgical alternative to gastric sleeve or bypass surgery.
Dr. Christopher McGowan, founder of True You Weight Loss in North Carolina, hopes the success of his experimental procedure will result in FDA approval, which could help millions of people who can’t get obesity medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.
Brooke Nelson was one of 10 women involved in the trial and lost 26 pounds. She said the results have been remarkable.
‘The constant lack of food has decreased drastically. There are still times when I want a chocolate chip cookie, but there are many more times when I want something like vegetables.’
The goal of most weight loss interventions is to reduce appetite, and decreased stomach capacity means a person must eat much smaller portions.
A sudden craving for healthy foods instead of sweet treats could be a function of general disruption in hormone levels that could change food preferences.
And ghrelin is not the only hunger hormone. Another is GLP-1, which Wegovy and Ozemic imitate to suppress appetite. But there are currently no pharmacological treatments that reduce ghrelin.
The fact that patients maintained their weight loss and decreased appetite one year after the procedure indicates a possible benefit over taking Wegovy and Ozempic.
Those medications are believed to only work while the person is taking them, and many people who stop taking them after a while report that they have regained all of the weight they lost. Studies are being done on the long-term effects of drugs, such as whether a person would have to take them indefinitely.
The surgery will need to be repeated in more patients before the FDA can approve it as a safe and effective way to treat obesity.
Little is known about long-term safety or whether the procedure would need to be repeated several times to maintain weight loss.
Dr McGowan said: ‘This is just the beginning. The first question was whether we can reduce hunger and ghrelin using endoscopy. The answer is: yes, we can.’