An “anti-hunger” pacemaker to fight obesity?
Until now, to combat obesity, only diets, stays in specialized institutions and surgical interventions were offered. For Charles-Henri Malbert, director of research at the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), these indications, sometimes invasive, would no longer be theonly alternatives in thefight against morbid obesity. Indeed, soon, a pacemaker will be offered to people who suffer from pathologies directly related to “junk food”. And if the tests are successful, this object should even supplant the techniques considered too invasive existing.
Overweight and obesity involved
It is because severe obesity leads to associated complications such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular risks, high blood pressure, colorectal cancers, etc. that it isimperativeto educate obese people to lose their excess pounds. Indeed, it is not only a question of aesthetics: overweight is the breeding ground for so-called civilization diseases, those related to our Western lifestyle: a diet too rich, an increased sedentary lifestyle, a lack of physical activity on a daily basis, overwork and stress, environmental pollution that disrupts organisms are all sources harmful to the maintenance of health.
Until now, the solutions proposed in terms of surgery were radical: gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy or bypass. It is clear that all these interventions are heavy and complex, we have already made several articles.
A promising anti-obesity device
It is also to counter these techniques, which have sometimes become unsuitable, thatthe minimally invasive placement of a pacemaker is being studied within INRA. The side effects are known but are few: the digestive contents can spread in the abdomen, stomach discomfort may occur after meals or disorders of the absorption of minerals and vitamins can be noted subsequently by the medical profession.
Overweight people will, thanks to this small box, be able to regulate their digestive system physiologically through an action on the vagus nerve. The brain will react better to the feeling of satiety and the stomach will be able to release the hormone ghrelin that normalizes the use of sugar by the muscles. These recoveries once done will allow the body to be more sensitive to insulin. And this is where everything will play out since it is thefall of this last hormone that is a determining factor in the onset of type II diabetes.
So this pacemaker would be the perfect solution to the prevention or even the fight against morbid obesity?
Some constraints however…
This anti-obesity pacemaker willallow the brain to provide the right indications to the digestive system. Unsuitable signals will disappear. This box placed under the skin emits electrical impulses intended to limit the feeling of hunger. Stimulation of the X-nerve (or vagus nerve) allowed the chosen guinea pigs to lose 25% of body weight without side effects. In humans, it will first be necessary for the European health community to authorize the commissioning of the device with the designation “CE” on the device then, the technique will be tested by Parisian hospitals.
Of course, people who prefer to opt for more radical surgical solutions will still be able to choose these techniques but, in the years to come, it is a safe bet that the anti-overweight case will win all the votes.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.