A team of researchers found a novel way of trying to suppress hunger by actually freezing the nerve which signals hunger in the brain. The unusual procedure is so far effective and considered safe and feasible in its pilot phase.
Nerve Freeze
At the recent Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, a team of researchers presented their findings regarding a painless, experimental treatment to help patients with mild to moderate obesity lose weight. The successful results of the study show perhaps another effective method of weight loss that does not involve invasive surgery or intense diet.
To test the treatment, researchers gathered 10 participants with obesity, all of whom had a body mass index that lies between 30 and 37, and all also unqualified for other weight loss procedures such as the gastric bypass surgery.
After each of the participants were sedated, researchers inserted a needle through the patient's back and with the help of a CT scan, guided the needle to freeze the posterior vagal trunk using argon gas. The posterior vagal trunk is found at the base of the esophagus and is believed to be one of the important mechanisms that signal the brain when the stomach is empty.
90-Day Weight Loss
After the procedure, the participants were followed and monitored for 90 days, wherein all of the participants reported decreased appetites. In fact, from day seven of the follow-up until the 90th day, 100 percent of participants reported the decrease.
Amazingly, by the end of the 90-day follow-up, the participants had an average of 3.6 percent weight-loss and 12.9 percent decrease in body mass index. Further, there were no reported procedure-related complications and no reported negative effects for the duration of the follow-up. As such, at least for the pilot phase of the study, the procedure is considered effective and safe.
