• 08 DEC 13
    • 0

    Weight Loss Implanting Chip

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is clearly an epidemic in the United States, with about 1/3 of the population considered obese and 2/3 of people over age 20 as overweight or obese. This has led to the popularity and success of weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass and lap band procedures. There is a very high success rate for such surgeries, but it also poses some significant risks due to being an invasive surgical procedure. But researchers at Nature Communications have been working on a research study that looks at less invasive approaches to weight loss, including a chip implanted into the arm.

    Details: Weight Loss Implanting Chip

    The study was published by Nature Communications conducted by Swiss university, ETH Zurich, and looks at the effectiveness of a chip implanted in their arm that may help with appetite suppression and controlling the patient’s blood fat levels. They looked at different ways to regulate the genetics controlling blood fat levels and appetite wit ha variety of proteins, hormones and receptors. The lipid-sensing receptor and hormone called pramlintide were used to stabilize the blood fat levels that control or suppress hunger. During the study, a chip was implanted into mice that were already obese and watched as they stopped eating as much or as frequently, and that resulted in weight loss.

    As soon as the mice ate and were full, the signal in the regulatory circuit stopped and their blood fat levels were returned to normal. The chip gave them a signal of when they were full, which resulted in them eating less overall. During the study, researchers at ETH-Zurich gave the mice as much food as they wanted, including high caloric foods, and let them eat until they were full. These mice still lost weight by the chip helping them to suppress their hunger.

    While there are different causes for gaining weight, a common cause is lack of balance of energy in the patient’s body. There is energy IN, which includes how many calories and energy are consumed through food and beverages, and energy OUT, which is how much energy is used with exercise, digestion and breathing. When there isn’t a proper balance, there tends to be weight gain. This is why the chip is so successful: it controls how much energy goes in, so not as much energy needs to go out, thus reducing weight gain and even helping individuals to lose weight.

    Researchers believe this type of implanted chip could not only help people lose weight, but reduce a lot of the risks and side effects of weight loss surgery. It also makes it easier for people to lose weight, when they don’t know what or how much to eat. They simply stop eating once they feel full.

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