Sealing off portion of intestinal lining treats obesity, resolves diabetes in animal model
Monday, November 24, 2008 - 15:42
in Health & Medicine
Lining the upper portion of the small intestine with an impermeable sleeve led to both weight loss and restoration of normal glucose metabolism in an animal model of obesity-induced diabetes. Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Weight Center and Gastrointestinal Unit report in the journal Obesity that the procedure reproducing several aspects of gastric bypass surgery led to a significant reduction in the animals' food intake and a resolution of diabetes symptoms. The study, which has received early online release, is the first controlled test of a new procedural approach to treating obesity.