Oxyntomodulin injections
If you already felt full every time you sat down to eat, you probably wouldn’t eat very much. And you’d probably lose some weight.
That’s the concept behind a treatment for obesity developed by scientists at Imperial College London (ICL). The treatment calls for an injection of oxyntomodulin, which is a natural hormone that’s released in the small intestine and sends a “full” signal to the brain.
ICL researchers conducted a study in which 26 subjects received an oxyntomodulin injection before each meal for four weeks. The group lost an overall average of five pounds. A control group that received a placebo injection lost an average of one pound. The ICL team will continue their research in hopes of developing an oxyntomodulin product within the next five years.
This is a wonderful concept as long as you completely ignore some key issues.
- Any hormone therapy has to be taken with great care. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, and she seems to get really angry when you fool her with hormones. In this case the therapy has “potential eating disorder” written all over it.
- Newsflash: Food is good for you. It contains nutrients that your body needs to sustain life.
- Food, in and of itself, doesn’t make people obese. Poor food choices and eating for the wrong reasons make people obese.
- Dieting without exercise and behavioral changes will not eliminate obesity.
Now if the ICL researchers can come up with an injection that will make us desire carrots instead of cake, and exercising instead of zoning out in front of the television, THEN they may be on to something.
Sources:
“Weight Loss Injection Makes Patients Feel Full – UK” Patricia Reaney, Reuters, 7/25/05, reuters.com
