You must have heard of bariatric surgery procedures that reduce the size of the stomach. It successfully reduces the body weight of the recipient of this procedure but brings complications of having to eat almost every time in small amounts. Ozempic injection is also effective but may increase the risk of thyroid cancer. So medical experts are always looking for new procedures to reduce weight without exercise.
Recently endoscopic mucosal ablation techniques have been used by a group of researchers to reduce body weight. It burns the upper part of the lining of the stomach called the gastric fundus which produces the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin creates a feeling of wanting to eat when the stomach begins to empty. By burning the gastric fundus, the feeling of hunger can be reduced.
Study participants consisting of 10 women reported an average weight loss of up to 7.7%, hunger decreased by a third and stomach capacity decreased by up to 42%. Although the impact of the endoscopic mucosal ablation procedure is lower than that of bariatric surgery and Ozempic, it is seen as a simpler alternative.
The patient does not need to be operated on because the procedure is performed using an endoscope with a burning device that is already used to burn cancerous tumors in the stomach. They can go home quickly after the procedure.
The results of the endoscopic mucosal ablation study will be presented at the Digestive Disease Week event which will take place on May 19 next.