A laser implant in the stomach will help fight obesity

Researchers from the Catholic University of Korea have developed a technology to reduce the level of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite and is responsible for controlling satiety. The bulk of it is produced by cells in the upper part of the stomach – scientists have proposed temporarily destroying these cells for the period when weight loss is planned. In the future, the cells will recover, and the appetite may return, but the main goal will already be achieved.

To make the destruction of cells as gentle as possible, the scientists used a modified gastroendoscope, which is inserted into the stomach non-surgically, without incisions. They fixed a low-power laser on the endoscope, aimed at a plate coated with a substance called “methylene blue”. When it is irradiated with a laser, the so-called singlet oxygen is released, a more active version of ordinary oxygen.

When singlet oxygen comes into contact with living cells, they quickly die, so the procedure does not last long, after which the endoscope is removed from the stomach. Fewer remaining cells will produce less ghrelin, and experiments on pigs have already shown that this effectively reduces body weight gain, up to minus 50%. It remains only to calculate the number of irradiation sessions and choose the appropriate therapy regimen for weight loss.