Typically, when people hear the word botox, they think of it as that handy little injection that makes unwanted lines and wrinkles disappear. But, a group of Norwegian researchers have stumbled upon a surprising new discovery: Using botox to fight obesity.
It all started when they began injecting botox into the vagus nerve of obese rats. The nerve, found in all mammals’ stomachs, controls hunger sensations as well as food that passes through the intestines. Botox was used to paralyze this nerve, affecting the stomach’s ability to digest food and consequently made the rats feel fuller for longer.
In their experiments, the researchers found that the rats lost about 20 to 30 percent of their body weight in just five weeks. Helene Johannessen, the study’s lead scientist, believes the procedure can be altered to help obese people live healthier lives. “As a start, we will be inviting patients who are candidates for obesity operations but who, for one reason or another, cannot undergo one,” Johannessen said.
To put the enormity of this discovery into focus, here are a few global statistics on obesity: Around one billion people in the world today are overweight and 300 million are considered clinically obese (those who suffer from medical conditions due to their weight). The National Institute of Health estimates that between $75-$125 billion is spent annually on obesity-related diseases.
Who would have thought a medical solution to one of the world’s biggest health problems could be found in every plastic surgeon’s office? This is an incredible finding, and one that may be a major turning point in the treatment of obesity.