Wired For Weight Loss

摘要

Before doctors knew peptic ulcers were caused by a bacterial infection that can be treated with antibiotics, one approach was to cut the vagus nerves to reduce the release of stomach acid. This had an interesting side effect: many patients lost weight.rnNow EnteroMedics of St Paul, Minnesota, aims to treat obesity using an electronic device that blocks vagus nerve signals to the gut. This seems to suppress appetite, inhibit the expansion and emptying of the stomach, and reduce the secretion of digestive enzymes. "It allows patients not to feel as hungry and to feel fuller much sooner," says EnteroMedics president Mark Knudson.