CW: discussion of weight loss, which you already guessed from the title of the post.
Many mechanical weight-loss devices seem fall under the scientific category of “hey, has anybody thought of trying this?” Well, here’s the latest iteration, from this piece in The Daily Mail:
Clips that ‘tickle’ a nerve in the ear could be the secret to losing weight. Research suggests zapping the vagus nerve here with a mild electric current sends a signal to the brain that the stomach is full, curbing appetite.
Now a trial involving 150 people [with BMI > 30] is under way in Russia, to see if it can help them lose weight without drugs or surgery.
Hmmm. I’m sort of listening, but skepticism is my overall response. Is there more to this idea?
I looked around the scientific internet, and yes, there have been studies testing the effects of stimulating the vagus nerve on weight control. IN MICE. And, the study involved surgical insertion of a device to their stomach surface (inside their mouse body cavities– I’ll spare you the illustration, but the study is here). The researchers’ work suggested proof of concept that vagus nerve stimulation might have some value in weight loss and maintenance:
This work correlates nerve stimulation with targeted organ functionality through a smart, self-responsive system, and demonstrated highly effective weight control. This work also provides a concept in therapeutic technology using artificial nerve signal generated from coordinated body activities. [IN MICE STOMACHS]
There’s also research under way on humans, stimulating the vagus nerve in the ear, to see if it reduces some of the effects on aging. From this article in the Economist:
“The ear is like a gateway through which we can tinker with the body’s metabolic balance, without the need for medication or invasive procedures. We believe these results are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Beatrice Bretherton, from the University of Leeds.
Great. But also know that there’s no free lunch in experimental science:
However, this kind of stimulation needs surgery to implant electrodes in the neck region, with associated expense and a small risk of side effects.
Uh, no thank you.
Back to the ear device study: Here’s the deal:
Worn on both ears and connected to a battery-powered generator on the waistband, the clips on trial are attached to the auricular concha — the shell-like cavity in the middle of the ear that leads towards the ear canal, where a small branch of the vagus nerve can be found just beneath the skin.
The current trial being run by scientists at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, involves obese men and women. Half are getting ten minutes of ear stimulation before main meals every day for six months. The rest of the groups are getting a sham treatment — where they also wear the clips but no current is passed through them to stimulate the nerve.
Volunteers are being monitored to see how much weight they lose during the six-month experiment.
Okay. So that’s a thing someone could try. But even the neuroscientist (not involved with the study) that the news article interviewed said that, while it’s worth trying because it’s not invasive and appears to be safe, “it’s not clear exactly yet how it works”.
Yeah. While I firmly believe that science, and also very speculative science, can and does bear fruit in ways we can’t predict, I’m not betting any money on a device that someone in a lab late at night thought up while eating cold pizza.
This is the type of in-depth scientific analysis that you can rely on from us at Fit is a Feminist Issue. Have a good day… 🙂
