Will eating sand become the next revolutionary treatment for obesity?

Eat sand and lose weight, have you ever thought about it? Have you ever imagined that sand grains would become the next anti-obesity treatment? It seems that this might be an option; A new study from the University of South Australia shows that porous silica can prevent the absorption of fats and carbohydrates in the body.

The study was published in the journal "Pharmaceutics ", and the Uric Alert website wrote about it today, Monday , and was conducted in the laboratory, and has not yet been tested on animals, nor has it been tested on humans.

The researchers used engineered silica particles made from pure sand, with a high surface area that enables it to absorb large amounts of digestive enzymes, fats and sugars within the digestive system.

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Porous silica particles

This is the first study to investigate the ability of porous silica particles to impede digestion processes and stop the absorption of fats and sugar.

Lead researcher Dr Paul Joyce from the University of South Australia says this startling discovery could change the health of obese people.

He adds that "obesity is a global problem that affects more than 1.9 billion people around the world," and "however, there is currently a lack of effective treatments that are free of harmful effects, such as diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain, which often prevent people from starting treatment."

He explains that "porous silica has received increasing attention because of its ability to fight obesity, as human trials have shown it to be a safe treatment. However, the exact way it works has eluded researchers, until now."

Reducing the digestion and absorption of fats and carbohydrates

"Our research demonstrates how porous silica enhances its anti-obesity effect by acting topically in the intestine to reduce the digestion and absorption of fats and carbohydrates," he added.

The in vitro study examined multiple samples of silica under simulated conditions that mimic the gastrointestinal environment during the digestion of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal.

He found that porous silica particles, whose pores range from 6 to 10 nanometers wide, are ideal for eliciting an inhibitory response to both lipids and sugars.

The next steps are to validate these results with animal models of obesity, so that scientists can identify any differences for optimal conditions to combat obesity.

What is obesity?

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may harm health, according to the World Health Organization.

BMI is a simple weight-for-height indicator commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. The BMI is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters (kg/meter squared).

Obesity is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more.

What is overweight?

Overweight is defined as having a BMI of 25 or more.

Fast Food Infographic Did you know - from Hamad Medical Corporation The availability of unhealthy foods at reduced prices and the variety of fast food contributes to an increase in the chances of obesity, and the sizes of meals have become much more than the normal or customary sizes, which makes it difficult to estimate what an individual needs. Thus, the individual often eats more than he should.

Complications of overweight and obesity

The World Health Organization says that an increased body mass index is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, such as:

Cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart disease and strokes, were the leading cause of death in 2012.

Diabetic.

Musculoskeletal disorders, particularly osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that causes a great deal of disabling.

Some types of cancer, such as cancers that affect the lining of the uterus, breast, ovaries, prostate, gallbladder, kidneys and colon.

The risk of developing these noncommunicable diseases increases with increasing body mass index.

The organization adds that childhood obesity is associated with an increased risk of obesity, premature death and disability as a person becomes an adult.

In addition to increased future risks, obese children suffer from breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures and hypertension, which are early signs of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.