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Nerve Stimulation & Weight Loss

Multiple studies have found that stimulation of the vagus nerve contributes to significant weight loss in obese patients. Still in the experimental phase and subject to ongoing research, vagal blocking therapy has already yielded some very interesting results, including statistically significant weight loss and reduction in severity of diabetes and hypertension.

  1. About the Vagus Nerve

    • The vagus nerve carries signals back and forth between the digestive system and the brain. It brings sensory data to our brain from our ears and tongues. The 10th cranial nerve, the vagus begins in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem. It gets its name from the Latin word for wandering, traveling a long way, from the brainstem into the colon.

      This nerve was believed to have potential for weight loss because it controls our sense of hunger and satiety. It also carries data related to our instincts. Scientists began with the premise that modifying it could alter eating behavior and lead to health benefits for obese patients.

    VBLOC Therapy

    • Vagal blocking, or VBLOC therapy, consists of a devise that blocks these hunger and satiety signals from the vagus nerve. When implanted laparoscopically, electrodes block the signals. The VBLOC therapy device can also be used externally.

    A Convincing Study

    • A study reported by EnteroMedics Inc., manufacturers of the VBLOC device, used neuroblocking technology to treat obese patients, some of whom had gastrointestinal problems. That study consisted of 38 subjects implanted with the VBLOC device.

      The results of that initial study proved helpful in the treatment of obesity and related health problems. There was an excess weight loss of 17.9 percent in 35 patients after six months of VBLOC treatment, 28.1 percent in 17 patients after 12 months and 37.6 percent in nine patients after 18 months.

      These findings point to significant excess weight loss by almost all of the subjects studied. Also important was the discovery that both diabetes and hypertension were reduced in some patients.

    A Study With Unintended Consequences

    • Another vagus nerve stimulation study conducted by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis and reported in the International Journal of Obesity researched 14 patients over a two-year period. But these patients weren't treated for weight loss. Instead, they were treated for severe depression.

      However, researchers found that one result of this treatment was significant weight loss among obese patients. Weight loss was documented, despite no reported changes in dieting or exercise by the patients. Researchers found that the more obese the subject, the more weight they lost.

    More to Come

    • Vagus nerve stimulation therapy for weight loss is still in the experimental phase and is not yet available as a treatment option for obesity.

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