Obese patients get injection of hope

A POTENTIAL new treatment to help obese patients “feel full” has been hailed a success by researchers.

Scientists said that a hormone found in the small intestine had given them a crucial breakthrough in developing drugs to tackle obesity.

Their latest study, published in the journal Diabetes, involved patients being given injections of oxyntomodulin, a naturally- occurring digestive hormone found in the small intestine.

The injections boost the body’s existing levels of oxyntomodulin, which is normally released from the small intestine as food is consumed, signalling to the brain that the body has had enough to eat.

The researchers, led by Professor Steve Bloom, hoped injections of the drug would help reduce body weight and calorific intake in those taking part.

A total of 26 volunteers took part in the trial, with 14 given oxyntomodulin jabs and a control group of 12 given saline injections.

The researchers found that after four weeks, the group taking oxyntomodulin reduced their weight by an average of 2.3kg compared to around 0.3kg in the control group.

The daily energy intake in the test group reduced by an average of 170 calories after the first injection and 250 calories at the end of the trial.

The recommended daily intake for men is around 2,500 calories, and just under 2,000 for women.

Professor Bloom, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital, said: “The discovery that oxyntomodulin can be effective in reducing weight could be an important step in tackling the rising levels of obesity in society.”