Running weak electric pulses through the duodenum, the section of intestine adjoining the stomach, painlessly slows the passage of food through the digestive tract, an experiment shows.

Scientists hope that this nonsurgical treatment might induce weight loss over time by reducing a person’s appetite.

Previous studies in animals showed that electrical stimulation of the small intestine decreased food intake and reduced fat absorption, Dr. Jiande D. Z. Chen, at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and colleagues note in their report, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

They therefore tried a similar technique in 12 healthy volunteers.

Using a feeding tube and an endoscope, Chen’s group placed electrodes into the duodenum.

The subjects then ate a meal of eggs and toast laced with a harmless radioactive tracer. A special camera that picks up radioactivity was used to measure the speed at which the food passed out of the stomach and into the bowels.

Stimulating the electrodes caused the food to take 50 percent longer to exit the stomach.

When the volunteers were instructed to drink water over a 5-minute period until they were completely full, they took in a significantly smaller amount when the electrodes were being stimulated.

The subjects reported no symptoms of pain or indigestion associated with their treatment.

The decreased water intake suggests that duodenal stimulation can “reduce appetite or reduce capacity in accommodating food,” Chen and his colleagues write. They hope that similar treatment in obese individuals “would prolong the meal intervals and prevent frequent meals/snacking.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, April 2005.