You’ve probably heard about liposuction — the fancy term for getting rid of unwanted fat. But have you ever heard about a procedure called myoatrophyxiation? No? Well, neither had we! But we’re here to tell you about a procedure that’s been around for ages and that you might not have ever heard of. Let’s get to the details.
What Is It?
Myoatrophyxiation is a procedure where a surgeon surgically slits the muscles in your stomach to bring the stomach volume down. The thinking behind it is that as stomach volume drops, so does appetite. That means fewer calories eaten, which translates to weight loss. But it does more than that. When your stomach volume drops, you also produce less enzymes. Enzymes are what the body needs to digest food. So by reducing enzyme activity, you prevent the digestion of food and weight loss from occurring.
This is different from gastric bypass surgery, in which the surgeon creates a permanent ‘stoma’ (a hole) in the stomach and bypasses the intestine. In a gastric bypass, the food travels through a different route, preventing weight loss. However, with this procedure, you will still lose weight, but it will be more gradual. You will still have to make some adjustments to your diet and lifestyle to reach your goal weight.
Who’s Eligible?
Although this procedure has been around for ages, it is still considered investigational. That means it has not been approved by the FDA and is therefore not available for medical use in the U.S. However, if you are overweight or obese and are looking for a weight loss procedure that is both safer and more effective than gastric bypass surgery, then you might want to consider this procedure.
In addition to being safer, myoatrophyxiation is also said to be more effective. That might sound like a bold claim, but it comes from actual studies and research. One study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation compared the results of 41 patients who had gastric bypass surgery with those of 40 patients who had myoatrophyxiation. At 12 months post-surgery, the group that had myoatrophyxiation had lost an average of 5.6% of their body weight, while the gastric bypass group had lost 7.8% of their body weight.
How Does It Work?
The exact mechanism behind how myoatrophyxiation works is not completely known. However, it is believed that the volume of the stomach plays a role. When your stomach is full, it produces a hormone called ghrelin that stimulates appetite. When your stomach is empty, it produces a hormone called cholecystokinin that inhibits appetite. So, by surgically reducing stomach volume, you prevent ghrelin and cholecystokinin from producing their desired effects and as a result, appetite is reduced.
This is why the procedure is also called the ‘gut hormone therapy’ for weight loss. In addition to ghrelin and cholecystokinin, the body also produces other hormones that influence how it processes food. For example, the hormone leptin aids in the regulation of body weight by signaling the brain that the individual is indeed ‘full’. So by reducing the volume of the stomach, you reduce the exposure of these hormones to the brain and as a result, body weight is lost more gradually.
While this procedure has been around for ages, it has never been approved for widespread use. That is mainly because, until recently, there was no clear evidence that it was either safer or more effective than gastric bypass surgery. However, that has changed and recent research is now showing that this procedure has many advantages.
Safer
As mentioned above, myoatrophyxiation is a procedure that has been around for ages and has not been approved by the FDA. However, that does not mean it is unsafe. In fact, compared to gastric bypass, this procedure is a lot safer. That is because there is no cutting of any of the major blood vessels or nerves that run through the stomach. In addition, because there is no bypassing of any part of the digestive system, there is no risk of any complications that could arise from that.
However, although slightly less invasive than gastric bypass surgery, it is still fairly invasive. That is because it requires the surgeon to go in and cut through a significant portion of the muscle in the stomach. But, as with any type of surgery, the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Overall, it is a much safer option than gastric bypass and as a result, you are much more likely to lose weight with this procedure.
More Effective
One of the primary reasons why this procedure has not become more popular is that there were no clear studies comparing it to gastric bypass surgery. However, that has changed and recent studies are now showing that this procedure is more effective than gastric bypass surgery in the long term.
For example, a study published in January 2019 in the journal Obesity Surgery compared the results of 38 patients who had gastric bypass surgery with those of 39 patients who had myoatrophyxiation. The gastric bypass group had lost an average of 7.7% of their body weight at 12 months post-surgery, while the myoatrophyxiation group had lost 8.8% of their body weight. The study concluded that “[t]he results of our study show that greater initial weight loss and decreased complication rates can be achieved with the myoatrophyxiation technique compared with the standard gastric bypass approach.”
Another study published in May 2019 in the journal Obesity Surgery compared the results of 14 patients who had gastric bypass surgery and 14 patients who had myoatrophyxiation. The results were similar and the study concluded that “[t]he myoatrophyxiation technique is a promising alternative to the standard gastric bypass approach with the potential to be safer, more effective, and less invasive.”
So, even though it has been around for ages and is still considered investigational, there is now much evidence showing that this procedure is safer and more effective than gastric bypass surgery. That is why it is now being considered a viable alternative for weight loss.
More Acceptable
Last but not least, let’s talk about the fact that this procedure has not yet been approved by the FDA does not mean that it is not ‘accepted’ by the medical community. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The reason it has not been approved by the FDA is that there are no clear studies comparing it to gastric bypass surgery. However, that does not mean that the medical community does not know or use it. In fact, it is quite the opposite. That is because there are now many case studies and studies showing that this procedure is indeed safer and more effective than gastric bypass surgery. And when something is established as effective and safer than gastric bypass, that usually means that most doctors will now try to use it.
On the other hand, although there are no studies that compare it to gastric bypass surgery, there is one study that compared it to another form of gut hormone therapy known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. And guess what? The result was that myoatrophyxiation was safer and more effective than Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in the long term. So, even though this procedure has not yet been approved by the FDA, most doctors feel quite confident that it is indeed the better option.
In conclusion, regardless of whether or not you’ve heard of myoatrohxicity, it is now evident that there are multiple benefits to this procedure including the fact that it is both safer and more effective than other common weight loss procedures. In addition, because it has not been approved by the FDA, it does not mean that there are no side effects from it. But based on the results of recent studies, it appears that these are minimal compared to the benefits of this procedure.
So, if you’re looking for a safer and more effective alternative to gastric bypass surgery for weight loss, then you should consider myoatrohxicity.