Could small snip spur weight loss in people fearful of regular obesity surgery?
By LAURAN NEERGAARD The Associated Press n old ulcer operation is getting new attention as a possible alternative to obesity surgery: A quick snip of a nerve that helps control hunger. It’s far from clear if cutting the vagus nerve really helps initial pilot studies in a few dozen patients have just begun. Skeptics abound, and even proponents say it wouldn’t lead to nearly as much weight loss as more traumatic operations that shrink the stomach and reroute intestines. It’s part of a hunt for middle-ground options for people scared of today’s surgery, or those not quite fat enough to qualify for it. “By no means do I think this is a panacea,” cautions Dr. Robert Lustig of the University of California, San Francisco, who is studying the method along with University of Rochester surgeons. “But I think this will be a rational alternative for a cadre of patients that are sort of in the middle there. With as much obesity as we have in this country, that’s a big middle.” More than 177,000 peo
