6 ms·
So, instead is suppressing the desire to eat, how about inventing a drug that blocks the absorption or breakdown of carbohydrates in the gut? Or maybe control t
by Jun8 3y ago
So, instead is suppressing the desire to eat, how about inventing a drug that blocks the absorption or breakdown of carbohydrates in the gut? Or maybe control the gut biome so that growth of bacteria that breaks down high calorie food is minimized.
Is this faster-than-light-like impossible daydream or is there any plausible path to it?
- paulpauper 3y agothis is what gastric bypass tries to do. it bypasses part of the digestive process
- coke12 3y agoConsider Alli, the drug that blocks fat absorption in the body. It already exists and works reasonably well for weight loss. The side effects can be gross and unpleasant though.
- Auracle 3y agoI don’t know if I want a drug to exist that allows people to be gluttons without consequence. It’s like a modern (and real) vomitorium.
- cromulent 3y agoSome people will tell you though that they can eat anything and not put on weight - this is simply allowing others to do the same, right. A vomitorium is simply the large exit pathway in stadia for rapid egress of many people. The idea that ancient Romans had facilities dedicated to vomiting has been debunked.
- Auracle 3y agoThat's why I said (real), I know they didn't exist - though I'm guessing somewhere, sometime in history it has. Those people that tell you they can eat anything and not put on weight have a very different idea of what "anything" is than fat people, with probably an actual exception here and there (along with teenagers).
- piyh 3y agoI don't know about you but I don't want to be shitting loaves of bread everyday
- hombre_fatal 3y agoImagine the side effects of food passing through the gut without being broken down. Reminds me of Olestra, the zero calorie oil substitute that failed because of similar sounding side effects. Olestra wasn't consumed/absorbed in the gut so you'd just shit out oil and your half digested food would glide out with it since it didn't block stomach emptying like real food.
- refurb 3y agoThat’s what lactose intolerance is. Does gas, painful cramping and diarrhea sound like a good approach?
- TeaBrain 3y agoYour first proposal is what acarbose does. It is widely used in Asia, but is much less popular in Western countries. It inhibits alpha glucosidase and alpha amylase, which has the effect of decreasing the rate that complex carbohydates are broken down and absorbed.