Obesity

Particles made from purified sand gain momentum as obesity treatment

Particles made from purified sand gain momentum as obesity treatment
A new study has further highlighted the potential of porous particles made from purified sand for altering the body's uptake of fats and sugars
A new study has further highlighted the potential of porous particles made from purified sand for altering the body's uptake of fats and sugars
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A new study has further highlighted the potential of porous particles made from purified sand for altering the body's uptake of fats and sugars
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A new study has further highlighted the potential of porous particles made from purified sand for altering the body's uptake of fats and sugars

Scientists are searching far and wide for new tools in the battle against rising obesity rates, and lately a promising candidate has emerged from piles of purified sand. A new study has bolstered the potential of silica particles made from this material by showing how they block enzyme activity to hamper the body’s uptake of fats and sugars, while also hinting at the ideal design for the optimal anti-obesity effects.

The research was carried out by scientists at the University of South Australia, and builds on earlier work exploring how engineered silica particles can impact the way the body absorbs energy from high-fat foods. Previous studies have shown mesoporous silica particles can drive weight loss in obese mice when added to their diet, and can be safely tolerated in male humans as a food additive. One 2020 paper also hinted at the best shape and size of particle to induce anti-obesity effects.

“Porous silica has received increasing attention for its anti-obesity potential, with human trials showing it is a safe therapy,” said lead researcher Paul Joyce. “However, exactly how it works has eluded researchers – until now. Our research shows how porous silica promotes an anti-obesity effect by functioning locally in the gut to restrict fat and carbohydrate digestion and absorption. Importantly, the gentle mechanism is expected to deliver clinically effective outcomes for weight loss, without adverse effects.”

It was previously unclear how exactly the mesoporous silica particles might be interfering with metabolism, but scientists had previously hypothesized that they impact on the behavior of certain digestive enzymes. To explore this idea more closely, Joyce and his team designed an advanced in vitro digestion model that enabled them to monitor lipid and carbohydrate digestion during a simulated high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal.

These experiments showed that engineered silica particles made from purified sand conferred their anti-obesity effects by hampering activity of digestive enzymes called α-Amylas and pancreatic lipase in the gastrointestinal tract. As with previous studies, the scientists found these effects were strongly influenced by the size of the pores and size of the particles themselves. Through testing multiple silica particles, the team found those with pores measuring 6-10 nanometers across produced the best results.

“This research has identified defined parameters for porous silica to enact anti-obesity effects,” Dr Joyce said. “The next steps are to validate these findings with animal models of obesity so that we can determine any variations for optimal anti-obesity conditions. Obesity is a completely preventable disease. This is a massive step to tackle one of the world’s most preventable health conditions.”

The research was published in the journal Pharmaceutics.

Source: University of South Australia

15 comments
15 comments
Brian Beban
So. Chew a bit of fine sand with your McTuckys and she'll be right.
Brian M
Will eating sandwiches help?

Can't but help get the feeling there could be a downside to eating something that can be abrasive but guess if properly processed it would be fine.
Why only a test on male subjects? The sample was only 10 so not exactly a great statistical one and in a limited 18-35 age group.

Is it the right way anyway? Surely getting patients to eat a better diet is what we need to be doing, even if this does work and allows continuing with a high fat diet it will be at the expensive of not having a truly good diet with plenty of roughage etc.
stevendkaplan
Wasn’t there a weight loss powder that they were selling a while back that used Silica powder? I think it was called Sensa or something like that. Pretty sure the results on that were mixed and the company went broke. Unless this stuff is substantially different from that powder then the end result will probably be the same.
CarolynFarstrider
Fill up with sand instead of hamburgers? Or am I missing something?
DSonnier
@stevendkaplan - I'm pretty sure you're thinking of a powder you were supposed to sprinkle on food. That worked differently (if at all). It was supposed to signal being full to your brain. Entirely different from what this study is proposing.
michael_dowling
This could be marketed as a diet aid in the form of a capsule filled with sand. Saves the teeth,and won't do any harm,and might actually help with weight loss.
Cymon Curcumin
Can any sand (like desert) be made into mesophorus silica or does it need to be the same river sand that construction companies are competing over?
Larry Alexander
I remembered this story from a while back where diatomaceous earth, which I remember being included in my first chemistry set, was touted as a weight loss aid. https://bit.ly/3TQFReY
Karmudjun
This is a concerning approach to human health. We have a population that is obese yet malnourished. Does minimizing the action of alpha-Amylase and pancreatic lipase improve one's nutritional intake while limiting carbohydrate absorption? Or will this approach yield a greater degree of malnourishment while rewarding the person who is losing micro-nutrients with slimming down? This is not a panacea, by locking out the molecular enzymatic activity, the food with vitamins and trace minerals will not prove beneficial for the digestion. What is the point of shooting yourself in the foot - you are already obese and malnourished - why decrease weight and increase the degree of malnourishment?
jerryd
I use diatomaceous earth, pool filter medium, to kill bugs as sharp crystals that drill holes in their exoskeleton and they leak out, so not likely something you want to eat and certainly not breathe as cut your lungs up.
And don't use it around animals or babies/children.
Vs powered silica is a far finer one is used as a thickener in medicines and plants can have it in their everything. Though as basically micro broken glass, you'd have to wonder.
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