MOSCOW, November 8– .Scientists at SSMU have developed a new method for treating obesity in children based on the use of technology of electromagnetic influences on the regulatory processes of the brain. The results were published in the Russian Open Medical Journal.
At the Saratov State Medical University named after. V.I. Razumovsky (SSMU) conducted a study that showed that the use of transcranial magnetic therapy (TcMT) in combination with transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) in obese boys led to an increase in hormones that were reduced (testosterone, β-endorphin), and also to reduce elevated hormone levels. This contributed to loss of appetite and body weight.
Today, the problem of obesity has become global: the number of overweight people is constantly growing. Scientists point out that obesity in childhood worsens during puberty, and in adults it leads to early disability and mortality. According to them, the main reason is the modern lifestyle (abundance of foods high in sugar, fast food, physical inactivity, etc.).
Obesity is recognized as a disease in which the need for food sharply increases, eating behavior is disrupted – a person can eat stress, increase food intake in the evening and at night, and eat for company. The basis of therapy is changes in lifestyle and diet.
However, according to Saratov scientists, such measures are often not enough. “Given the great interest of the hypothalamic-pituitary system in regulating the processes of hunger and satiety, it is promising to use hardware methods of influencing these brain structures with various potentials that help reduce appetite and normalize eating behavior,” noted the professor of the Department of Propaedeutics of Childhood Diseases, Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology of SSMU Nina Bolotova.
At the same time, she explained that non-invasive brain stimulation technologies include transcranial magnetic therapy (TcMT), transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) and their combination.
As reported by the press University service, a technique of transcranial influence on certain brain structures responsible for appetite, is implemented using devices that create a traveling magnetic field in combination with electrical stimulation. The devices were developed jointly with a domestic manufacturer (Saratov).
“Our methods of treating obesity using hardware technology in combination with diet therapy lead to a significant improvement in metabolism and weight loss in patients,” the professor summarized.< br />Currently, scientists are continuing this research within the framework of an internal grant from SSMU.