Despite conflicting data in support of the practice, some
overweight Americans looking for an easy fix have turned to gastric botox
injections to help them lose weight. This month in Clinical Gastroenterology
and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American
Gastroenterological Association, researchers from the Mayo Clinic publish a
definitive study finding that Botox doesn’t promote weight loss.
Injecting botulinum toxin A (BTA), or Botox, into the
stomach had been believed to delay emptying of the stomach, increase feelings
of fullness and reduce body weight. Researchers enrolled 60 obese patients in a
24-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, concealed allocation
trial to compare the effects of BTA to placebo. They found that the injection
slowed movement of food through the stomach, but it did not cause weight loss.