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Norway doctors inject Botox to treat obesity

The Local Norway
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Norway doctors inject Botox to treat obesity
A doctor injecting botox/ A wax model of a stomach - Vancouver laser and Skincare Center/Moonjazz (Flickr)

A team of doctors at Trondheim University Hospital are testing the use of Botox, the anti-wrinkle injection favoured by Hollywood stars, as a treatment for obesity.

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Dr Bård Kulseng, an associate professor at the hospital's Department of Cancer Research, hopes that botox injections could slow down the time it takes the stomach to empty, making patients feel full for longer. 
 
"By prolonging the gastric emptying time, the person would ideally experience increased sensation of satiety, and in the long run reduce food intake," a description of the study uploaded onto ClinicalTrials.gov read.  Clinical Trials is a US government website that gathers together descriptions of clinical trials ongoing around the world. 
 
The study, titled 'Treatment of Morbid Obesity by Intragastric Injections of Botulinum Toxin A' begins this February and is expected to take nearly eight years before completion. 
 
If successful in treating obesity, the doctors hope that the treatment could be used as an alternative to risky surgical procedures.  
 
"If such a treatment provides a clinically significant weight loss, this could be an alternative for surgical procedures, avoiding the risk for perioperative complications as well as complications in the long run," the Clinical Trials entry explained. 
 
Previous pilot trials involving injecting botox into stomach walls have already shown that the injections, which are administered by an endoscopy, are safe for patients. 
 

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