Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have discovered that digestion process in obese people is impaired whether they are in fasting or fed state.
The results of the findings presented at the 75th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American CoIlege of Gastroenterology in October 2010, reveal that gastric function in an obese person is different from a lean individual. This article tries to understand further on the topic.
How Gastric Function is Different in Obese People as per Research?
- The study involved gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) measurement of 12 lean and an equal number of obese people using the technique electrogastrography.
- The rhythm of the stomach can be studied in this process by recording the electrical signals travelling through its muscles.
- The process was carried out on both the groups 30 minutes prior to and 30 minutes after the intake of a high protein or a fatty soup.
- Obese people were found to be highly receptive to meals with fat even though there was enhanced response to both the meals.
- It means that the stomach of fat people is highly tolerant to meals with fat and more responsive to meals with protein.
- This causes protein to be quickly emptied out of the stomach to the intestine in the obese people’s case, but more slowly in lean people.
- The stomach of the lean people got tired of the fatty meals soon whereas it was not so in obese people’s case making them highly prone to meals with fat.
- The vagus nerves which cause contraction of the muscles of stomach and intestines are found to be less active in obese participants of the study.
Significance of the Research on Gut Function Alteration in Obese People:
Generally, on eating food, the body of lean people opposes any effect which slows digestion, raises heart beat or contracts blood vessels. But in fat people, such developments are completely absent.
It means that the body reacts in an impaired manner after they eat food. As a result, the brain is not informed about the intake of the food. This miscommunication gives way to over-eating in obese people.
