A new diet study gives an old saying new meaning: “Eat dirt!” – to prevent carbs and fats from being absorbed in the body. Actually, a research team from the University of Southern Australia (UniSA) wants us all to eat processed sand to fight obesity…
Not as easy as that: My first thought was, some folks already eat sand
just as a daily preventative, to promote general good health.
But that’s not what we’re talking about here…
The UniSA team, under Dr. Paul Joyce, touts eating special sand as a game changer for, “[B]illions of people struggling with obesity.”
“Obesity is a global issue that affects more than 1.9 billion people worldwide,” Dr Joyce says. “Despite this, there is a current lack of effective therapies that are free from adverse effects – such as diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain – which often deters people from starting a treatment.”
How porous silica works
“Porous silica has received increasing attention for its anti-obesity potential, with human trials showing it is a safe therapy. However, exactly how it works has eluded researchers – until now,” Joyce explains. “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.”
But there’s more:
“Importantly, the gentle mechanism is expected to deliver clinically effective outcomes for weight loss, without adverse effects.”
What’s next…
The study found that porous silica particles with pore widths between 6-10 nanometres are ideal for triggering an inhibitory response to both fats and sugars.
Joyce says the silica (common sand) particles are first purified, then optimized with a high surface area that enables them to soak up large amounts of digestive enzymes, fats, and sugars within the gastrointestinal tract.
“The next steps [will be] to validate these findings with animal models of obesity so that we can determine any variations for optimal anti-obesity conditions.”
My take
I can see how the system would work. In fact, I’m put in mind of the well-known method of treating chemical poisoning by having the patient swallow activated charcoal, which can grab or absorb dangerous substances in the stomach and carry them harmlessly out of the system. But – as Dr. Joyce notes – that’s one of those treatments the side effects or discomfort of which may be considered as undesirable as the ailment itself. Although, I’m not sold on just ow ‘gentle’ eating sand would be.
That aside, it sounds like an easy therapy to administer, using an innocuous substance that is neither processed by or retained in the body. (I am assuming the processed sand would be odourless, flavourless, and feature a reasonably smooth, easily palatable texture.)
I want to know how long the sand would have to be in my system to do its job properly.
Would I have to take a laxative to induce it to ‘leave’?
Would it effect (or be affected by) other things I ate or drank too soon after taking the sand dose?
Would the sand absorb any substances I might want to retain in my system, like OTC or prescription medications, dietary supplements, recreational alcohol (or other substances) or beneficial natural constituents of my gut biome?
And I want to know how much the treatment could cost, in mainstream use. What does the purification and processing of the sand entail?
Would there be any special requirements for treating or sequestering the sand after is has passed through the patient’s system?
Would the sand (remember, we don’t know how much would have to be ingested per treatment) gum up sewer systems and septic tanks?
And those are just the issues that come to mind off the top of my head.
Do you have anything to add?
A potentially massive step…
Nevertheless, I’ll be keeping my eye on this potentially, “massive step to tackle one of the world’s most prevent health conditions.”
~ Maggie J.