Experimental Weight Loss Procedure ‘Burns Stomach Lining to Curb Food Cravings [Video]

The future of weight loss is looking more varied by the second. This week, scientists have reported the preliminary findings of a small trial testing out a novel, non-surgical procedure for obesity—one that works by burning part of the mucus-filled lining of the stomach. The patients in the trial lost about 8% of their baseline weight and experienced a significant drop in their hunger.

The procedure is known as endoscopic mucosal ablation, which is a technique already used to remove precancerous or other abnormal bits of tissue from the digestive tract. Patients first drink a fluid meant to protect the stomach’s tissues, then doctors will send an endoscope down through the esophagus to the uppermost portion of the stomach, also called the gastric fundus. Once there, the endoscope will ablate (burn) the moist, inner lining of the fundus where mucus is produced and abundant.

The fundus …