Magnetic rings to treat diabetes

TINY magnetic rings implanted in the intestine could be used to treat type 2 diabetes.

The two rings, each roughly the size of a small button, “stick” together and create a shortcut in the duodenum.

This technique diverts food past a section of the duodenum, cutting the amount of calories and sugar the body takes in, so reducing the risk of raised blood sugar levels – a major driving force behind type 2 diabetes.

The duodenum, the first section of the intestine, folds back on itself and there is a point where part of the top section passes next to a section near the end of the organ.

One of the magnetic rings is placed inside this top section and the other inside the bottom section, facing each other through the intestine walls.

The magnets are drawn together, and this shuts off the blood supply to the tissue in the centre of the two rings. Over the course of a week or so, the tissue dies off, creating an opening – a shortcut between the two duodenum sections.

The magnets fall off together because the tissue holding them in place dies and, with the dead tissue, they get flushed out as waste.

Food passes through the hole instead of travelling all the way through the duodenum, reducing the time sugar and calories can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

The rings have been tested on 10 obese patients in the US who either had type 2 diabetes or were pre-diabetic. The results, presented at a recent medical conference in San Diego, showed in the six months following the procedure, the patients had a significant drop in their blood sugar levels – specifically HbA1c.

It’s a measure of average blood sugar levels over time, which, in a healthy person, will be less than 6 percent of total blood volume. Anything over 6.5 percent means diabetes has set in. The patients in the study saw average levels drop from 7.8 percent to 6 percent. The volunteers also lost an average of 12.7kg each.

Bariatric surgery, where the duodenum is bypassed to tackle obesity, has been shown to reverse the condition.

But such surgery can be high-risk in obese patients. – Daily Mail