Obesity down under: Researchers suggest engineered sand silica could combat Australia’s weight problems

28 Oct 2022 --- Following a recent report by the Australian government revealing that two-thirds of the country’s adults and a fourth of its children are considered to be obese or overweight, researchers in the country have discovered that engineered particles of porous sand silica may help to treat obesity with better results than the leading pharmaceutical intervention. 

The sand silica treatment adsorbs digestive enzymes, sugars, fats and carbohydrates and may allow them to pass through the body without being absorbed with less adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects.

“Obesity is a completely preventable disease. This is a massive step to tackle one of the world’s most preventable health conditions,” says Dr. Paul Joyce, lead researcher at the University of South Australia and co-author of the study.

“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.”

More than education
Even though, in most cases, obesity is entirely preventable through diet and exercise, changing public perceptions on diet and exercise has proved insufficient. 

The World Health Organization states that an estimated 59% of European adults suffer from the disease and its related noncommunicable diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Moreover, the UK has recently sounded the alarm on the rate and damaging effects of childhood obesity. 

Besides the surgical alternatives such as gastric bypass surgery, one of the only pharmaceutical treatments has been the prescription drug Orlistat.

The porous sand silica can trap fat molecules and the chemicals meant to absorb them. A better solution?
Though Orlistat works, the medication may induce adverse GI side effects that could prevent some from using the medicine as intended. This is due to the mechanism by which the drug works, which can cause diarrhea and produce oily stools as the undigested fats and associated molecules pass through the digestive tract.

“Obesity is a global issue,” Joyce explains. “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.”

He elaborates, stating that the porous silica can have the same effect on fat and carbohydrate elimination without causing discomfort, a fact he holds could change the lives of millions of people. 

“Importantly, the gentle mechanism is expected to deliver clinically effective outcomes for weight loss, without adverse effects.”

How it works
The study, published in Pharmaceutics, simulated the two stages of the GI tract and then introduced fatty molecules along with porous silica with different pore widths. The researchers found that porous silica particles with pore widths between 6 to 10 nanometers have the greatest effect in preventing the absorption of the obesity-causing molecules.

According to another study, porous silica affects weight loss through adsorption. Rather than absorbing fatty molecules, it traps them in its pours, preventing the oily stools. 

Furthermore, the silica, when taken after a high-fat meal, also adsorbs some of the chemicals the body uses to break down fats, sugar and carbohydrates, allowing them to pass through the body unused and unprocessed. 

“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 adds.

“This research has identified defined parameters for porous silica to enact anti-obesity effects.”

Edited by William Bradford Nichols