Losing weight Therapy with carbon dioxide dissolves our belly fat

New way to reduce belly fat discovered?

In today's world, more and more people are having problems with their weight. Affected then often try by a healthier diet or more sports and exercise to reduce excess weight. But it could be an easier way to lose weight. Researchers now found that injections of carbon dioxide reduce belly fat.

Northwestern University researchers have found in their recent research that injecting carbon dioxide (carboxytherapy) leads to a reduction in abdominal fat. The physicians published the results of their study in the English journal "Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology".

What causes the injection of carbon dioxide into the fatty tissue?

The so-called carboxytherapy could be a new and effective means of fat reduction, study author Dr. Murad Alam from Northwestern University. However, further research is needed to optimize this process, so that the effect lasts in the long term. So far, the changes were still quite modest and did not lead to a long-term reduction of fat, adds the expert. The advantages of this new technology are that it is a safe, inexpensive gas, the scientists explain. Injecting carbon dioxide into the adipose tissue of patients has several benefits compared to invasive approaches to fat reduction, such as reduced downtime and the prevention of scarring, Alam explains.

Which possibilities for fat reduction existed so far?

Current technologies routinely used for noninvasive fat reduction include, for example, cryolipolysis, high intensity ultrasound, radiofrequency, chemical adipocytolysis, and laser-assisted fat reduction. The carboxytherapy has so far been conducted mainly outside the US, say the doctors.

What was the exact purpose of the current study?

It is believed that the injection of carbon dioxide causes changes in the microcirculation and thus damages the fat cells. So far, however, no randomized, controlled studies on the efficacy and benefits of carboxytherapy have been performed, the researchers report. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of carboxytherapy for fat reduction in a randomized, controlled trial and to determine whether the observed benefits persist for a six-month period, the researchers explain.

Superficial fatty tissue was reduced

For the study, the researchers studied 16 adult subjects who were not overweight. The participants were given a carbon dioxide gas injection on one side of their abdomen once a week. This treatment was continued for a period of five weeks. A high-resolution ultrasound showed a reduction of superficial fat tissue after five weeks, but this change was no longer observed after 28 weeks. The body weight of the patients did not change in the course of the study, the doctors say.

The treatment stimulates a transient metabolic process?

That the difference was not maintained after six months suggests that the treatment stimulated a transient metabolic process that reduced the size of the fat cells but did not induce their cell death, study author Dr. Alam. If carboxytherapy can bring extended benefits, it offers the patient another noninvasive option for fat reduction, the expert adds. Until then, however, a few more research is needed. (As)