Is this a permanent cure for obesity?

[Mr Skeptic]

It will be a very long time before gene therapy could replace the benefits of proper diet and exercise. In any case, causing carb intolerance is not the solution to obesity. The carbs will not get passed in the feces, they will get eaten by bacteria as lactose is for lactose intolerant people. Nasty side effects.

 

No, if you want that sort of solution, there are better targets than the gut. The kidney is one; it is responsible for excreting and maintaining a balance for stuff that is in our bodies. Another is the feeling of fullness. This could be an even better target.

[insane_alien]

The hypothetical modification I described would *not* block the absorption of:

 

1. Amino acids that are beneficial and/or essential

2. Fatty acids that are beneficial and/or essential

and how do you propose the intestine decides between the two? the good and the bad ones are pretty similar.

 

Cholesterol and glycerol don't need to be absorbed because the human body already produces them.

 

but a healty diet contains some.

 

Ethanol does not need to be absorbed because it is not even a nutrient.

 

but, if you block ethanol you'll end up blocking a whole lot of otherthings as the molecules is so small.

 

BTW, which vitamins are carbohydrates?

 

Vitamins:

A

C

D

E

K

 

The B vits have stuff like nitrogen and sulphur in them but are mostl carbohydrate.

 

Carbohydrates have calories, vitamins don't.

 

not all carbohydrates have calories, only those that can be metabolized have calories.

 

vitamins can be both carbohydrates and be metabolised(otherwise we wouldn't need them) and therefore have calories.

 

interestingly enough, a good way to limit glucose metabolism would be to use... glucose L-Glucose that is.

 

your body is incapable of metabolising it.

 

of course, the problem still does not lie with what is being absorbed by the gut but the eating habits of the owners of the gut.

[Green Xenon]

and how do you propose the intestine decides between the two? the good and the bad ones are pretty similar.

 

 

 

but a healty diet contains some.

 

 

 

but, if you block ethanol you'll end up blocking a whole lot of otherthings as the molecules is so small.

 

 

 

Vitamins:

A

C

D

E

K

 

The B vits have stuff like nitrogen and sulphur in them but are mostl carbohydrate.

 

 

 

not all carbohydrates have calories, only those that can be metabolized have calories.

 

vitamins can be both carbohydrates and be metabolised(otherwise we wouldn't need them) and therefore have calories.

 

interestingly enough, a good way to limit glucose metabolism would be to use... glucose L-Glucose that is.

 

your body is incapable of metabolising it.

 

of course, the problem still does not lie with what is being absorbed by the gut but the eating habits of the owners of the gut.

 

So it will never be possible to live long, high-quality, sedentary lifestyle and eat all those cream-rich, butter-filled, sugar-packed desserts?

 

Oh no! My dream has been crushed!

 

Whenever I have free time, I spend of lot of it daydreaming about way to modify the body so that I can eat those desserts, not exercise, and still live a long, healthy life. Sadly, this is just a dream because we don't yet have the technology for this.

 

Can anyone think of a way the one can achieve what I'm looking for -- at least in theory? I'm currently following a moderate-protein, moderate-fat low-carb diet to help me lose weight. I also do an hour of aerobic exercise everyday. However, this gets boring.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

You could find a way to make synthetic food that tastes amazing but doesn't make you fat, much like current attempts for non-sugar sweeteners and such.

[Green Xenon]

You could find a way to make synthetic food that tastes amazing but doesn't make you fat, much like current attempts for non-sugar sweeteners and such.

 

Examples?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Sucralose springs to mind.

[Mr Skeptic]

And rather than boring exercise, how about some fun game? Volleyball, tennis, basketball, any game really that you find interesting.

[Green Xenon]

And rather than boring exercise, how about some fun game? Volleyball, tennis, basketball, any game really that you find interesting.

 

I do the treadmill because I'm more of an indoor person. I don't like outdoor activities. I hate dust and dirt. I'm very sensitive to outdoor dirt -- such as grass, soil, pollen, asphalt, concrete, tree-sap and other outdoor dirt. If I touch the outdoor floor, I immediately have to wash my hands with clean water. I can't use soap or other chemicals either -- just pure clean water. I can handle small amounts of dirt particles that are present in most habitable environments, however, construction work just gets my nostrils flaring.

 

Discomfort which most can ignore, feels like pain to me.

 

I'm not at all a germophobe. In fact, I like bacteria. It's the allergens [such as pollen, soil, and grass dust] and sticky stuff that makes me sick. Also, I hate anything with a sticky texture [such as syrup/sap]. If there is any sticky substance to any extent, there is a good chance I will feel it.

[Mr Skeptic]

There's plenty of indoor games though.

[John Cuthber]

Since obesity is not a problem for dead people I think the answer to the original question is yes.

 

On a slightly less silly note, if the gut didn't absorb the sugars in the diet then they may well get fermented by wild yeast.

That would complicate matters- the alcohol would be absorbed and might even provide enough calories to keep someone alive. It wouldn't be a very healthy lifestyle- but they probably wouldn't care.

[Green Xenon]

Consider the volume of gas that would be produced by anaerobic digestion of the carbs in your food... could your intestines withstand that pressure?

 

What if the intestines are modified so that the gases are absorbed into the bloodstream in a manner similar to the alveoli in the lungs? This will alleviate the pressure.

 

But then, what if the gases are toxic? That's a big problem.

[Mr Skeptic]

What if the intestines are modified so that the gases are absorbed into the bloodstream in a manner similar to the alveoli in the lungs? This will alleviate the pressure.

 

Oh, that would definitely be a useful thing to do. If we could somehow do aerobic metabolism of methane on our gut surface, or absorb the methane and use it elsewhere, this would be an excellent addition to cattle. As it is, cattle fart a lot of methane, turning into greenhouse gas what could otherwise be used for energy.

[insane_alien]

the intestines wouldn't need to withstand any pressure. there is already a system in place to deal with excess gas, its called farting(flatulence if you want to be proper).

 

and no, you don't want to absorb the gasses. none of them are particularly useful.

 

here's a much much better idea:

 

put the fork down tubby, step away from the plate. have some fruit instead, maybe go for a run.