Listen up, beach lovers – that stuff you’re lying on could be the next anti-obesity treatment.
“Hey! Quit kicking that sand in our face!”
Thus – as readers of super-hero comics from the 50s to the 80s would know – the weakling “Mac” began his journey to improved upper body strength, courtesy of Charles Atlas.
Sand’s also a great natural exfoliant, while walking on it strengthens the muscles between the foot and back.
Sand clearly offers health benefits – in a round-about way – but a research team from the University of South Australia reckons the stuff could soon be used internally to treat obesity.
Having no doubt mulled this one over while sunbaking on Bondi Beach, the team swapped their bathers for lab coats and got down to business.
They developed and conducted an in-vitro study of porous silica particles, made from purified sand, under conditions that simulated the gastrointestinal environment during digestion of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal.
Particles with pore widths of 6-10nm proved to be ideal for triggering an inhibitory response to both fats and sugars. The study was the first to validate how the particles throw a spanner in the works of the digestive process to stop adsorption.
The particles are engineered to have a high surface area, allowing them to soak up large amounts of digestive enzymes, fats, and sugars within the gastrointestinal tract.
“There’s a current lack of effective therapies that are free from adverse effects, such as diarrhoea, bloating and abdominal pain, which often deters people from starting a treatment,” said study lead Dr Paul Joyce of SA uni’s clinical and health sciences school.
“This gentle mechanism is expected to deliver clinically effective outcomes for weight loss, without adverse effects.
“Porous silica has received increasing attention for its anti-obesity potential, with human trials showing it is a safe therapy,” he added. “However, exactly how it works has eluded researchers – until now.”
Something to ponder next time you head to the ocean with a bucket and spade.
If you have any novel applications for sand, ask penny@medicalrepublic.com.au for a grant.
