Is Botox About to Become the Next Big Weight-Loss Trend?  

Thanks to its muscle-freezing effects, botulin (a.k.a. Botox) is used for everything from reducing the appearance of wrinkles to tempering extra sweaty armpits. But the latest Botox cure has some docs raising their (unfrozen) eyebrows.

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Recent research suggests that Botox injections in your gut could help you lose weight. For the study, presented at Digestive Disease Week, researchers in Norway gave 20 obese patients (with BMIs between 35 and 44) injections of Botox in their stomachs—specifically, into a nerve that controls hunger. They got a second injection six months later, according to Livescience.com.

After a year, 70 percent of the patients lost an average of 17 percent of their excess body weight. And after 18 months and three injections, 75 percent of participants had lost an average of 28 percent of their extra pounds.

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Though the results of the small study look promising, we probably won’t see Botox being used as a practical weight loss method anytime soon, says John Morton, M.D., the chief of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine.

“I don’t think this is going to be a future intervention with a lot of utility. The long-term results are not good,” he says. (Start your weight-loss journey with Women's Health's Look Better Naked workout DVDs.)

Part of the problem is that the effects of Botox aren't permanent. So using it as a weight-loss tool would require regular invasive procedures. Morton also points out that some research suggests that you can build up a tolerance to the toxin, meaning it would be less effective over time.

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And since there are already weight-loss solutions with solid science to back them up (and better long-term benefits), Botox probably won't be the next big thing to banish belly fat.

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