Hunger hormone, antibiotic-induced weight gain, and sleep and digestive health explored at Digestive Disease Week

Washington (May 14, 2024) — Studies exploring the hunger hormone, weight-loss drugs, sauerkraut and antibiotic weight gain, the impact of physician gender on care, and the relationship between sleep patterns and digestive diseases will be presented this week at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024. Abstracts are available to registered media. Embargos lift at 12:01 a.m. EDT on the day they are presented unless otherwise noted.

Here are summaries of the new research:

Performance of a machine-learning gene risk score biomarker on predicting response to semaglutide: A prospectively followed multi-center biobank and outcomes registry, Abstract 638, will be presented Monday, May 20, at 8 a.m. EDT

Gene markers associated with a “hungry gut” phenotype could predict which patients will have the most success losing weight taking semaglutide, the weight-loss drugs originally approved for diabetes treatment. Researchers used a machine-learning process to identify a gene risk score to predict a phenotype, identified as hungry gut, that was associated with greater weight loss in response to semaglutide. Using an outcomes registry for adults undergoing weight-loss interventions, researchers studied patients with obesity who were prescribed semaglutide. Genetic studies were performed for each patient. After nine months on semaglutide, patients with the hungry-gut phenotype lost 14.4 pounds compared to the other group, who lost 10.3 pounds. At 12 months, patients with the hungry gut phenotype lost 19.5 pounds compared to 10.0 pounds for the other group. Authors conclude the phenotype test could be employed in clinical practice to select responders to semaglutide.

The impact of physician gender on health care utilization among men and women following initial GI consultation, Abstract Sa1002, will be presented Saturday, May 18, 12:30 p.m. EDT. (A press release is available upon request.)

Patients seen in initial consultation by a female gastroenterologist had a significant reduction in subsequent health care utilization when compared with those seen by male gastroenterologists.  Researchers looked at data for more than 2.7 million gastroenterology consults between 2002 and 2020 from a province-wide database for Ontario, Canada. They analyzed patients’ use of direct health care services over the subsequent two years, focusing on primary care visits, emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations.  When female gastroenterologists provided the initial consultation, subsequent use of all health care services by all patients, regardless of gender, was lower when compared with patients initially seen by male gastroenterologists.

Endoscopic ablation of the gastric fundus in adults with obesity: A first-in-human study, Abstract 516, will be presented Sunday, May 19, 2:32 p.m. EDT. (A press release is available upon request. Embargo ended May 9)

In this first-in-human trial, 10 female adults with obesity were treated with an endoscopic fundic mucosal ablation, a procedure that burns the stomach lining to reduce production of ghrelin, the primary hormone that triggers hunger. Assessment at six months showed a 7.7% loss of body weight and a reduction of more than 40% in fasting ghrelin levels. Patients reported through validated questionnaires that their hunger was diminished by more than a third. The procedure also caused a 42% reduction in stomach capacity, according to a standard drink test.

Sleep patterns, genetic susceptibility and digestive diseases: A large-scale prospective cohort study, Abstract Mo1126, will be presented Monday, May 20, 12:30 p.m. EDT.

In this large population-based cohort, a healthy sleep pattern was associated with reduced risks of digestive diseases, regardless of the genetic susceptibility. This observational study reviewed records of more than 410,000 participants in the UK Biobank to identify sleep patterns and genetic risk of digestive diseases.  The findings underscore the potential holistic impact of different sleep behaviors in mitigating the risk of digestive diseases in clinical practice.

Sauerkraut bacteriophage prevented antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and weight gain in mice. Abstract Su1896: Sunday, May 19, 12:30 p.m. EDT

Antibiotic treatment is a common disruptor of the gut microbiome, and chronic exposure to antibiotics induces weight gain that is disproportionate to calories consumed. This study tested the hypothesis that phages — also called virus-like particles (VLPs) — isolated from sauerkraut may correct antibiotic-induced dysbiosis in mice. Researchers found treatment with sauerkraut VLPs eliminated antibiotic-induced  increase in Firmicutes bacteria, which contribute to gut health, and blocked antibiotic-induced weight gain in the mice, suggesting that sauerkraut phages may have a potential for correcting these antibiotic-induced effects.

###

Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW is an in-person and online meeting from May 18-21, 2024. The meeting showcases more than 5,600 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org