The present invention provides, among other things, a site specific way to
enhance a natural hormonal response to nutrients entering the small
intestine after gastric emptying, thereby providing therapeutic value for
obesity or diabetic patients. In one aspect, the present invention
provides methods of stimulating the release of satiety hormone in a
subject comprising applying a first electrical stimulus to a tissue in
the lumen of the gastrointestinal system of the subject contemporaneously
with the contacting of L-cells of the tissue with a nutrient stimulus. In
another aspect, the present invention provides methods for predicting
patient response to a weight loss surgery comprising applying a first
electrical stimulus to a tissue of the gastrointestinal system of said
patient contemporaneously with the contacting of L-cells of the tissue
with a nutrient stimulus, assessing the effect of the electrical stimulus
in said patient, and, correlating said effect to said patient's response
to a weight loss surgery.