Balloon that Fools your Body's Calorie Counter could Help Combat Obesity
A chain of balloons inserted into the gut could help people lose weight.
The device sits in the duodenum (or small intestine) and tricks the brain into thinking the body has consumed more calories than it actually has.
It can be inserted in just five minutes without the need for surgery.
Although balloons are already used in weight-loss surgery to boost feelings of fullness, the new device, called the SatiSphere, is more effective at suppressing appetite, say the manufacturers.
This is because the duodenum is responsible for measuring how much food the body has eaten and how much more it needs.
Early results show that people fitted with the device lost 12 per cent of their body weight in only three months.
The flexible, wire-like implant, which has a number of balloons along its length, is inserted through the mouth with the help of a special endoscope or tube.
It is then pushed through the stomach to the small intestine.
Once in place, the wire conforms to the c-shape of the duodenum, effectively reducing its diameter.
The device fits in snugly without the need for stitches or hooks.
The duodenum is where most of the food we eat is broken down it has been described as the brain's calorie counter because it is here that the body assesses food intake and decides how much more food is required.
The new device restricts the flow of food through the duodenum, and makes it remain there for longer.
This tricks the duodenum into sending signals to the brain to say that enough calories have been consumed.
Not only does this trigger the sensation of fullness, so less food is eaten, but it reduces the amount of insulin released into the bloodstream, and could therefore reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The developers of the device say it is a minimally invasive way of combating obesity and diabetes, and has advantages over surgical weight-loss approaches.
Studies have shown that gastric band surgeries, where the stomach's volume is reduced, can lead to complications, such as infection, and around one in ten people need the band readjusted because it slips out of place.
Other approaches include implanting balloons into the stomach to reduce its volume and force people to eat less.
However, the researchers behind SatiSphere say these fluid-filled balloons leak, or can deflate and block the intestines.
The device, however, cannot move any further into the gut or beyond the c-bend of the duodenum.
Furthermore, there is a ligament that separates the duodenum from the rest of the small intestine and which helps prevent the device from slipping further in.
The duodenum also measures more accurately how much food you've been eating, and so signals sent from here to the brain will trigger stronger feelings of fullness than those that come from the stomach, so are more likely to stop a person over-eating.
In a study at the University of Hamburg involving 60 patients, half had the device implanted while the remainder followed a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
The results after three months revealed that the treatment group lost 12 per cent of their body weight, with significant changes in their insulin levels, too.
The device, which can be removed in five minutes, is designed to be temporary.
Commenting on the development, Professor Nadey Hakim, a specialist in bariatric surgery at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, said: 'This kind of approach, where a device is inserted into the duodenum, is designed to help weight loss and cure type 2 diabetes.
'The advantage is that no surgery is required, and I look forward to seeing results from larger trials.'
Roger Dobson - MailOnline
