The gastric balloon inflates before eating, creating a feeling of fullness and reducing appetite, thereby helping to lose weight effectively.
Many countries are facing a situation where people are increasingly obese - Photo: AFP
The obesity crisis has led to a plethora of weight loss initiatives, including weight loss pills and injections. Recently, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US have improved the gastric balloon that can inflate and deflate to maintain weight loss for a longer period of time.
According to the Guardian newspaper on December 3, the research team created a balloon that can be inflated before eating and contracted afterwards, simulating the process of taking in food and the process of digesting food in the stomach.
Gastric balloons (intragastric balloons) have been around for decades. These devices are placed temporarily in the stomach and filled with gas or liquid to create a feeling of fullness and reduce appetite.
However, this device will lose its effectiveness over time as the body gets used to the feeling of the ball, causing weight loss to slow down.
The modified gastric balloon that can inflate and deflate (left) and the conventional gastric balloon - Photo: OSIRIS
Some conventional gastric balloons can be increased in size over time, but this often requires an invasive procedure, said Giovanni Traverso, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and the study’s senior author. So the team developed a dynamic balloon that can inflate and deflate, preventing the stomach from getting used to its presence over time.
The new balloon is inflated using a small pump connected to an external device. The balloon is inserted into the stomach through the mouth using a long, flexible tube and then connected to the external device through an incision in the abdomen.
The team tested the device on three pigs, comparing how much food was left after a meal when they had no balloon attached, when they had the balloon but not inflated, and when the balloon was inflated. The results showed that the pigs with the balloon inflated before eating ate 60% less food than the other two conditions.
Mr Traverso said the team would do further research to see if the device actually had lasting effects. He said that despite the explosion of weight loss injections and pills in recent years, it was important to have a variety of options, especially for people who could not tolerate them.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/che-tao-bong-da-day-giup-nguoi-beo-giam-can-20241204131914348.htm
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