December 05, 2024
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A new gastric balloon developed at MIT showed a 60% reduction in food intake when tested on animals. The researchers will now look at whether the weight loss is sustained and whether it could be used in people as an alternative to weight loss surgery or medication.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new technology to help people lose weight – a balloon filled with silicone or air that gets inserted into the stomach like a feeding tube. But unlike other gastric balloons, this one can be inflated and deflated to mimic the body's natural sensations of hunger and fullness.
An early test on animals showed a 60% decrease in food consumption when the researchers inflated the balloon before meals, according to a study published Tuesday in Device.
"The basic concept is we can have this balloon that is dynamic, so it would be inflated right before a meal and then you wouldn't feel hungry," the study's lead author, Giovanni Traverso, said in a news release. "Then it would be deflated in between meals."
Traverso is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Gastric balloons are not new, but they are placed into the stomach already inflated. They do not deflate. People who get them tend to regain weight they lost once they are used to the feeling of a full stomach.
Gastric balloons are used for people with obesity for whom weight loss drugs have not worked and who want to avoid bariatric surgery. People who have not been able to lose and keep off weight through diet and exercise, but who are not clinically obese, may also be candidates for gastric balloons, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The MIT researchers will now conduct longer-term studies to see if these initial reductions result in weight loss and if the device may be a viable option for people.
