If only weight loss could be as easy as swallowing a pill, and now it might be.
Italian doctors have developed an easy-to-swallow capsule that fills the stomach with water to form a small balloon.
A soft balloon about the size of a baseball reduces the amount of food you can eat.
The researchers say the balloons, along with the diabetes drug liraglutide (Saxenda), which also suppresses appetite, can reduce weight by almost 20 percent.
Dr. Roberta Yenca, a researcher at the Nuova Villa Claudia Clinic in Rome, said combining the drug with the balloon would give doctors “additional options for managing obesity in patients who need additional weight loss or increased endurance.” It is possible,” he said.
Gastric balloons for weight loss have been around for years, but they usually require sedation and an invasive endoscopic procedure. Developed by Allurion Technologies, the new balloon requires no endoscopy or sedation and takes just 20 minutes to put on.
“The ease of use and low incidence of adverse events make it an ideal primary weight-loss regimen that can be supplemented with medications or other treatments,” said Dr. Yenka, an Alrion advisor.
The latest research on balloons comes this week European Obesity Conference In Dublin, Ireland, 181 obese men and women participated. They also started the diabetes drug liraglutide one to four months after the soft balloons were placed.
After 16 weeks, participants lost an average of 29 pounds. The balloon is designed to empty after about 4 months and be excreted naturally.
But not all medical professionals are enthusiastic about the new gastric balloon. Dr. Mitchell S. Roslin, Chief of Bariatric Surgery, Northern Westchester Hospital Researchers in Mount Kisco, New York, said the sustained weight loss was primarily due to liraglutide use.
“Without the medicine, all the weight would come back after the balloon was removed.” Dr. Roslin told HealthDay News..
“A temporary device is just temporary,” added Dr. Roslin. Sustained weight loss requires a “lifelong commitment to whatever you do.”
In previous studies on balloons, Published in Obesity Surgery in 2020The total weight of the 1,770 participants decreased by 14.2 percent.
The 2020 study authors concluded, “The ease of use, low incidence of serious adverse events, and potentially low cost could make gastric balloon technology more widely applicable to overweight and obese people. It will be like this,” he said.
“Furthermore, eliminating the need for endoscopy and sedation for placement and removal may extend its use to a wider group of physicians managing overweight and obese individuals,” the researchers said. added.
