MIT engineers have designed a new type of gastric balloon that can be inflated and deflated to help people lose weight. This innovative device offers a promising alternative for those who don’t want to undergo invasive treatments or respond poorly to weight-loss drugs.
MIT engineers have designed a new type of gastric balloon that can be inflated and deflated as needed to help people lose weight. The balloon is connected to an external controller that can be attached to the skin, and it contains a pump that inflates and deflates the balloon when needed.
The new balloon is similar to a traditional gastric balloon but has several key differences. Instead of being filled with air or saline, this balloon can be inflated with a gas that can be adjusted in real-time. This allows for more precise control over the sensation of fullness and can help reduce food intake by up to 60 percent.
This type of intervention could offer an alternative for people who don’t want to undergo more invasive treatments such as gastric bypass surgery, or people who don’t respond well to weight-loss drugs. The researchers say that this balloon can be a safer approach in the long run because it distributes the force better and reduces the risk of complications.
In animal studies, the researchers found that inflating the balloon before meals led to a significant reduction in food intake. However, they plan to conduct longer-term studies to see if this reduction leads to weight loss.
The research was funded by MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Karl van Tassel Career Development Professorship, the Whitaker Health Sciences Fund Fellowship, the T.S. Lin Fellowship, the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, and the Boston University Yawkey Funded Internship Program.
Inserting this device would be similar to the procedure used to place a feeding tube into a patient’s stomach, which is commonly done for people who are unable to eat or drink. The researchers believe that this system could stay in the body for a long time, as there is already precedent for other systems that can remain in the body for years.
Gastric balloons filled with saline are currently approved for use in the United States. However, these balloons stimulate a sense of fullness in the stomach, and studies have shown that they work well initially but often lead to temporary benefits. The new inflatable gastric balloon aims to overcome this limitation by simulating fullness in a transient way.
The new inflatable gastric balloon could offer an alternative for people who don’t want to undergo more invasive treatments such as gastric bypass surgery, or those who don’t respond well to weight-loss drugs.
