According to the Center of Disease Control, more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Many struggle to lose weight despite their modest attempts to make healthier food choices and exercise, and even despite newly approved prescription medications (marketed as Qsymia, Belviq and Contrave). In desperate attempts to drop pounds some even resort to specialty diets, fads and health gimmicks which usually result in only short-term weight loss and can potentially be more harmful than good. And there are still those who although they may be able to afford it, are skeptical of undergoing the knife for bariatric surgery.
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But what if you could swallow one pill that could help you lose weight for good?
There is a new weight control device that brings the promise of doing just that. With the advancement of science, there is now a new non-surgical option to help struggling dieters in their battle of the bulge. It is manufactured as the Eclipse device but is being called the “balloon pill.”
A study presented earlier this month at Obesity Week 2015 hosted by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society, unveiled the new device. Dr. John Morton, chief of bariatric surgery at Stanford University and president of ASMBS described it as a balloon a patient swallows, similar to that of a large pill.
How does it work?
The patient swallows a deflated balloon connected to a narrow catheter. Once it reaches the stomach, doctors can fill it with nearly half a liter of fluid. The fluid filled balloon occupies space in the stomach reducing the capacity for food allowing someone to eat less yet still feel full. This leads to weight lose during the time the balloon is inflated. Along with balloon therapy, patients are concurrently counseled to eat healthier portion controlled meals and to exercise. Watch animation of the device here.
How much weight can I lose?
Researchers presented interim results for the first 34 patients of the multi-center study that demonstrated participants lost an average of 22 pounds after four months. Participants also saw improvements in the triglycerides and hemoglobin A1c levels, both of which are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. As with other gastric balloons (ReShape Dual Balloon and Orbera Intragastric Balloon System are FDA approved but require surgical implantation), the most common adverse events reported were nausea and vomiting.
Where can I get it?
The Eclipse device manufactured by Allurion Technologies is not yet FDA approved or commercially available in the United States. It is still being studied in Europe. And although it appears promising to those desperate to lose weight, it is not a magic pill. It is designed to be a weight control tool to adjunct other efforts to lose weight. The science behind losing weight may be advancing but the fundamentals remains the same. Adopting healthy lifestyles is the most effective way to lose weight and to keep it off.
Nurse Alice is America’s favorite nurse. She is a nationally board certified cardiac clinical nurse specialist and a reoccurring television & radio health expert and contributor. She hosts The Check Up with Nurse Alice, and has appeared on several national shows including HLN’s Dr Drew, The Doctors, The Tom Joyner Morning Show and FOX News Radio. Follow her on Twitter, IG &Facebook at@AskNurseAlice
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