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Traditional, medical weight loss strategies typically involved irreversible bariatric surgeries. One of the most common procedures is gastric bypass surgery which alters the intestinal tract and is generally only offered to patients with BMIs over 35 and are suffering from an obesity-related disease, or patients with BMIs over 40.
But for over 60 million Americans who have BMIs between 30 and 40, there haven’t been many options. And even then, many patients who were eligible for gastric bypass surgery were terrified of the procedure’s side effects.
Medical experts are hoping that new medical, weight loss techniques can fill a gap in current medical treatment plans and more basic lifestyle intervention tactics. The new developments include inflating a balloon inside the stomach to reduce room for food, using electric impulses to trick the brain from sending hunger signals, and draining food contents from the stomach.
Shawn Garber, the director of the New York Bariatric Group, says these new developments “are a great way to help these patients [those with BMIs between 30 and 40] jump-start a diet.”
Preliminary studies suggest that these new methods are “less drastic” than bariatric surgery, but also more effective than diet, exercise, or medication.
The most popular, new method thus far has been the intragastric balloon. The balloon, deflated, is inserted down the patient’s throat and into their stomach with an endoscope. Once in the stomach, the balloon is inflated to about the size of a grapefruit, effectively reducing the amount of food the patient can consume. After an initial six-month period of use, the balloon is removed to reduce health complications and the patient continues to receive treatment through weight-loss counseling.
A family physician from Delaware has lost 27 pounds from the balloon. “I’m eating about half of what I used to eat,” she said.
Researchers are still working on ensuring that the balloon won’t deflate on its own while in the patient’s body, potentially blocking the intestines. One model of the balloon actually comes with two balloons attached on the side to ensure this blockage won’t occur, and other models contain dye that appear in the urine if the balloon has deflated.
For patients who use vBloc therapy – the device that sends electric shocks to their stomach to cease hunger sensations – the device has to be inserted through surgery and can be timed to each patient’s daily routine. Some patients have reported that the sensations are peculiar and other side effects include nausea, pain, and heartburn.
The third development – draining the stomach through a tube connected from a person’s stomach to the outside of their body – has been met with great controversy. Many health experts fear this method can encourage bulimic tendencies, and others just find the technology disgusting.
Although all three medical developments appear to produce comparable results, further research and studies must be conducted before firm conclusions can be made.
Louis Aronne, director of the weight control center at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City, asserts what remains true, despite these developments: “People should understand that none of these should be stand-alone treatment. You can’t just use one of these devices and eat whatever you want.”
