Can Inflatable Gastric Balloon Help Shed Those Extra Pounds? Study Sheds Light - Video

Gastric balloons silicone balloons filled with air or saline and placed in the stomach can help people lose weight by making them feel too full to overeat. However, this effect eventually can wear off as the stomach becomes used to the sensation of fullness.

MIT engineers have designed a new type of gastric balloon that can be inflated and deflated as needed. In an animal study, they showed that inflating the balloon before a meal caused the animals to reduce their food intake by 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.

The researchers created two prototypes: One is a traditional balloon that inflates and deflates, and the other is a mechanical device with four arms that expand outward, pushing out an elastic polymer shell that presses on the stomach wall. In animal tests, the researchers found that the mechanical-arm device could effectively expand to fill the stomach, but they ended up deciding to pursue the balloon option instead.

The researchers’ new balloon is similar to a traditional gastric balloon, but it is inserted into the stomach through an incision in the abdominal wall. The balloon is connected to an external controller that can be attached to the skin and contains a pump that inflates and deflates the balloon when needed. 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. In tests in animals, the researchers found that inflating the balloon before meals led to a 60% reduction in the amount of food consumed.

Reference: OSIRIS: Oscillating satiety induction and regulation intragastric system, Jia, Neil Zixun et al. Device, Volume 0, Issue 0, 100624