Stomach Implants a Safer Way of Losing Weight

Scientists have developed new implantable devices that will help people eat less without invasive surgery or obesity drugs with their dangerous side effects, Newsmax Health reports.

 Six new implants have been developed by medical device manufacturers. Most, but not all, are implanted through endoscopes that go in through the mouth. The devices are often removed after a desired amount of weight is lost. They work through different mechanisms to give patients a feeling of fullness before they have overeaten.

Abiliti, made by IntraPace Inc., has been used for years in Europe and is pending in the U.S. markets.  It works by sending electrical pulses to the stomach to make people feel full with smaller meals. It also sends signals to the brain to discourage snacking between meals and late at night.

For German dietitian Katrin Falb, 34, Abiliti was a lifesaver. She had tried everything from Weight Watchers to acupuncture to lose weight. She had the half-inch, business card-sized device implanted near her stomach in March 2011 and in less than a year she dropped 51 pounds.

ValenTx is made by a California company and it mimics gastric bypass without the risks or complications of surgery, such as injury to the stomach and other internal organs.

Beverly Hills bariatric physician Carson Liu, M.D. explains “This is placed with an endoscope and it is a great and safe way of attacking obesity.”

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