Diet & Fitness

The balloon diet

Swallowing a balloon could be the answer to a dieter's prayers. The new therapy works by curbing appetite in those who are seriously obese.

Results of a recent trial have been amazing, with patients showing significant weight loss in only three months.

It is particularly exciting as it offers a nonsurgical alternative to gastric bands and stomach reduction procedures - both of which are major operations.

Doctors first carry out an initial examination of the stomach with the help of an endoscopic camera, to check for abnormalities or obstructions.

A deflated balloon, made from a soft silicone material, is then fed down the throat and into the stomach.

Anaesthetic is put onto the surface of the throat to numb the tissue while the balloon is swallowed. Muscle-relaxing medication is also be used.

Once in place, the balloon is filled with 500ml of saline through a small tube that also goes down the throat and which is attached to a self-sealing valve in the neck of the balloon.

The tube is removed when filling is complete and the balloon floats around the stomach safely.

Once it is filled, the balloon is too big to get through the valve from the stomach to the bowel.

The trial by doctors in Rome shows that the whole procedure took only 10 to 15 minutes.

The idea is that the balloon reduces the working size of the stomach, without surgery. The theory is that the patient feels fuller and less need to eat.

The balloon has been designed to be used for six months. Any longer than that could cause problems as the acidic content of the stomach could have an effect on the silicone material. But if longer-term treatment is needed, a new balloon can be installed.

When it is no longer needed, the balloon is punctured, emptied, and pulled back up through the throat.

In the trial, the balloon treatment was used alongside a 1,000-calorie-a-day diet, and research showed that patients could lose around 6lb a week.

The manufacturers, claim that the balloon by creating a feeling of fullness, acts as an aid to weight reduction and helps users adhere to a prescribed diet.

But successful weight loss still requires effort from the patient.

"You will have a much greater chance of maintaining your weight loss after balloon removal if you maintain and improve the diet and behaviour changes you made while using it," said a spokesman for the manufacturer.

The system was designed for people who are at least 40 per cent above their ideal weight and who have failed to get prolonged success with other weight control programmes.

As well as being used as a stand-alone way of helping obese people to lose weight, it can also be used to reduce weight prior to surgery. And that, say the Italian researchers, may help reduce the risks associated with surgical procedures on overweight patients.

Source: Daily Mail