Learn About the Weight Loss Balloon You Swallow

A new form of fat reduction strategy has been making headlines over the last while as a weight loss balloon product called the Elipse becomes legal in a growing number of countries. This revolutionary new device may sound bizarre, but it provides many dieters with considerable assistance without having to put them through a surgical procedure, which is naturally considered to be much more invasive.
To make the weight loss balloon work, a patient must swallow this specially designed medical device in its deflated form. A doctor then sends a narrow catheter down into the patient’s stomach in order to fill the balloon with saline solution – essentially salty water.
Since the weight loss balloon is filled, it doesn’t exit the body with the rest of the waste and, at the same time, it takes up space in the stomach so that it fools the body into thinking it is already somewhat full with food. This makes it much more challenging for the patient to overeat.
In L.A. at Obesity Week, a study was presented with regards to this “balloon pill”, describing the way in which it works. The claim is that it can match the benefits of other types of stomach balloons in the way it assists in reducing body weight. According to the Stanford University chief of bariatric surgery, Dr. John Morton, who is also the president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the balloon pill is comparable to any other type of large capsule or tablet. It is swallowed so that it can be opened up and inflated within the stomach.
Dr. Morton explained that each balloon holds about a half liter (just over 16 ounces) of fluid. The device stays in place over a set period of time. In a recent study, 34 patients used it for four months and were able to lose an average of 22 pounds. That represented an average of 37 percent of the weight they wanted to lose. Moreover, the patients also saw improvements in their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as is typically the case when people lose weight.
Research also indicated that this balloon pill caused similar adverse events to those seen in other types of gastric balloons, including nausea and vomiting, which were the most common.
Dr. Morton said that the Elipse differentiated itself from other gastric balloons by not requiring surgery or sedation in order to set it in place. There were two other similar products approved by the FDA in 2015, including the ReShape and the Orbera. These are meant for people who have received a diagnosis of obesity and who have tried diet and exercise unsuccessfully for dropping the excess pounds.