London: It’s the latest and probably the quickest way to lose weight – a plastic sleeve inserted in your tummy that makes you feel full.
The 2ft-long device, which can be inserted without an operation, has been shown to help the obese lose a fifth of their body weight, reports The Daily Mail.
It does so by causing large amounts of undigested food to reach the small intestine, which results in an increase of a hormone called PYY, which suppresses the appetite.
Doctors said that the device known as an Endobarrier costs 2000 dollars and could eliminate the need for daily insulin injections. It could soon be used in hospitals to replace far costlier gastric bands and gastric bypass operations.
It is held in place by a tiny spring and acts as a barrier to stop fats, sugar and salts being absorbed by the intestine, restricting the amount of calories being absorbed.
Alberic Feines, a consultant bariatric surgeon at St Anthony’s Hospital in Surrey, said, “Many patients may not want gastric bypass or band surgery because they don’t want the operation. This procedure would be far preferable.”
ANI