Many people are familiar with the stomach surgeries to help people lose weight and, chances are, you probably know someone who has had one. Things like gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, lap band, etc. But, these surgeries can and often do come with side effects. But, now there is a new procedure that is coming onto the scene that doesn’t require any actual surgery to get the same effect. The Elipse, manufactured by Allurion Technologies, is the next generation of “gastric balloons” that may offer a safer way to assist in weight loss without the surgery.
The Elipse is pre-packaged as a pill attached to a thin tube that is then swallowed in the doctor’s office. When the pill enters the stomach it is dissolved leaving a balloon (The Elipse) that can then be filled with up to 600 milliliters of fluid in under 10 minutes. After the filling is complete the tube is detached and removed through the patient’s mouth. The Elipse reduces the stomach’s capacity for food which means the patient will become fuller, faster. This leads to reduced portion size and weight loss. The balloon stays inflated for up to four months, at which point a seal on the balloon dissolves leading to the balloon deflating. The deflated balloon is flexible and so travels down the gastro-intestinal tract the rest of the way to be excreted in the patient’s waste. (To watch an explanation video of this new product from the manufacturer, you can click here)
So, is it effective? In a study by the company’s researchers presented at Obesity Week 2015 in Los Angeles, interim results for a group of 34 patients trialing the device lost more than a third of their excess body weight by using the balloons, averaging a little over 22 pounds in weight loss after four months. Patients also saw improvements in triglycerides and hemoglobin A1c levels, which could lower their risk of diabetes and heart disease.
But, some experts warn that the pill is not a silver bullet solution for weight loss as the stomach doesn’t undergo the shrinkage that occurs with natural weight-loss. Once the balloon deflates and leaves the patient’s system, the patient is left with the same sized stomach they had before which could lead them right back to eating large portions and regaining the weight. They stress that without the lifestyle changes necessary to maintain the weight loss most people end up right back where they started. The procedure isn’t cheap, either, ranging from $6,000 – $10,000.
But, for now, those in the U.S. do not have to worry about these things as the Elipse has not been approved by the FDA for use in the United States.
