Anti-Obesity Pill Swells in Your Stomach, Making You Full Before You Even Start Eating

[Velgadess]

http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...n-start-eating

It’s no secret that obesity is a growing problem for Americans. Our kids are growing larger, our rates of diabetes and heart disease show no signs of retreating, and our military is worried that the next generation of warfighters will be too big and sluggish to get the job done. But Boston-based Gelesis has engineered a complex obesity solution that works by a simple mechanism: take a pill, become full, eat less.

The idea of shrinking stomach size to reduce the amount of processed foodstuffs a person can consume in one sitting isn’t a new idea, but conventional methods of doing so – stomach stapling or gastric bypass surgery – carry with them a bevy of inherent risks (not to mention they’re invasive). Gelesis has engineered a similar plan of attack called Attiva, but rather than shrinking the stomach, it aims to reduce gastrointestinal real estate from the inside.

Gelesis engineered a super-absorbent polymer – is it ironic that it’s derived from an unspecified food source? – that can be reduced to small beads about the size of a grain of sugar. These tiny polymer beads swell up more than 100 times over when introduced to water, kind of like those little sponges you used to play with in the bath. So when you down a pill with a glass of water, the capsule dissolves in your stomach and the hydrogel beads begin to grow. In a few minutes you’re feeling pretty full, and that second Double Down from KFC is decidedly less attractive.

Of course, now you have a belly full of hydrogel, and this is where the engineers at Gelesis had to be clever. The food is now mixed in with the gel, but you still need to digest that food (the object here is weight loss, not starvation). The hydrogel keeps food in the stomach longer, giving stomach acid more time to break down both the food and the hydrogel, which begins to release its water. Everything then moves to the small intestine where the gel can re-expand to some extent, slowing the absorption of fatty materials and sugars. Finally everything ends up in the lower bowels, and the rest is history.

The clever part of the engineering, of course, was creating a polymer that can stand up to changing pH levels so that it never fully breaks down; the company claims its product never touches the bloodstream, making it more of a medical device than a medication. How will the FDA treat it? Who knows, but it did just pass its first human trial without any problems beyond the occasional stomach ache. And let’s be honest, that second Double Down probably would have given you a stomach ache anyhow.



I dunno. I forsee people taking this pill, are gonna be stupid and lazy, making it no better or more likely worse for themselves. But for those who are smart and serious about losing weight, I could see how this would help.

[Eaglestrike]

If you're smart and serious about losing weight you don't need a gimmick like this to do so.

[Mizango]

If you're smart and serious about losing weight you don't need a gimmick like this to do so.

Precisely what I was about to say. Lazy people are fat? Stop the fucking presses. If you dislike the way your look at the beach or cant stand the thought of how you look in the mirror, then man the fuck up and get a routine and change it. Its as simple as that.

I do it every morning and evening so I really have no sympathy or like hearing excuses.

[Pikarya]

Sad thing is, this shit is gonna sell like hotcakes to the masses. Glad I'm not a fat fuck.

[Nekonaruto]

I don't even want to imagine what shit like that does to your body...I once had a similar sensation because I had to go through an upper UI and they filled my stomach with ... water? It is not nice to have your stomach bloat without chewing anything prior.

[Atreides]

people should just eat tampons

[lostiming]

It still doesn't fill the emptiness inside us...

On the brighter side, have they tested it yet? The problem with polymers seems to be that they'll work too well and take forever to digest, especially hydrogels which cannot easily undergo hydrolysis.

[Fhloston]

Meh, just drink a bottled water before eating. Works wonders. Just another weight loss fad.

[Atreides]

I remember when Olestra came out and everyone thought it was going to be the next big thing.

I can't wait for the commercials, "may cause massive bowel impaction, rectal bleeding, or hard clear crystallized stools"

[Ragnus]

http://www.lovefoodloveme.com/wp-con...06/fullbar.jpg

They're a bit late.

[Restrat]

it's called "fiber" and you get it from eating anything healthy

[Lbelle]

Not sure how this is really different than all of the other pills that make you feel full that are already out there. Tons of things already do this.

[Metah]

http://www.lovefoodloveme.com/wp-con...06/fullbar.jpg

Ew! That looks natural! Can't I just have a pill instead?

[richardd]

no it doesnt, that looks like half the ingredients are made from high fructose corn syrup. aka liquid candy. fuck that shit. eat a fucking salad. eggwhites, fruit, or lean meats/fish. not a "full bar", "full pill" or any quick fixes. balance out your carbs with your protein and fiber, and be active.

seriously man, if you want to lose weight, change your life. simple as that. anyone can do it. dont rely on shit like this

[Seanr]

Meh, just drink a bottled water before eating. Works wonders. Just another weight loss fad.

People have known this for years, but don't actually pay attention to it.
My parents used to tell me when I was younger not to drink my juice before I ate because I would get full fast and not want to eat. Why the fuck are people so stupid.

With my revolutionary diet you will pay nothing extra outside of your original meal cost!

[Priran]

Why are the people in this thread so mad

[Blitzrahl]

Hopefully those same clever engineers gave some thought to the full life cycle of the drug ie: what happens to it once it exits the body and enters the local water treatment system - a breakdown-resistant polymer doesn't sound like the type of thing you can get out of water easily, same as alot of prescription drugs hanging around in the water supply..

That aside, I don't really have any huge problem with this other than has already been said, just drink a glass of water, yeesh.

[Ragnus]

http://i39.tinypic.com/2a0etud.jpg

Found a pic of the pill.

[Caiyuo]

I can't swallow that.

[Niiro]

I can't swallow that.

Well good news, then!

Spoiler: show

It's a suppository!