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We were watching Good Morning Britain last week before going to work when they had a feature about the "new weight loss pill" The Elipse.
This pill claims to act as a non-permanent gastric band to aid weight loss. How interesting, we thought, and immediately wanted to do some more research...
How does it work?
The patient swallows the Elipse pill which contains a balloon like feature.
Once the balloon hits the stomach, the balloon is filled with a pint of water using a tube.
Once filled, the tube detaches.
After 4 months, the balloon pops and passes through the body painlessly.
The procedure is said to take 15 minutes and takes out the invasive surgery that comes with having an actual gastric band fitted.
The idea is that the amount of calories a person can consume are automatically limited and they are now forced to have a low calorie diet as the water filled balloon not only takes up a large part of the stomach, but is also said to give the feeling of fullness.
Trials:
Like all new products, there has had to be trials to evidence that it works before it can go on sale and be used on the general public.
The trial [1] involved 38 obese patients (28 men and 10 women).
The mean age of the participants was 46, their mean initial weight was 110kg and they had a mean BMI of 39.
For the first 12 weeks, patients were given a low calorie diet to follow. This then switched to a very low ketogenic diet of approximately 700 calories a day.
The basic results were as follows [2]:
The treatment was well received by all patients and exited the body successfully.
No serious adverse side effects
Side effects such as nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps resolved on their own or with medication.
After 4 weeks the mean weight loss was 5.4kg
After 8 weeks the mean weight loss was 8.9kg
After 12 weeks the mean weight loss was 11.5kg
After 16 weeks the mean weight loss was 15.2kg
Even though weight loss slowed down by the end of the 12 week period. It then picked up again when patients switched to the very low calorie and ketogenic diet.
The NHS acknowledge the following limitations with the study;
This is a very small study, and the findings would have to be observed on a large scale before it can be decided whether this swallowable gastric balloon is a safe and cost-effective option compared with other gastric balloon procedures.
The study only looks at the effects of the gastric balloon after 16 weeks of treatment. The effects of the gastric balloon for long-term weight loss would have to be studied before it's decided whether this could be a sustainable weight loss treatment.
Because the study has only been presented as a poster at a conference, only limited information on the findings is currently available. A full research paper would provide more information on the methods and limitations of the study.
These limitations seem fairly obvious, but for us there's still a large part of the picture missing and the following questions should be considered for future research...
What exercise programme was prescribed as part of the trial?
Did the participants exercise before undertaking the trial?
Was there a control group?
Was there a follow up test to calculate weight gain following the trial?
Was nutrition controlled to ensure participants were getting sufficient nutrients?
Of the weight lost by the participants, what was attributed to fat loss and how much muscle mass was lost?
There are many more questions we could ask, but clearly the results can not be confidently attributed to the pill itself.
At this point, it appears to be a very expensive fad diet aimed at significantly reducing calorie intake. The last question is really a key one for us too, as we know increasing lean muscle mass plays a key role in sustained weight-loss and overall health. Something that cannot be achieved/sustained on heavily restricted diets.
Currently, the treatment appears to be available privately with prices starting from around £2400. Would you really be happy to invest that much money in something that at this stage is in our opinion, unproven? Not only that, no one know the long term health effects associated.
In order to lose weight, there are a variety of fad diets you can follow that will help you achieve it. The key is to try and sustain it. Where these diets fail people is that they are the opposite of sustainable, and once the diet inevitably comes to an end, the results are reversed just as quickly as they came.
Achieving healthy and sustained weight-loss is much more than a physiological change, it's a psychological adaptation too. We work with our clients to empower them to take control, be conscious of the dietary and lifestyle choices they are making and understand the importance of balance, We're not just about making people lighter, it's about making them happier and healthier.
References:
[1]Roberta Ienca, Ilaria Ernesti, Giovanni Casella, Davide Francomano, Massimiliano Cipriano, Alfredo Genco . (2017). A New Swallowable Intragastric Balloon for Weight Loss Not Needing Endoscopy: Early Experience in Combination with a VLCKD. Eco 2017 24th European Congress on Obesity.
[2] NHS Choices. (2017). Swallowable gastric balloon could help with weight loss. Available: https://www.nhs.uk/news/medical-practice/swallowable-gastric-balloon-could-help-with-weight-loss/#what-did-the-research-involve. Last accessed 22nd Jan 2017.