Scientists invent device that vibrates people’s guts to stop them eating

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Scientists have invented a new device that sits inside of people and vibrates their guts – and say it could help them manage their weight.

The new device, dubbed the vibrating ingestible bioelectronic stimulator or VIBE, comes in pill form and is swallowed in the same way. But once it has made its way through the gut and makes contact with gastric fluid, it begins to vibrate.

Those vibrations stimulate the vagal nerve in a similar way to gastric bypass surgery. That in turn creates the sensation of being full.

Researchers liken the new invention to other new weight-management medications such as Wegovy and Ozempic. As with those, the new system can help people manage their food intake and in so doing avoid troubles related to obesity such as diabetes and hypertension.

And it has already worked in testing on pigs. When it was placed into the stomachs of swine, they ate 31 per cent less food, the researchers said.

They caution that further work on the system is needed. But they hope that it could be a useful way for people to prevent weight gain and reduce the number of calories they eat.

“Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of a low-cost, non-invasive intervention to reduce food intake and calorie consumption. The device functions effectively in the stomach and induces satiety,” said Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an author on the new paper.

“The device has the potential to revolutionise therapeutic options for patients with obesity. However, future studies will need to explore the physiological effects of the device before it’s available for patients.”

The work is reported in a new paper, ‘A vibrating ingestible bioelectronic stimulator modulates gastric stretch receptors for illusory satiety’, published in Science Advances.