Orange County, CA - December 26th, 2018 - Approximately 68 percent of adults in the United States have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater, which is the highest in North America. The US also has an overwhelming share of obese adults, with Mexico at 64.9 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 39.8 percent of U.S. adults are obese, meaning they have a BMI of 30 or higher.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison might have discovered a technological solution to the many affected by the obesity epidemic. The team developed a small battery-free implant, that measures about a centimeter across. The device stimulates the vagus nerve, following the brain. The vagus nerve is one of the cranial nerves that connect the brain to the body. The vagus nerve has two bunches of sensory nerve cell bodies, and it connects the brainstem to the body. It allows the brain to monitor and receive information about several of the body's different functions.
The device is attached to the stomach where it senses movement when food drops in the esophagus. Since there is a small nanogenerator built in the device, it supplies its power from being shaken around by the stomach. When the device discovers the stomach peristalsis, it begins to electrically stimulate the vagus nerve right from the stomach for a more extended period, than the stomach does typically. Doing so gives the brain impression that more food entered the GI tract than did, satisfying the hunger by giving it “virtual food.”
The team had trials on lab rats that led to a nearly 40% weight loss in the rats treated, compared to the control groups. The surgery is much similar compared to other weight loss procedures such as gastric bypass. Since the study was done on lab rats, and not humans, more trails are required. The device would be a non-pharmacological treatment option for the 160 million Americans who are either obese or overweight.
