First, it was diet pills. Then it was jabs. Now the next big thing in weight loss could be electronics. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an orally-taken device that vibrates in the stomach to make it feel full – Vibes the vibrating weight loss pill!
The research team responsible for the new vibrating pill is pretty excited about its creation and has even come up with a name. They are calling it VIBES. However, so far, it’s only been proven to work on pigs.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an innovative vibrating pill that has the potential to decrease food intake substantially by simulating sensations of satiety. This novel invention presents an economical and non-surgical alternative that could revolutionize the treatment of obesity and associated weight-related health conditions.
Another New Ozempic
Despite the limited level of research, since the story broke, some people are already calling the vibrating pill a cheaper new Ozempic.
As things stand at the moment, people using the vibrating pill would need to take a fresh one each mealtime. However, the researchers are also working on a more advanced version designed to remain in the stomach and be operated via Wi-Fi.
The size and structure of the device are similar to that of the capsules used in the pharmaceutical and supplement industry. The big difference is the “active” component is not a drug or natural compound.
Initially, the capsule is encased in a gelatinous layer. This breaks down when it comes into contact with the digestive enzymes in the stomach, activating the device and causing it to begin vibrating.
The vibrating action of the pill triggers the mechanoreceptors that are present in the walls of the stomach. These normally activate when the stomach distends to accommodate the presence of a large meal.
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Vibrating Ingestible BioElectronic Stimulator
The pill’s vibration misleads the receptors causing them to behave as if the stomach were full.
After their activation, the mechanoreceptors relay signals through the vagus nerve into the brain. The signals are carried by hormone messengers, most notably Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This is the hormone that Ozempic and similar medications imitate to trick the brain into suppressing feelings of hunger.
The mechanoreceptors in the stomach also respond to the pill’s vibration in an additional way – they signal the brain to order the release of the hormones C-peptide and Peptide YY (Pyy).
C-peptide is a pancreas hormone that aids the digestion of food. Pyy is a hormone that’s secreted from endocrine cells in the small intestine. It plays a key role in regulating appetite and food intake.
If the vibrating pill works as well for humans as it does for pigs, it has the potential to help people eat smaller food portions without feeling unduly hungry.
After it activates, the capsule continues to vibrate inside the stomach for around half an hour but may remain in the body for quite a long time.
Data from the pig-based studies shows it took four to five days for the capsules to complete their journey through the intestines and be expelled with the pigs’ feces.
During their studies, the researchers began by feeding the pigs to see how much food they consumed. This provided a benchmark for food intake comparison.
Later, they fed the pigs with the appropriate portions of food but gave them vibrating pills 20 minutes before they did so.
The study data shows, the presence of the vibrating capsule in their stomachs, caused the pigs to reduce their food intake by 40%.
Additional investigations involving pigs on an enforced fast revealed the vibrating capsules were able to cause hormone elevations in the blood that were similar to those that occur after eating.
The researchers believe their vibrating pill has the potential to provide cost-effective weight loss to people who are unable to tolerate or obtain popular prescription drugs such as Ozempic.
Should it ever come to market, it’s unclear how much the new vibrating pill will cost. However, a 4-week supply of Ozempic has a list price of $935.77. It seems likely that a 4-week supply of the vibrating pills would be much cheaper. Especially if the researchers perfect the technology sufficiently to mass produce the Wi-Fi-operated version that does not leave the stomach.
If that happens, Ozempic’s manufacturer may be forced to bring down the cost of the treatment. However, even if this were to happen, many people may still prefer the vibrating pill because it would likely be safer than the prescription drug, which has to be distributed with a black box warning relating to the risk of pancreatitis and thyroid tumors.
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VIBES Diet Pill Facts
- When we eat our stomach’s stretch receptors are responsible for alerting the brain to feelings of fullness. The innovative pill, through its vibrations, targets these receptors to foster a sensation of satiety.
- Named the Vibrating Ingestible BioElectronic Stimulator (VIBES), this device aims to combat obesity and conditions like polyphagia and Prader-Willi syndrome, which induce incessant hunger pangs. Details of its design and purpose were outlined in a recent Science Advances publication.
- The protocol for the VIBES pill involves consumption on an empty stomach, ideally 20 to 30 minutes before a meal. It works by dissolving its external shell in the stomach, which then sets a vibrating mechanism in motion for about 38.3 minutes on average. The device is designed to traverse the gastrointestinal tract in four to five days.
- In pre-clinical trials, subjects that received the VIBES pill showed a remarkable reduction in food intake—approximately 40% less—when the device was activated prior to feeding time, compared to their intake without the pill’s stimulation.
- The subjects that ingested the VIBES pill exhibited a smaller daily weight increase. While the control subjects typically saw a daily weight gain of around 0.8 kilograms, those with the VIBES pill had a slightly lower average daily weight increase of about 0.7 kilograms.
- Despite the pill’s movement within the stomach during consumption, which cannot be controlled, no adverse effects or digestive blockages were observed in the subjects. The study indicates that the pill’s efficacy is maintained irrespective of its position within the stomach.
