Apr 6, 2016 4 min read

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In recent years, new technology has made a variety of things easier. Finding new music, keeping in touch with friends and shopping from home are just a few things that have become more convenient with new innovations.

Now there may be similarly good news for those who have struggled with weight issues. New technology is being developed to help promote weight loss by helping people feel full. The idea, of course, is when you feel full, you’re much less likely to eat.

These technologies have yet to hit the mainstream, but it shouldn’t be long before they’re perfected and presented to the public as a safe alternative for weight loss.

Here are three examples of new innovations that promote weight loss by helping you feel full:

Diet pills have been around for years, but many of them are generally ineffective, and some can even be dangerous. A new version of a diet pill could be just around the corner, though, and it will come without the dangerous side effects of unhealthy supplements.

This new diet pill is a pill in form only. Scientists are developing a gastric balloon packed into a standard-sized capsule and attached to a mini catheter.

Once you swallow the pill, the capsule dissolves in your stomach and releases a balloon that’s about 19 ounces in volume, or about the size of a grapefruit.

The balloon is then filled with water via the catheter, which in turn fills a significant portion of your stomach. The idea is that your stomach will feel somewhat full — because in reality it is — meaning you’re less likely to feel hungry or indulge cravings.

The balloon automatically deflates after about four months and is naturally excreted.

The device is still being developed and may not be approved for use in the U.S. for another few years. Early tests are promising, however. Researchers in Europe tested the balloon in 34 patients, and they lost an average of 22 pounds each, or 37 percent of their extra weight.

Last year the Food and Drug Administration approved the Maestro Rechargeable System, a tiny implant that sends electrical signals to the vagus nerve — the nerve that goes from your brain to your stomach and tells you whether your stomach is full or not.

The device is implanted in the stomach area during a 60 to 90-minute surgical procedure. It sends pulses of electricity in five-minute increments (five on, five off) and turns off during sleeping hours.

The FDA approved the device for those with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40, or for those with a BMI of at least 35 who also have an obesity-related condition such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Medical professionals have said it could be useful for extremely obese people who are looking to lose weight so they can undergo gastric bypass surgery in a safer manner.

More than 10 years ago, Dr. Randy Baker in Grand Rapids, Michigan, used a stent to help a patient who was having difficulty after her gastric bypass surgery. The stent was basically used to prop open the path between stomach and small bowel.

That experience created an “a-ha” moment for Baker, who theorized the stent was adding pressure to the top of his patient’s stomach, essentially fooling the brain into thinking the stomach was full.

Working off that theory, Baker created the Full Sense Device. It’s a silicone-coated funnel that only requires a short 10-minute procedure to be implanted, and it can remain in the body for six months.

The idea is to create a similar effect and feeling patients get from gastric bypass surgery, but without the invasive surgery element.

The product is still in the early stages. It hasn’t been approved for sale, but the hope is that it will soon be tested in countries around the world, including Canada and Mexico.

The best-case scenario for weight loss really is the combination of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. However, that combination isn’t always enough for some. The hope is that these new innovations will be a healthy and viable alternative for those who could use more help.