The FDA Approved A Weight Loss Device That Sucks Food From Your Stomach

In weird weight-loss news, the FDA just approved a new device called AspireAssist, a device that drains one-third of the stomach’s contents after a meal so the person absorbs less calories. That’s right. This device literally takes a portion of what you’ve eaten out of your stomach.

The procedure to input the device, which is for obese patients 22 and up, requires a surgeon to make a small incision in the abdomen, where a tube is then inserted. The tube connects to a disc-shaped valve outside the body, where a small external device is connected to the valve 20 to 30 minutes after eating and through which a portion of the stomach’s contents are dumped.

It takes 15 minutes for the surgeon to insert the device under sedation, and five to 10 minutes each time you remove a portion of your meal from your stomach. Patients also have to go back to the doctor every five to six weeks, and they can’t eat certain foods that could get stuck in the tube.

Although some are viewing the device as a better alternative to gastric bypass surgery, others are calling the procedure assisted bulimia, and they worry it may be a tool used by people prone to eating disorders. It may have potential to help with obesity, as their research found that people using the device lost an average of 12.1 percent of their body weight after a year-long trial, but you may want to stick to trying to lose weight the old-fashioned way: with some simple diet and exercise.

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