Dieters everywhere know that, no matter how inventive a chef you may be, nothing leaves you buzzing like sugary or fatty food.
Now science might have the answer: a vibrating pill, swallowed before eating, that creates feelings of fullness.
The research, which has yet to be carried out in humans, shows that after 30 minutes of activity by the Vibes pill, pigs ate on average almost 40% less food in the following half hour than they did without the device, and gained weight more slowly.
The vibrations, which are powered by a battery encased in the swallowed capsule, can be triggered when stomach acid dissolves a membrane around the pill, or by a timer.
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The researchers say the pills, which are about the size of a large vitamin tablet, offer a non-invasive, temporary therapy, without the need for weight-loss surgery, and exit the body with other solid waste – meaning in humans they are flushed down the toilet.
However they suggest it could be possible to develop pills that are implanted, or stay in the stomach, to reduce the need for people to repeatedly take them, should they require continuing therapy.
