A vibrating ingestible bioelectronic stimulator modulates gastric stretch receptors for illusory satiety, 2023, Shriya Srinivasan et al

A vibrating diet pill may trick the stomach into feeling full

Abstract
Effective therapies for obesity require invasive surgical and endoscopic interventions or high patient adherence, making it challenging for patients with obesity to effectively manage their disease. Gastric mechanoreceptors sense distension of the stomach and perform volume-dependent vagal signaling to initiate the gastric phase and influence satiety.

In this study, we developed a new luminal stimulation modality to specifically activate these gastric stretch receptors to elicit a vagal afferent response commensurate with mechanical distension. We designed the Vibrating Ingestible BioElectronic Stimulator (VIBES) pill, an ingestible device that performs luminal vibratory stimulation to activate mechanoreceptors and stroke mucosal receptors, which induces serotonin release and yields a hormonal metabolic response commensurate with a fed state.

We evaluated VIBES across 108 meals in swine which consistently led to diminished food intake (~40%, P < 0.0001) and minimized the weight gain rate (P < 0.05) as compared to untreated controls.

Application of mechanoreceptor biology could transform our capacity to help patients suffering from nutritional disorders.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj3003

 

Imagine a vibrating pill that prevents PEM . . .

 

Maybe they're freaked out by having something squirming around in their tummy? I'd be freaked out. I haven't been in the habit of swallowing live prey.