Vibration helps you lose weight
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
If the stomach feels the vibration, the appetite is greatly diminished.
In the process of food absorption, gastric receptors are activated, reacting to the mechanical stretching of the organ walls. At the same time, they send certain impulses to the brain, which leads to stimulation of the flow of insulin into the blood, as well as the synthesis of other substances involved in the processes of digestion, processing and assimilation of necessary food components. At the same time, the concentration of ghrelin, which causes the feeling of hunger, decreases. As a result the stomach "realizes" that it has received an appropriate amount of food, which leads to a leveling of the feeling of hunger.
Receptors in the stomach are not the only mechanism responsible for regulating eating behavior. However, the receptor response is a faster response.
People who practice drinking one or two cups of water half an hour before a meal actually prevent subsequent overeating. The stomach is more likely to fill up, receptors are triggered, so that the feeling of satiety comes sooner, and the person eats less food. However, drinking water beforehand does not always have the expected effect. Therefore, representatives of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new tool that can more effectively affect the receptor mechanism. They proposed to use a kind of receptor activator in the form of a vibrating capsule, which should help people avoid overeating.
Previously, scientists have established that vibration is able to deceive mechanical receptors. For example, relevant experiments were conducted on rodents.
The vibrating capsule was created in a regular size, similar to a multivitamin preparation, covered with a special shell, which is resorbed under the influence of gastric contents. After the shell is dissolved, the chip embedded in the capsule comes into contact with acidic stomach contents, which activates microscopic vibrations.
The created drug was first tested on pigs. The researchers controlled the whole process, observed how the gastric branches of the vagus nerve were activated, how hormonal activity was stimulated and the release of substances necessary for digestion. Expectedly, under the influence of vibration, hormonal activity changed: the pigs behaved as if they had just eaten a heavy meal, although this was not the case.
The vibration had a pronounced effect on the feeling of hunger. If the animals were given the capsule half an hour before a meal, they ate almost 40% less than without the drug. Regular administration of the capsule also had an effect on body weight. At the same time, no adverse side effects were detected by the scientists. The pigs had no nausea, bleeding or other such effects.
The new method has shown promise in the fight against obesity in humans.
A detailed version about the study is published on MIT News' page