A new device for weight loss is being presented as "non-invasive, reversible, economical and attractive".
The device, The DentalSlim Diet Control, was developed by researched at the University of Otago. The device locks people's jaws 2mm from shut via magnets installed in the mouth. There is an emergency key to unlock it, in case of panic attacks or choking. The goal of the diet is only allow users to ingest a liquid diet.
Following the creation of the device, a study was conducted with seven obese women, who wore the device for two weeks. Their diets were restricted to 1,200 calories (liquid only) per day and on average, they lost 14 pounds. Once the device was removed, they gained about 1.6 pounds back in the two weeks following the removal. Some participants did report occasional discomfort and the "feeling that life in general was less satisfying" during the study.
Deanne Jade, founder and principal of the U.K.’s National Centre for Eating Disorders, has said:
“A return to the Dark Ages.”
She goes onto say:
“This is very, very dangerous. Any extreme weight loss device — any of these strategies run the risk of harm unless you're working with someone who is fully trained to deal with all these issues that can arise from it.”
Another director, Tom Quinn, director of external affairs for eating disorder charity Beat, said:
That this device is incredibly concerning. “It also completely oversimplifies the issue of obesity, reduces the process of weight loss to a question of compliance and willpower and ignores the many complex factors involved, which may include eating disorders."
Many are comparing the device to the practice of jaw-wiring, which was popular in the 1980s. According to the researchers who developed the DentalSlim, it was designed to avoid the pitfalls of jaw-wiring, which were psychiatric conditions and periodontal disease.
What do you think-- a better alternative weight-loss option or barbaric torture device?