Device and method for reducing calorie intake

Abstract

Devices and methods for substantially reducing the caloric efficiency of the digestive tract by capturing food being digested in the stomach 10 and / or anywhere else in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, absorbing or encapsulating the captured food into multiple capturing members and moving such multiple capturing members containing the ingestible encapsulated food down the GI tract, practically out of reach of the GI absorption organs, thus excluding the entrapped ingredients from being involved in the digestion and\or absorption process. The device is designed for oral delivery. The system can be comprised of liquid, food bars or a capsule system. The capsule system is comprised of an external capsule that dissolves in accordance with a temporal or ph dependent preset, which allows the food intake to be at least partially fluidic. The capsule system is further comprised of a mechanism designed to capture and isolate a portion of the food being digested.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. provisional application 60 / 542,843 filed on Feb. 10th, 2004, and PCT application PCT / IL05 / 00154 also known as WO2005 / 074378, the disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates in general to a device and method for substantially reducing the caloric efficiency of the digestive tract by capturing food being digested in the stomach and / or anywhere else in the GI tract, into entrapping members; moving the entrapping member containing said food down the GI tract, thus excluding at least part of the food intake from being absorbed in the small intestine and further down the GI tract.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART[0003]Obesity is a chronic disease due to excess fat storage, a genetic predisposition, and strong environmental contributions. This problem is worldwide, and the incidence is increasing daily. There are m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018]The invention objective is to substantially reduce the caloric efficiency of the digestive tract by capturing food being digested in the stomach and / or anywhere else in the GI tract into entrapping members; moving the entrapping member containing the entrapped food ingredients down the gastrointestinal tract, thus excluding at least part of the entrapped food from being absorbed in the small intestine.

[0022]In one embodiment, the device is comprised of a capsule system for oral delivery. The capsule system is comprised of an external capsule made of gelatin—as an example that dissolves in accordance with a temporal preset, which allows the food intake to be at least partially fluidic. The capsule system is further comprised of an internal permeable bag having a structure such as meshed, woven or fibers, made of disintegrable material such as gelatin for example, which bag contain expandable, super absorbent beads, which dry beads are larger than the pores of the bag, which bag is inflatable. When the bag comes in contact with the fluidic content of the stomach, fluids penetrate into the bag. The fluids are absorbed by the expandable, hydrogel beads enclosed. These beads expand partially or until they reach the absorption capacity limit. Optionally, the internal bag further contains a coating capsule, which dissolves at this time and coats the expandable beads, to seals and protects them from disintegration or prevent leakage of entrapped liquid, throughout their journey out of the GI tract.

[0024]In other embodiments, the external capsule contains folded mechanical structures, which open up to captures some of the stomach content and protects them from disintegration throughout their journey through and out of the GI tract.

Problems solved by technology

This problem is worldwide, and the incidence is increasing daily.

There is no cure for obesity except possibly prevention.

Non-surgical treatment has been inadequate in providing sustained weight loss.

There is no one operation that is effective for all patients.

It has also been observed that treatment based on a severe diet combined with a series of physical exercises associated with a change in behavior, in particular eating behavior, are relatively ineffective in such cases of morbid obesity, even though such methods of treatment are the most healthy.

Many complications are associated with these procedures.

Many patients have suffered serious side effects and regret having had it.

Many problems have been associated with the use of staples.

First, staples are undependable; second, they may cause perforations; and the pouch or stoma opening formed by the staples becomes enlarged over time making the procedure useless.

This procedure, although simple, has resulted in intestinal blockage, gastric ulcers, and even in one instance, death and fails to address the problems of potentially deleterious contact with the gastric mucosa which can result from leaving an inflated bag in the stomach for an extended period of time.

Moreover, it also failed to produce significant weight loss for long periods of time.

Such edema-caused obstruction of the stoma may be due to excessive vomiting.

To overcome this side effect, polymers capable of absorbing lipids where introduce, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,968, but as the absorption is reversible and shifted backwards as a result of bile salt emulsifier, the overall entrapment was quite poor.

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