There's a new weapon in the battle of the bulge.
It comes in the form of an expanding pill that tricks the brain into thinking the stomach is full, the
Daily Mail and
World News reported Tuesday.
The pill, called Appesat, is made with a fibrous seaweed extract and swells to several times its normal size inside the stomach.
As a result, it stretches the stomach wall, stimulating receptors that send a signal to the brain to say that the stomach is full, according to the reports.
The effects are similar to those of a gastric balloon, a European procedure in which an inflatable implant is surgically inserted into the stomach and then filled with saline solution.
That procedure is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
So far, clinical trials suggest the pill can help gradual weight loss, averaging about 20 pounds over a three-month period, according to the reports.
Appesat's website lists 50 pills for about $60.
