Utahns Could Lose Weight Using Pill That Vibrates

In Utah we love our sugar and treats. At certain times of the year, there are so many of these around even the strongest discipline starts to waver. Well take heart if you have indulged more than you should have, MIT may have found the answer to weight loss in a pill with a tiny motor in it. 

You have heard and experienced how your stomach sends signals to the brain that it is full. This is why drinking a glass of water before you eat causes your body to sense that your stomach has reached capacity. The brain releases hormones that make you feel full, and you don’t eat as much. 

The scientists at MIT have found that vibrations in the stomach can trick the body into thinking the stomach is full and send the message off to the brain. 

MIT engineers have now come up with a new way to take advantage of that phenomenon, using an ingestible capsule that vibrates within the stomach. These vibrations activate the same stretch receptors that sense when the stomach is distended, creating an illusory sense of fullness. 

In tests on animals, they found the chemicals were released and the animals ate less. They believe it would have the same effect on humans who swallowed the pill before meals. 

The pill is about the size of a vitamin capsule and has a tiny motor that vibrates when it is activated by stomach acid. The pill is not digested but instead makes its way through and out. They are looking at options that would keep the pill in the stomach and could be activated remotely. 

This is an out of the box way to lose weight. It is amazing what researchers come up with. Now it would be nice if the pill could vibrate enough to move me out the door and to a walking path so I could burn some extra calories there. 

BUSINESS OF SUGAR: ALMOST GAURANTEED TO WORK IN UTAH

You may have noticed there are a lot of places to get dessert in Utah. There are whole businesses dedicated to ice cream, cookies, cupcakes, even breakfast cereals. People in the beehive state love a tasty treat after their dessert, then top it off with something sugary. 

This isn’t just in Utah though, Americans are well known for enjoying sugary treats before, after and during their meals. But Utah has originated businesses based on getting a glucose boost that have been franchised across the nation such as Crumbl and Swig. There are many more delicious places springing up across the state every month. 

It does seem like here in Washington County there is a new dessert business opening every time you turn around. Last year was the opening of a couple donut shops with lots of excitement and they are always busy.  

Sugar based stores as well as food carts do make up a higher percentage of all businesses in Utah. This is especially true in Utah County, the home of Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. This is possibly due to the high concentration of students. 

In an article about Utah’s sugar culture, Andrew Nieves discusses how the culture of young people growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints may contribute for the desire for treats. He goes on to describe how every youth activity includes cookies or donuts and so young people come to associate a fun time with something sugary.