Magnetic Jaw Locks? New Weight Loss Device to 'Fight Global Obesity Pandemic,' Researchers Claim

A new weight loss device has been invented by a group of scientists that aims to fight the "global obesity pandemic." Weight loss magnets were placed on volunteers' jaws to lock them in place for two weeks, and were then placed on a reduced-calorie and liquid diet.

Magnet Weight Loss Device

According to Sky News, the device in question was created by a group of scientists in New Zealand and the UK. The team is a group of medical professionals hailing from the University of Otago, Dr. Richard Hall, and Dr. Jonathan Bodansky from Leeds located in England.

The team has proudly stated in their findings that they have created a device that can "help fight the global obesity pandemic." The university took to Twitter and tweeted: "Otago and UK researchers have developed a world-first weight-loss device to help fight the global obesity pandemic,"

The name of the device is called the DentalSlim Diet Control, an intra-oral device that restricts an individual to a liquid diet.

How Does the DentalSlim Diet Control Work?

The weight loss device works by calling for the assistance of a dentist to fit the upper and lower back teeth with the magnetic device that has unique locking bolts. The mechanism allows the person to open their mouths by a tiny opening of 2 millimeters.

The experiment started with seven obese women from Dunedin, New Zealand, based on the article published in the British Dental Journal.

During the duration of the study, the women were only given a low-calorie diet said to be a "commercially available liquid diet," and not allowed to eat any or all types of solid food.

The result was an astonishing 6.36kg of their body weight, about 5.1%.

The Nasty Effects of the Device

The volunteers, however willing to undergo the two-week test experience, reported discomfort and problems with speaking. Additionally, they said they "felt tense and embarrassed 'only occasionally...felt that life, in general, was less satisfying'."

Among the seven, only one person said that she cheated the system by consuming fizzy drinks and melted chocolate.

Professor Paul Brunton said that the device created a barrier for people on the road to successful weight loss if they are compliant with the regiment. Brunton also said that this will help develop new habits that can jump-start the process for a change.

He further added that the device is a non-invasive, economical and a reversible procedure as compared to the alternative of surgery, meaning it should have "no adverse consequences."

Critics Online Are Not Amused

People took to Twitter and said that it is "inhumane and comparable to medieval forms of torture."

A user on Twitter asked the important questions, "What if somebody needs to throw up? Do they just choke to death? What if the person has e.g. a heart attack and needs to be intubated quickly? This seems highly unethical."

The university was quick to clarify the situation that the device is not intended as a "quick or long-term weight-loss tool" and that it helps people who need to undergo surgery and can't proceed with the operation until they get the desired weight.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Alec G.