"Patients with obesity who swallowed gasfilled balloon capsules designed to help them eat less lost . times more weight than patients who relied on diet exercise and lifestyle therapy alone according to new research presented today at ObesityWeek  httpobesityweek.com the largest international event focused on the basic science clinical application and prevention and treatment of obesity. The annual conference is hosted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery ASMBS httpasmbs.org and The Obesity Society TOS http The significant weight loss achieved with the Obalon Month Balloon System is maintained at  months said Aurora Pryor MD study coauthor and Chief Bariatric Foregut and Advanced GI Surgery Stony Brook University. This combination of lifestyle modification and balloon therapy provides a new low risk option for patients struggling with obesity. The Obalon Month Balloon System a swallowable gasfilled intragastric balloon for weight loss in adults with obesity for whom diet and exercise has failed was approved in September by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA. It involves a balloon contained within a capsule that once it reaches the stomach is inflated with gas via a microcatheter. Up to three balloons may be placed over the first three months but the entire treatment period lasts six months. The inflated balloons make patients feel full. Treatment is accompanied by a moderate intensity diet and behavior modification program. The device is manufactured by Obalon Therapeutics Inc. based in San Diego CA.  Results of the study were based on a doubleblinded randomized shamcontrolled trial of  patients about half of whom received treatment with the Obalon balloon and the other half with a sugarfilled sham capsule designed to look like the device. Patients who had a body mass index BMI of between  and  swallowed three capsules over a week period one every three weeks. All patients at the  study sites also underwent  minutes of lifestyle therapy administered by a blinded registered dietitian every three weeks. After six months patients were informed which capsule they received and those with the Obalon balloons had them removed endoscopically.  Average percent total weight loss after six months for Obalon balloon patients was . percent while those in the sham control group had . percent total average weight loss. Balloontreated patients had nearly  percent excess weight loss. Six months after the balloons were removed . percent of the average total weight lost during the treatment period was maintained. Researchers say a single adverse event a bleeding gastric ulcer occurred in one balloon patient on high dose NSAIDs who had an outpatient knee replacement procedure. Nonserious adverse device events mostly abdominal cramping and nausea occurred in . percent of patients . were rated mild or moderate. There is no magic pill for obesity but this swallowable balloon and other intragastric balloons may offer new hope to people who otherwise would not seek treatment or not have as good a result with diet and exercise alone said Raul J. Rosenthal MD ASMBS President and Chairman Department of General Surgery Cleveland Clinic Florida who was not involved in the study. The balloon and other technologies may help to fill the therapeutic gaps between diet and exercise and medical therapy and medical therapy and surgery where the gaps are quite large.  People with obesity and severe obesity have higher rates of heart disease diabetes some cancers arthritis sleep apnea high blood pressure and dozens of other diseases and conditions. Studies have shown individuals with a BMI greater than  have a  to  percent greater risk of premature death compared to healthy weight individuals.  Metabolicbariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective and long lasting treatment for severe obesity and many related conditions and results in significant weight loss. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality AHRQ reported significant improvements in the safety of metabolicbariatric surgery due in large part to improved laparoscopic techniques. The risk of death is about . percent and the overall likelihood of major complications is about  percent.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC https in  the prevalence of obesity was just over  percent in adults with a higher prevalence among women than men . vs. . and older than younger adults  vs. .. Obese is medically defined as having a body mass index BMI a measure of height to weight thats more than . The ASMBS estimates about  million Americans have severe obesity which would mean a BMI of  or more with an obesityrelated condition like diabetes or a BMI of .  About the ASMBSThe ASMBS is the largest organization for bariatric surgeons in the nation. It is a nonprofit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of morbid obesity as well as the associated risks and benefits. It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for morbidly obese patients. For more information visit  http   A month Swallowable Balloon System results in sustainable weight loss at  year results from a prospective randomized shamcontrolled trial Aurora Pryor Stony Brook NY James Swain Scottsdale Arizona George Woodman Memphis Tennessee Steven Edmundowicz Aurora Colorado Tarek Hassanein Coronado California Vafa Shayani Hinsdale IL John Fang Salt Lake City UT mark noar towson md George EidPittsburgh PA Wayne English Nashville TN Nabil Tariq Houston TX Michael Larsen Seattle WA Sreenivasa Jonnalagadda Kansas City MO Dennis Riff Anaheim Ca Jaime Ponce Chattanooga TN Shelby Sullivan St. Louis MissouriStony Brook University Honor Health Mid South Bariatrics University of Colorado Denver University of California San Diego Franciscian St. james Health University of Utah Mark D Noar and Assoc West Penn Allegheny Health System Vanderbilt University Methodist Hospital Houston Virginia Mason University St. Lukes Hospital of Kansas City Anaheim Regional Medical Center Dalton Surgical Group Washington University St. Louis   Office of the Surgeon General  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. . Overweight and obesity health consequences. Accessed October  from http_consequences.html  Kaplan L. M. . Body weight regulation and obesity. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.  pp. . Doi.SX.  Encinosa W. E. et al. . Recent improvements in bariatric surgery outcomes. Medical Care.  pp. . Accessed October  from http  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality AHRQ. . Statistical Brief . Bariatric Surgery Utilization and Outcomes in  and . Accessed October  from http  Flum D. R. et al. . Perioperative safety in the longitudinal assessment of bariatric surgery. New England Journal of Medicine.  pp.. Accessed October  from httpcontent.nejm.orgcgicontentfull"