Have you ever thought about covering your mouth with duct tape to lose a couple of extra pounds? A team of scientists has designed a device that literally forces you to follow a liquid diet.
The unusual device, dubbed DentalSlim Diet Control, is installed on the first molars in a similar way to braces.
Although it does not prevent you from breathing and speaking, it prevents you from opening your mouth beyond 2 millimeters thanks to a system of magnets. This, in turn, actually restricts you to a liquid diet.
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During the two-week experiment, the researchers attached the jawlock to seven women who had an average weight of 107.9 kilos.
All of them managed to lose more than six kilos, although one of the participants later confessed that she had deceived the system by consuming sugary soft drinks and melted chocolate.
At the same time, it is not a device to be worn for life: it should only be used by people who want to lose a few extra pounds before undergoing surgery, the scientists explain.
“It is not intended to be a long-term or rapid weight loss tool,” says Paul Brunton, one of the study’s authors and a professor at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
He stresses that the device “has no adverse consequences” and “would help combat the global obesity epidemic.”
It should be noted that, despite some physical discomfort, none of the volunteers chose to unlock the device.
“The good thing about this device is that once the patient is comfortable with it, after two or three weeks they can remove the magnets, have a less restricted diet period and then resume their treatment,” explains Brunton.
Despite the usefulness and simplicity of the device, some network users compared it to medieval torture machines and even to the inventions of the sadistic doctor from the controversial horror saga The Human Centipede.
There were also those who accused the investigators of being unethical and called the device “disgusting” and “dehumanizing.”
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And you do you think? Would you use this unusual device? Share your opinion with us!