New Revolutionary Technology Can Be The Solution For UAE’s Dangerously High Obesity Numbers

With two in three people overweight in the UAE, dieting itself is not enough for many. The Elipse Gastric Balloon, by Allurion, is the world’s first and only weight loss device that requires no surgery, endoscopy, or anaesthesia. Available across clinics in the United Arab Emirates, the Elipse Program supports long-term weight loss through a revolutionary gastric balloon that creates a feeling of fullness by taking up space in the stomach, providing patients with the chance to take a break from dieting and that all too familiar feeling of hunger.

Obesity is the leading health problem in the UAE, where the majority of the population has dangerously high body weights. In 2019 Zayed Military Hospital conducted a survey further raising the seriousness of the obesity problem, highlighting that 70% of the Emirati male population were obese.* Furthermore, the most recent study from the United States found the prevalence of diabetes in individuals aged between 20 and 44 was 3.3 percent. Overall, the UAE ranked highest in diabetes (4.7 percent) and hypertension and came in a very close second to the USA for obesity. Considering the significant risks invasive weight loss surgeries pose to obese people due to the adverse complications which may arise; surgical solutions are not an option for many. Thanks to the launch of the Allurion Program with a swallowable pill that does not need surgery or even anaesthesia; many more people in the UAE will be able to lose weight easily and importantly reduce the risk of having diseases attributed to being overweight or obese, including, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome to name but a few.

The Allurion Program is changing the approach to weight loss, with over 40,000 patients worldwide, the Elipse Balloon is a registered medical device with the UAE Ministry of Health. Elipse is more than “just a gastric balloon”. It is a swallowable pill that expands in the stomach to around the size of a grapefruit. Requiring no surgical insertion, this world-first technology is placed during a brief 20-minute visit and passes naturally after approximately 16 weeks, allowing patients to lose an average of 10 to 15% of their body weight within that time frame.

No weight loss programme is a magic bullet and an effective programme is based on good healthcare and good science. With this in mind, Elipse by Allurion is a proven programme that takes a holistic approach to losing weight. At the center of the 6-month programme is the revolutionary soft balloon that resides for a 16-week period. Patients also benefit from six months of dietary support from a nutritionist to ensure lasting lifestyle changes alongside an Allurion connected scale and Health Tracker linked to an Allurion app to follow progress and give support.

Shantanu Gaur, co-founder and CEO Allurion, said the mission is to help people realize their full potential with innovative, scalable, and trusted experience.

“At Allurion, we have developed what I call the “Weight Loss 2.0” experience. It is more effective than diet and exercise but safer, more affordable and easier than weight loss surgery,” Gaur said.

By combining a high-tech balloon solution with a full package of support to help its patients develop good lifestyle habits that can remain with them long after their balloon has gone, The Elipse Program results in more weight loss than diet or exercise alone. One clinical study with 509 patients showed that 95% of average weight loss with Elipse can be sustained at the 12 month follow up. Furthermore, in a study of 42 patients, the average weight loss with two sequential Elipse Balloons was 22.8% of total body weight loss. The maximum weight loss achieved was 40.9% body weight loss in 12 months.

For more information, please visit https://allurion.com/en/find-clinic