The tummy tube that fools you into thinking you're full

A PLASTIC sleeve that lines the gut to combat obesity and diabetes could soon be available on the NHS.

The 2ft-long device, which can be inserted without an operation, has been shown to help the obese lose a fifth of their body weight. 

It may even stop the need for daily medication or insulin injections for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Diet device: The 2ft long plastic Endobarrie that's inserted into the stomach via the mouth and combats obesity and diabetes

Doctors say the device, which costs £2,000, could soon be used in hospitals to replace far costlier gastric bands and gastric bypass operations.

It can be inserted via the mouth in only 15 minutes, and is far less risky than standard obesity surgery.

Doctors are testing the sleeves in three British hospitals in the hope that they will soon be routinely available on the NHS.

The device, known as an Endobarrier, lines the duodenum – a long, thin part of the gut between the stomach and the small intestine. 

It is held in place by a tiny spring and acts as a barrier to stop fats, sugar and salts being absorbed by the intestine, restricting the amount of calories being absorbed.

It also tricks people into feeling full by causing large amounts of undigested food to reach the small intestine, which results in an increase of a hormone called PYY which suppresses the appetite.

The sleeve, which stays in the body for six to 12 months, improves Type 2 diabetes by causing the gut to release a hormone called GLP1, which increases the body’s use of
insulin and lowers blood sugar levels.

Alberic Feines, a consultant bariatric surgeon at St Anthony’s Hospital in Surrey, said: ‘Many patients may not want gastric bypass or band surgery because they don’t want the operation. This procedure would be far preferable.’