New eating device retrains dietary habits and helps children lose weight
A new computerised device that tracks portion size and how fast people eat is more successful in helping obese children and adolescents lose weight than standard treatments, according to research published on bmj.com this week.
The Mandometer device, a portable computerised weighing scale, was developed at the Karolinska Institute and the private company Mando Lean Clinics, and helps to retrain individuals to eat less and more slowly by providing real-time feedback during meal times.
Researchers at the Bristol Care of Childhood Obesity Clinic (COCO), carried out a randomised study of 106 obese patients aged between 9-17 years. After 12 months, the Mandometer group not only had a significantly lower average body mass index and body fat score than the standard care group, but their portion size was smaller and their speed of eating was reduced.
Publication:
Treatment of childhood obesity by retraining eating behaviour; a randomised trial
BMJ, in press.
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