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Nov 1, 2007 7:22 pm US/Eastern
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Health: New Device For Weight Control
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
In the United States alone, nine million kids are
considered overweight and we're not alone. In the United Kingdom one in ten children is obese.
But a new
device being tested in England could help reverse those numbers.
Bulging
waistlines are threatening the health of children all over the
world.
Now
English researchers are studying something that might help.
In
addition to healthier eating and exercise, they're trying to determine if the
way some people eat could be fattening.
"Do
people with eating problems eat too fast? Do they eat so fast that the
message from the stomach, telling them that they're full, doesn't get there in
time, because they've already eaten all the food on their plate," said
Dr. Julian Hamilton Sheild, a British researcher.
So they are
testing a computer device to see if it can make a difference.
The talking computer device says: "Place
your plate on the scale."
The device is called a Mandometer and is being used to teach kids to slow down.
14-year-old Bella Lattuca has been on the program for a year. So far she has
lost 35 pounds.
Before
she eats she tells the computer how hungry she is. It measures
her portions and lets her know if she eats too fast.
The devices tells her: "Can
you please eat a little slower."
"It
makes you eat slower so it makes you feel full. I know there's too much
and I won't eat it all," said Bella.
"What
we think may be happening is that we are training the brain to start eating
slower, we are retraining the body to eat slower and to feel fuller quicker,"
said Dr. Hamilton Sheild.
The
Mandometer is only being tested in England for weight loss.
It is not available for weight loss in the United States at this
point. But experts say you can certainly try to eat slower which
could help some people lose weight.
Parents
say there's another bonus from slow eating. Kids are sitting at the table
longer and they are able to spend more time with them.
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