It has not received a flurry of enthusiasm in social media for the latest development by researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand, who themselves have described it as the “world’s first weight loss tool”, but their critics prefer it as a “torture tool”. There is something about the latter, researchers at the University of Otago have developed a magnetic device that can be attached to the lower and upper molars to prevent wearers from opening their dentures wider than 2 mm, meaning they are able to eat any solid food.
In a statement, the university boasted that in clinical trials, “participants lost an average of 6.36 pounds in two weeks, encouraging them to continue their weight loss journey.” Research leader Paul Brunton, who is also chair of the University of Otago’s School of Health Sciences, noted in the statement that mouthpieces called DentalSlim can be installed by dentists and can be opened, installed and easily removed by the user in an emergency. He described his invention as “a non-invasive, economical and attractive alternative to surgical interventions”.
Not so for critics who say the spokesperson is “obnoxious” and “displeasing”. Many have also pointed out that obesity, which is an epidemic in the world, is the result of more complex biological and socio-economic factors, and is not something that can be solved by cuffing people’s mouths.
As a result of this outrage, the university is trying to make it clear in more and more publications that they themselves do not really believe that a mouthpiece alone can be a solution to morbid obesity. As explained later, it is actually only intended as an alternative for those surgically seeking a solution to their problem.
If you are interested in the problem of obesity in more detail, its causes, and how we got to the point where a large part of the world’s population is ever overweight or obese, The third issue of Macro Journal is dedicated to this very topic. (Across vice)
