Why 'medical bulimia' isn't the answer to the obesity crisis

Obesity and eating disorder experts are concerned about a new weight-loss aid

One third of care workers are obese, the study shows (Fertnig/iStock)

A tube that pumps food from the stomach 20minutes after a person has eaten is at the centre of the latest debate surrounding the obesity crisis.

To some, the AspireAssist equipment recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration is simply “medical bulimia” and a dangerously easy way to purge food. Others argue that this – or simply anything – that can tackle the worldwide obesity epidemic affecting over 1.9billion adults is a positive step.

The AspireAssist is fitted by a doctor who places an internal catheter into a person’s stomach, leaving a small opening on the belly skin. After each meal, a patient attaches a tube to the port and empties the contents of their stomach.

This process has become a battle-ground for debating whether obesity is caused by a lack of willpower or comes down to failures in education and healthcare.

To Aisling Pigott, a British Dietetic Association spokesperson and an obesity specialist, the procedure is certainly “extremely controversial.”

“Obesity is a complex, multifactorial condition which is much more complex than ‘removing food from the stomach’. Severe obesity often requires intensive support and behaviour modification,” she told The Independent.

Pigott regards it as “another quick fix solution” focused on simply removing calories instead of targeting why a person is overeating.

“It demonises food, and promotes purging. A message which has fuelled weight gain and obesity for many years. We should be supporting people to value and enjoy food again.”

Dr Richard Sly, the medical advisor at the B-Eat eating disorder charity meanwhile warns that comparing the procedure to bulimia in an unhelpful stance. Like anorexia and other eating disorders, bulimia is a serious mental illness with physical manifestations. In and of itself, the equipment does not amount to medical bulimia, he says. On the contrary, the AspireAssist is a highly medicalised process.

This would change if the person was using it to cope with psychological distress, he argues.

As the equipment is rolled out in the US and remains little-known in the UK, Pigott’s has a clear warning. “People should take some time to examine their relationship with food. Quick fixes are never maintainable, but long term changes are."

The Independent has contacted Aspire Assist for a comment.