Device helps kids eat less more slowly

A computerised device that tracks portion size and how fast people eat is more successful at helping children to lose weight than standard treatments, according to new research.

A study published on BMJ.com looked at how the Mandometer device, a portable computerised weighing scale developed in Sweden, could be used to tackle obesity.

The Mandometer helps to retrain individuals to eat less and more slowly by providing real-time feedback during meal times. The device plots a graph showing the rate at which food actually disappears from the plate compared to the ideal graph programmed in by a food therapist.

Researchers at Bristol Royal Hospital for the Children and Bristol University, led by Prof Julian Hamilton-Shield, carried out a randomised controlled trial of 106 obese patients aged between nine and 17.

One group of participants received Mandometer therapy to lose weight and the others were provided with standard care.

Both groups were encouraged to increase their levels of physical activity to 60 minutes of exercise a day and to eat a balanced diet based on the Food Standard Agency’s ‘eat well plate’.

After 12 months, the Mandometer groups had a significantly lower average body mass index and body fat score, their portion size was also smaller and their speed of eating was reduced by 11% compared with a gain of 4% in the other group. Levels HDL cholesterol were also significantly higher in the Mandometer group.

The improvement in body mass index was maintained six months after the end of treatment, suggesting an element of long term behavioural change, the authors reported.

They added: “Mandometer therapy, focussing on eating speed and meal size, seems to be a useful addition to the rather sparse options available for treating adolescent obesity effectively without recourse to pharmacotherapy.”

The researchers said the Mandometer now required further evaluation in other settings and with different groups of patients.