OptiBiotix CEO: Why wait for Diet Pills when the Future is Here Now?

Leading life sciences business OptiBiotix’s CEO, Stephen O’Hara, has spoken out about weight management devices which show promise but aren’t available on the market, and sometimes never make it to market.

OptiBiotix is a leading life science business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes by harnessing the power of the human microbiome.

His thoughts come after the Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of a new weight loss device which has been cleared for overweight or obese adults with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 25 to 40. Previously, approved devices were only for adults with a BMI above 30, or those in the ‘obese’ category. Plenity, a weight management medical device which is supposed to be used with diet and exercise, is a hydrogel capsule made with a propriety blend of cellulose (a type of fibre) and citric acid. In a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 436 adults with a BMI between 27 and 40, participants who had been using the Plenity product lost 6.4 percent of their baseline weight versus 4.4 percent in the placebo group (Journal of Obesity, 27, 2, February 2019).

The capsules are taken with water 20 minutes before a meal and absorb the water and swell in the stomach to leave a feeling of fullness resulting in less food intake. Plenity has appeared in mainstream media recently due to the fact it has traditionally been difficult to find science-backed, non-surgical weight loss aids that work, but despite its publicised promise, the product is not currently available on the market. However, Plenity isn’t the only weight loss aid that has emerged in recent years, several similar interventions options do exist and are available on the market now.

Stephen O’Hara commented: “The majority of weight loss products currently on the market lack strong scientific rationale and rely on customers’ self-control to restrict calories and as a consequence have a high failure rate. The lack of effective products has fuelled interest in the use of functional products which help manage weight loss by impacting on hunger and food cravings to sustain long term weight management.

“OptiBiotix’s SlimBiome® Medical is similar to Plenity, in that it has strong science, published clinical studies, is medically regulated, and it reduces hunger by expanding in the stomach. The main difference is that it has clinical studies which shows that in addition to reducing hunger, it reduces cravings for sweet and savoury food and fat intake, leading to reduced calorie intake and weight reduction (on average 2-3lbs per week). These factors influence the amount and type of food consumed helping users modify their food choices to make healthier choices to manage and sustain their weight loss. The other major difference is that is has won the two industry awards: ‘Weight Management Ingredient of the Year’ (Vitafoods 2018) and ‘Best Functional Ingredient for Health and Well Being’ (Food Matters 2017), and most importantly it’s available now.

“Developed by leading UK universities, SlimBiome Medical is made up of 3 functional key ingredients backed by science for weight management, two of which (glucomannan and chromium) have European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims. The third ingredient is a prebiotic fibre which enhances satiation and improves the diversity of the gut microbiome, and in particular the numbers of a bacteria called Christensenelleae. A number of studies have shown enhanced microbiome diversity, particularly in the presence of Christensenelleae, is associated with leanness. SlimBiome is backed by a growing body of independent human studies which demonstrate its effectiveness in helping users manage their weight.

“Weight loss interventions such as Plenity are being called the ‘wave of the future’. Rather than wait for the future, SlimBiome Medical is here today, and is clinically proven solution to promote weight loss, with numerous customer success stories and excellent reviews (see https://optibiotix.online)”. To quote Abraham Lincoln “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

SlimBiome Medical is manufactured in Europe and available in boxes of 30 single dose sachets in pharmacies and major retailers. OptiBiotix commercially launched the revolutionary weight management solution to the European market at Vitafoods 2019 on May 7th. It is also now available for purchase from the OptiBiotix online store OptiBiotix.online.