More than one in 10 people around the world are classified as obese, defined as having a BMI (body-mass index) of 30 or higher. In the United States, that number jumps dramatically to one out of every three American adults.
For people with a BMI over 40, bariatric surgery has become the gold standard for weight reduction, either by implanting a gastric band or causing food to bypass the stomach.
The surgery, which can lead to significant side effects, usually is not covered by insurance for people with a BMI between 30 and 40. Other options such as intra-gastric balloons are only temporarily effective.
Israeli startup Nitinotes is developing a technology that will bring the long-term benefits of bariatric surgery to individuals with a lower BMI, while avoiding the dangers of surgery and potentially at a lower cost.
Nitinotes’ Endozip is an automated suturing system performed via endoscopy – through the mouth, rather than under the knife – to connect the anterior and posterior walls of the stomach.
“The knife will become unused in a decade or two. All procedures are going to be noninvasive,” Nitinotes CEO Raz Bar-On tells ISRAEL21c.
ISRAEL21c was founded in 2001, in the wake of the Second Intifada, to broaden public understanding of Israel beyond typical portrayals in the mainstream media.
The organization’s founders – Israeli-American technology executives – understood the great power of the Internet and developed a first-of-its kind online product with global appeal and reach.
More than one in 10 people around the world are classified as obese, defined as having a BMI (body-mass index) of 30 or higher. In the United States, that number jumps dramatically to one out of every three American adults.
