According to a recent Medgadget article, researchers at MIT have developed a pill that increases hunger, while reducing nausea. The ingestible "electroceutical" capsule delivers a small electrical current to the walls of the stomach, and stimulates endocrine cells in the stomach lining to release more ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite and reduces nausea.
The capsule features an external electrode and grooves that draw fluid away from the electrode, to maximize contact with the stomach wall. The technology has the potential to assist patients with eating disorders or conditions such as cachexia, aka wasting syndrome. The researchers hope to explore other applications of electrical stimulation in the gastrointestinal tract using similar ingestible electroceuticals. A video with more information can be seen here.
