Selectively Reducing Excess Consumption and/or Absorption of Unhealthy Food using Electrical Stimulation

A device for reducing excess consumption of a selected nutrient, comprising:

• a generic-food-consumption monitor;
• wherein this monitor detects when there is a high probability that a person is consuming food;
• wherein this monitor detects food consumption based on one or more inputs selected from the group consisting of:
• sounds produced by swallowing, chewing, and/or other behavior related to food consumption and/or digestion;
• images of food, food packaging, food containers, food labels, and/or food identification codes;
• images of the person's hand, fingers, wrist, arm, mouth, and/or head related to food consumption;
• movements of the person's hand, fingers, wrist, arm, mouth, and/or head related to food consumption;
• peristaltic motion, wall expansion, or other motion of a gastrointestinal organ related to food consumption;
• motion of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material passing through the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• optical and/or infrared spectroscopy analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• sonic analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• chemical analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• pH level analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• pressure analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• impedance analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• electromagnetic signals from a gastrointestinal organ and/or from a nerve innervating such an organ;
• electromagnetic signals from neurons that receive signals from the person's organs of taste and/or smell;
• secretory activity of an organ that secretes a substance into the gastrointestinal tract;
• and the physical location of the person using a physical location identification system;
• a specific-nutrient-identifying sensor;
• wherein operation of this sensor is triggered or increased when there is a high probability of food consumption based on results from the generic-food-consumption monitor;
• wherein this sensor automatically analyzes the chemical composition of material in a person's oral cavity and/or gastrointestinal tract in order to selectively identify the person's consumption of at least one selected nutrient;
• and wherein this nutrient is selected from the group consisting of:
• a specific sugar, a specific carbohydrate, a specific fat, a specific cholesterol, a specific sodium compound, a category of sugars, a category of carbohydrates, a category of fats, a category of cholesterols, a category of sodium compounds, sugars, carbohydrates, fats, cholesterols, and sodium compounds;
• a gastrointestinal electrical stimulator;
• wherein this stimulator is configured to be implanted within the person's body to deliver electricity to a gastrointestinal organ and/or a nerve that innervates such an organ;
• and wherein delivery of this electricity reduces the person's consumption and/or absorption of food by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of:
• reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by creating a feeling of fullness and/or satiety;
• reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by decreasing the speed at which food moves through a portion of the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• reducing absorption of nutrients from food that the person consumes by increasing the speed at which food moves through a portion of the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by modifying the person's sense of taste and/or smell;
• and reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by delivering an unpleasant electrical stimulus to the person's body in response to food consumption;
• and
• a cumulative-nutrient-consumption regulator;
• wherein this regulator keeps track of the cumulative amount of consumption and/or duration of consumption of at least one selected nutrient as identified by the sensor and triggers the stimulator to deliver electricity to a gastrointestinal organ and/or a nerve that innervates such an organ when the cumulative amount and/or duration of consumption of this selected nutrient exceeds an allowable nutrient-specific consumption amount and/or duration;
• wherein the nutrient-specific allowable consumption amount and/or duration depends on one or more factors selected from the group consisting of:
• the type of selected nutrient;
• the specificity or breadth of the selected nutrient type;
• the accuracy of the sensor in detecting the selected nutrient;
• the speed or pace of nutrient consumption;
• the person's age, gender, and/or weight;
• changes in the person's weight;
• the person's diagnosed health conditions;
• one or more general health status indicators;
• the magnitude and/or certainty of the effects of past consumption of the selected nutrient on the person's health;
• achievement of the person's health goals;
• the person's exercise patterns and/or caloric expenditure;
• the person's physical location;
• the time of day;
• the day of the week;
• occurrence of a holiday or other occasion involving special meals;
• input from a social network and/or behavioral support group;
• input from a virtual health coach;
• the cost of food;
• financial payments, constraints, and/or incentives;
• health insurance copay and/or health insurance premium;
• the amount and/or duration of the person's consumption of healthy food or nutrients;
• and a dietary plan created for the person by a health care provider;
• and wherein this regulator is co-located with the sensor, co-located with the stimulator, and/or in a location that is separate from the sensor and stimulator.

A method for identifying and reducing excess consumption and/or absorption of a selected type of nutrient, comprising:

• monitoring to detect when there is a high probability that a person is consuming food;
• wherein this monitoring detects food consumption based on one or more inputs selected from the group consisting of:
• sounds produced by swallowing, chewing, and/or other behavior related to food consumption and/or digestion;
• images of food, food packaging, food containers, food labels, and/or food identification codes;
• images of the person's hand, fingers, wrist, arm, mouth, and/or head related to food consumption;
• movements of the person's hand, fingers, wrist, arm, mouth, and/or head related to food consumption;
• peristaltic motion, wall expansion, or other motion of a gastrointestinal organ related to food consumption;
• motion of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material passing through the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• optical and/or infrared spectroscopy analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• sonic analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• chemical analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• pH level analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• pressure analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• impedance analysis of food, chyme, saliva, oral fluid, and/or other material within the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• electromagnetic signals from a gastrointestinal organ and/or from a nerve innervating such an organ;
• electromagnetic signals from neurons that receive signals from the person's organs of taste and/or smell;
• secretory activity of an organ that secretes a substance into the gastrointestinal tract;
• and the physical location of the person from a physical location identification system;
• if the results of this monitoring detect a high probability that the person is consuming food, then triggering or increasing analysis of the chemical composition of material in a person's oral cavity and/or gastrointestinal tract in order to selectively detect consumption of a selected nutrient or nutrient type;
• wherein this nutrient is selected from the group consisting of:
• a specific sugar, a specific carbohydrate, a specific fat, a specific cholesterol, a specific sodium compound, a category of sugars, a category of carbohydrates, a category of fats, a category of cholesterols, a category of sodium compounds, sugars, carbohydrates, fats, cholesterols, and sodium compounds;
• keeping track of the cumulative amount of consumption and/or duration of consumption of at least one selected nutrient as identified by the sensor;
• wherein the nutrient-specific allowable consumption amount and/or duration depends on one or more factors selected from the group consisting of:
• the type of selected nutrient;
• the specificity or breadth of the selected nutrient type;
• the accuracy of the sensor in detecting the selected nutrient;
• the speed or pace of nutrient consumption;
• the person's age, gender, and/or weight;
• changes in the person's weight;
• the person's diagnosed health conditions;
• one or more general health status indicators;
• the magnitude and/or certainty of the effects of past consumption of the selected nutrient on the person's health;
• achievement of the person's health goals;
• the person's exercise patterns and/or caloric expenditure;
• the person's physical location;
• the time of day;
• the day of the week;
• occurrence of a holiday or other occasion involving special meals;
• input from a social network and/or behavioral support group;
• input from a virtual health coach;
• the cost of food;
• financial payments, constraints, and/or incentives;
• health insurance copay and/or health insurance premium;
• the amount and/or duration of the person's consumption of healthy food or nutrients;
• and a dietary plan created for the person by a health care provider;
• and wherein this regulator is co-located with the sensor, co-located with the stimulator, and/or in a location that is separate from the sensor and stimulator;
• and
• if the cumulative amount and/or duration of consumption of this selected nutrient exceeds an allowable nutrient-specific consumption amount and/or duration, then activating a gastrointestinal electrical stimulator to deliver electricity to a gastrointestinal organ and/or nerve;
• wherein this stimulator is configured to be implanted within the person's body to deliver electricity to a gastrointestinal organ and/or a nerve that innervates such an organ;
• and wherein delivery of this electricity reduces the person's consumption and/or absorption of food by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of:
• reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by creating a feeling of fullness and/or satiety;
• reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by decreasing the speed at which food moves through a portion of the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• reducing absorption of nutrients from food that the person consumes by increasing the speed at which food moves through a portion of the person's gastrointestinal tract;
• reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by modifying the person's sense of taste and/or smell;
• and reducing the amount of food that the person consumes by delivering an unpleasant electrical stimulus to the person's body in response to food consumption.