Slimbiotic
We live in a world of instant gratification. If we are hungry, we can order food. If we need groceries, we can buy them online. If we need a new gadget, we can order Amazon, same-day delivery no less. Everything we need is increasing within our grasp with decreasing levels of effort. We are slowly becoming more dependent on technology and less dependent on ourselves. We are becoming a society that eats more and moves less. If we do not change our current behaviours and patterns, we are moving into a future of obesity. According to Gortmaker et al., 86% of Americans will be obese by 2030, and by 2025 more than three-quarters of Australian adults will be overweight or obese (Ananthapavan 2020).
This design fiction explores the potential of an obese future. Because of metabolic diseases and other weight-related conditions over a hundred years, humanity over time has evolved to become inherently fat, and being healthy and slim has become impossible to achieve without support from external products. The reality of human efficiency and productivity has only advanced over time, and people are expected to show results with minimal time and effort. Because of this, new products have been created to help support humans in providing efficient health solutions and produce results quickly, combating a lot of the global negative health issues arising from obesity.
Slimbiotic is one of the products that has been developed to support individuals in this health crisis. The health drink contains genetically and cybernetically enhanced parasites that metabolise adipose tissue (i.e. fat) in the body, particularly the organs of the abdomen which are closely associated with lifestyle disease (Gortmaker 2011). When consumed regularly, it can help track and reduce many illnesses concerning obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Currently, biotech engineers are exploring the possibility of a “parasite diet” turning parasites into symbionts (Schrage 2021). This design fiction explores this even further by allowing the parasites to help you stabilize the metabolic processes that are causing these diseases. This progression can be measured by the Slimbiotic app, showing users real-time data of their progression with their health, giving users visibility and feeling rewarded by their progress. Symbiotic is one of the many health products that have been created to help support individuals in their health journeys, but in this reality, Slimbiotic is one of the most popular, as it is easy to use and implement into the everyday lifestyle.
References:
Ananthapavan, J, Sacks, G, Brown, V, Moodie, M, Nguyen, P, Veerman, L, Mantilla Herrera, AM, Lal, A, Peeters, A, & Carter, R, 2020,, ‘Priority-setting for obesity prevention—The Assessing Cost-Effectiveness of obesity prevention policies in Australia (ACE-Obesity Policy) study’, PloS One, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. e0234804–e0234804, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234804.
Gortmaker, SL, Swinburn, BA, Levy, D, Carter, R, Mabry, PL, Finegood, DT, Huang, T, Marsh, T, & Moodie, ML, 2011,, ‘Changing the future of obesity: science, policy, and action’, The Lancet (British Edition), vol. 378, no. 9793, pp. 838–847, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60815-5.
Schrage M 2021. High-Tech Tapeworms Could Be the Diet Fad of the Next Century. Los Angeles Times. November 5, 2021 <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-19-fi-3549-story.html>