British scientists say they have created a ‘natural Mounjaro’ pill that slashes appetite without the debilitating side effects of slimming jabs.
The £49-a-week capsule, called Elcella, is made from just three natural oils and in trials helped patients lost an average of 1st 1lb in 12 weeks.
Researchers hope it could ‘help solve the global obesity epidemic’.
Now one of the first British dieters to benefit has revealed how the supplements transformed her body in just three months, helping her shed over 3st.
Clare, a 52-year-old healthcare worker and mum-of-two from Hertfordshire who asked us not to use her full name, said the results were life-changing.
‘I was starving all the time. I would wake up in the night and eat toast and junk food—anything stodgy I didn’t have to prepare,’ she said.
Clare had gained 1st 1lb in just eight weeks after being put on medication for a gut condition that left her constantly ravenous.
At her heaviest, she weighed 13st 10lb at five foot seven—and no amount of dieting helped.
Mum-of-two Clare lost 18cm around her waist while taking the supplement, which she called ‘amazing’
British scientists claim to have created a ‘natural Ozempic’ pill that controls the appetite without the sometimes-debilitating side effects of weight loss jabs
Taken twice a day, Elcella capsules contain just three ingredients, linseed oil, also known as flaxseed, coconut oil and MCT oil, which is also derived from coconuts
‘I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which makes exercise very difficult. But even eating less didn’t help,’ she explained.
‘At one point I was eating just 800 calories a day—nothing worked.’
Her consultant advised her not to stop taking her medication. Instead, he suggested trying a new food supplement he’d read research about. Clare was accepted onto a clinical trial of Elcella in April.
‘In just a few weeks, the hunger stopped,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t believe it—when I take any tablets, I get stomach pains. But I felt better. I stopped craving carbs as much, and wanted to eat much more healthily.
‘In 12 weeks I’ve lost 18cm from my waist and gone down two dress sizes. I now weigh just 10st 8lb, down from 13st 10lb.
‘I’ve not had a takeaway since then—and I don’t drink alcohol as I used to.
My friends on the jabs lost pleasure of eating, but I don’t have that—I enjoy lunch and a glass of wine still, I just don’t want to always eat more.
Elcella inventor Dr Madusha Peiris (left) and her colleague Dr Rubina Aktar (right) from Queen Mary University, London, hope the discovery will ‘solve the global obesity epidemic’.
Before starting the supplement, Clare weighed 87kg and couldn’t find a way to shift the weight
Today, she says her hunger is greatly reduced and her cravings have gone away completely
‘It’s unbelievable—I could never have imagined the change I’d see in under four months.’
Taken twice a day, the capsules contain just three ingredients: linseed oil (also known as flaxseed), coconut oil and MCT oil.
Together, these trigger the release of gut hormones GLP-1 and peptide YY, which send signals of fullness to the brain.
Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro mimic GLP-1, but are notorious for causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and other potentially dangerous complications.
A clinical trial of Elcella found patients cut their calorie intake by 18 per cent and lost an average of 1st 1lb in 12 weeks, with no side effects reported.
By comparison, patients taking Ozempic lost just 13lb over 40 months.
‘The tragedy of obesity is that you lose much of your ability to tell when you’re full,’ said Elcella’s inventor, Dr Madusha Peiris of Queen Mary University, London.
‘But we found a combination of nutrients triggers hormones that control appetite, so you eat less and lose weight.
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In trials, patients who took semaglutide — the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy — shed around 15 per cent on their bodyweight
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‘Now, we hope it can help millions across the world to take control of their health without a fear of needles or side effects.’
While flaxseed and MCT oil can already be found in health food shops, Elcella’s strength is in its delivery system, says co-creator Dr Rubina Aktar, who has a PhD in enteric neuroscience.
‘We use a special coating that means, unlike most supplements, the pill doesn’t get broken down in the stomach,’ she explained.
‘Instead, it’s able to get down to the colon before releasing its natural ingredients, which then hyperactivate the appetite-reducing hormones in the gut.’
Dr Peiris added: ‘We differ from weight-loss drugs in that Elcella releases your own naturally occurring appetite-reducing hormones rather than replacing them with synthetic hormones.
Because it releases a natural process, we’ve not seen any side effects in three clinical trials.
Weight-loss drugs can cause nausea, insomnia and high blood pressure—among other unpleasant side effects. It’s also given via a twice-daily pill, whereas weight-loss drugs are usually injected.’
Weight-loss jabs are available only on prescription and, although offered on the NHS, waiting lists are long.
This map highlights the areas most blighted by obesity
More than one in five UK adults tried to access the drugs in the past year, according to the National Pharmacy Association, rising to one in three under-35s.
From next month, the cost of the UK’s most popular weight loss jab, Mounjaro, will rise from £122 to £330 per month.
Elcella is available online without a prescription, at £535.50 for a three month supply, which works out at roughly £45 per week.
Users are advised to take two pills daily for 12 weeks, but because it is a supplement rather than a drug, there is no limit on how long it can be taken.
‘Because it’s just helping your gut release hormones it naturally makes, it doesn’t create a dependency,’ said Dr Aktar. ‘And it has other benefits. Patients have reported less stomach pain, healthier hair and nails, and more regular bowel movements while on the drug. It’s making your gut healthier—it’s not just about weight loss.’
Around two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese, giving the country one of the highest rates in Europe.
Last year a report revealed Britain’s spiralling obesity levels have fuelled a 39 per cent rise in type 2 diabetes among under-40s, with 168,000 people now living with the illness.
Excess weight has also been linked to at least 13 types of cancer and is the second biggest cause of the disease in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.