As Ozempic pushes food companies to reformulate their products, scientists have developed fat-trapping plant-based microbeads that could rival weight-loss drugs.
While weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy continue to take hold of America’s food and health systems, demand for ‘natural’ drug-free alternatives is on the up too.
These drugs work by replicating GLP-1, an incretin hormone naturally released in the gut, which reduces appetite and prolongs the feeling of being full, and helps regulate blood sugar levels and manage weight.
However, they come with a host of side effects, including gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and vomiting, mental health problems like anxiety and irritability, and a phenomenon dubbed ‘Ozempic tongue’ (when people’s taste receptors react differently to foods than they did before GLP-1 use). They’re also costly. A month’s supply of Ozempic will run you around $1,000 in the US.
It has spurred startups and scientists to find cheaper, drug-free alternatives sans the side effects. In a new project, scientists at China’s Sichuan University have developed edible microbeads that bind to fats in the gastrointestinal tracts upon consumption. In preliminary trials with rats, they found that this weight-loss approach may be safer and more accessible than surgery or pharmaceuticals.
How the Ozempic-targeting microbeads were created
Made from green tea polyphenols, vitamin E and seaweed, the solution works similarly to orlistat, a weight-loss drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Orlistat inhibits certain gastric enzymes from breaking down dietary fats, leading to less fat being absorbed by the body, the researchers note. But for some people, it can cause serious side effects, including liver and kidney damage.
The Chinese researchers, therefore, sought to target the fat absorption process without side effects. “We want to develop something that works with how people normally eat and live,” said Yue Wu, a graduate student at Sichuan University.
She and her team created tiny plant-based beads that spontaneously form through a series of chemical bonds between the green tea polyphenols and vitamin E. These structures can form chemical tethers to fat droplets and serve as the fat-binding core of the microbeads.
Then, the researchers coated the spheres with a seaweed-derived polymer to protect them from the acidic environment in the stomach. Once consumed, this coating expands in response to the acidic pH, and the green tea polyphenols and vitamin E compounds bind to and trap partially digested fats in the intestine.
“Losing weight can help some people prevent long-term health issues like diabetes and heart disease,” said Wu. “Our microbeads work directly in the gut to block fat absorption in a non-invasive and gentle way.”
Plant-based beads could be used as boba pearls
To examine the beads’ efficacy as a weight-loss treatment, the researchers conducted a month-long trial on rats. Those who ate a high-fat diet (comprising 60% fats) and microbeads lost 17% of their body weight, whereas rats who consumed the same diet without the microbeads did not lose any weight. Even those fed a normal diet (10% fats) didn’t lose weight.
In addition, the microbead-consuming rats had reduced adipose tissue and less liver damage compared to the others, and excreted more fat in their faeces (which had no apparent ill effects on their health). Moreover, the high-fat, microbead-eating rats showed similar intestinal fat excretion as a fourth group of rats treated with orlistat, without the gastrointestinal side effects.
The authors have now begun a human clinical trial with 26 participants in collaboration with Sichuan University’s West China Hospital, whose preliminary data is expected within the next year.
Since the microbeads are “nearly flavourless”, the researchers said they can easily be integrated into people’s diets – for example, they could be made into small tapioca- or boba-like balls and added to desserts and bubble teas.
Wu and her colleagues are already working with a biotech company to manufacture the plant-based microbeads. “All the ingredients are food grade and FDA-approved, and their production can be easily scaled up,” said co-author Yunxiang He, an associate professor at Sichuan University.
The beads are the latest example of food-based alternatives to GLP-1 drugs. Scientists in Spain last year discovered two plant extracts that could be used as weight-loss pills without the side effects. Meanwhile, Chilean startup NotCo has teased a botanical-based GLP-1 Booster that can be added to any food to help you feel satiated and eat less.
Likewise, Israel’s Lembas has created a bioactive peptide to activate the body’s GLP-1 hormone. It can be used in bars, snacks, shakes, beverages, supplements, and more. And brands like Supergut are using probiotic fibre and resistant starches to create GLP-1 boosters.
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