British scientist develops ‘all-natural’ Ozempic PROVEN to shift weight without side effects… but is it too good to be true?

A British scientist claims to have developed a ‘natural Ozempic’ pill that controls appetite without the debilitating side effects of weight-loss shots.

If you take the Elcella capsules twice a day, they contain only three ingredients: flaxseed oil, also called flaxseed, coconut oil, and MCT oil, which is also derived from coconuts.

Together these cause the release of hormones in the gut – glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, and peptide YY – that cause feelings of fullness.

Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegov and Mounjaro work by mimicking GLP-1, but also cause nausea and other disturbing and even life-threatening side effects.

Meanwhile, a clinical trial of Elcella showed that obese patients reduced their calorie intake by 18 percent through the pills and reported no complications.

Elcella inventor Dr Madusha Peiris and her colleague Dr Rubina Aktar from Queen Mary University of London hope the discovery will ‘solve the global obesity epidemic’.

Dr. Peiris added: ‘The tragedy of obesity is that you lose much of your ability to tell when you are full.

‘We discovered that a combination of nutrients activates hormones that control appetite, so you eat less and lose weight.

‘Our discovery means we have a new way to help people get healthy again.’

Elcella is not yet available for purchase, but is expected to launch in April 2025.

It is currently available to eligible patients as part of a controlled clinical trial – and potential volunteers can find more information on the website Elcella website.

So are the claims too good to be true?

According to one Review 2022Flaxseed oil is a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid, which may support body weight reduction in obese people.

Another one judgementIn the same year, proposed flaxseed supplements caused a significant decrease in hunger perception and appetite, reduced food consumption and feelings of fullness.

MCT – which stands for medium-chain triglycerides – is derived from coconut oil and may also aid weight loss, according to preliminary research.

A 2013 study found that consuming MCT oil increased levels of hormones responsible for feelings of fullness in obese men.

This feeling of decreased appetite led study participants to eat less food.

However, experts say more research is needed before it’s possible to say with certainty that these compounds can be compared to weight loss shots.

In studies, patients taking semaglutide – the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy – lost about 15 percent of their body weight, and this continued for as long as the drug was taken.

Tirzepatide – also known as Mounjaro – causes weight loss of 20 percent or more.

The news comes as British health chiefs warned that those buying slimming pills from social media sites risked buying dangerous counterfeits.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulator Agency said unregulated beauty salons and ‘fake’ online pharmacies were selling the drugs, leaving patients vulnerable to potentially contaminated versions.

Health officials have seized more than 600 fake weight loss injection pens across Britain since early 2023.

These often contain the hormone insulin – a drug that can cause heart palpitations and hypoglycemia, a potentially fatal reaction when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low if taken incorrectly.

Doctors have previously reported that patients have suffered seizures and even fallen into life-threatening comas as a result of using the fake jabs.

Elcella founder 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 initiates a natural process, we have seen no side effects in three clinical studies.

‘Weight loss medications can cause nausea, insomnia and high blood pressure, among other unpleasant side effects.

‘It is also administered via a twice-daily pill, while weight loss medications are usually injected.’

Weight loss shots are only available with a prescription and although they are offered on the NHS, waiting lists are long.

It means the majority of people pay privately and spend more than £2,000 a year.

Elcella brands insist that their product will be available without a prescription for less than half this price.

Dr. Peiris has more than 15 years of research experience focused on understanding the complex interplay between what we eat and the gut, brain and microbiome – the multitude of bacteria and other beneficial microbes that form an essential part of our digestive system.

Dr. Aktar, who holds a PhD in enteric neuroscience from Queen Mary University, said: ‘With the rising popularity of drugs like Ozempic, the market is ripe for disruption.

‘These medicines have proven their effectiveness, but there has never been a natural alternative like Elcella that acts on the body’s natural processes.

‘Our product is an important new strategy that will help tackle the growing global obesity crisis and relieve pressure on the NHS.’