Not long from now, the beads in bubble tea may completely eliminate concerns about weight gain. Chinese scientists have developed a natural obesity treatment made from green tea and seaweed components. The microbeads absorb only fat and expel it without affecting human bodily functions, eliminating concerns about side effects. Once commercialized, it is expected to help reduce weight much more safely and effectively than surgery or medication.
Professor Junling Guo and researcher Yue Wu from Sichuan University in China noted at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society on the 22nd, "We developed edible microbeads that capture fat, confirming that they induce weight loss in rats without other medications."
Patients with severe obesity undergo gastric bypass surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs or use medications to block fat absorption. Recently, obesity treatments like Wegovy and mounjaro, which induce satiety in the brain, have emerged. However, surgeries or medications can burden the body and cause side effects.
Researcher Wu said during the online presentation that, "Weight loss can help prevent long-term health issues like diabetes and heart disease," adding, "The microbeads we developed function in such a way that they only block fat absorption without harming the human body in the gastrointestinal tract."
◇Natural ingredient particles bind to fat and expel it
The microbeads developed this time were explained by the researchers to be made from green tea polyphenols, vitamin E, and seaweed components, and posing no problems when consumed. Green tea polyphenols and vitamin E form microbeads through chemical bonds. Polyphenols are known as natural compounds found in plants that help eliminate reactive oxygen species that cause cellular damage, aiding in anti-aging and disease prevention. Vitamin E is also a fat-soluble vitamin with powerful antioxidant functions.
The structure formed by the combination of polyphenols and vitamin E chemically binds to fat particles. The researchers coated the microbeads with polymer substances extracted from seaweed to protect them from gastric acid. Upon ingestion, the polymer coating expands in response to the acidic environment in the gastrointestinal tract. The compound of green tea polyphenols and vitamin E later captures the partially digested fat in the intestine.
The researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of the natural obesity treatment in animal experiments. They divided eight rats into three groups. One group was given a high-fat diet comprising 60% fat combined with microbeads, while another group was fed a high-fat diet without microbeads, and the last group received a normal diet with 10% fat for 30 days.
The results showed that the rats that consumed the high-fat diet along with the microbeads expelled fat without side effects or blood sugar fluctuations, losing 17.02% of their weight. Other rats did not experience weight loss. The rats that consumed the microbeads experienced a reduction in fat tissue and blood fat levels, with less liver damage, according to the researchers. The study results were previously published in April in the international journal 'Cell Biomaterials.'
◇Elimination of side effects from obesity treatments
Obesity treatments that block fat absorption have already been developed. The fat absorption inhibitor orlistat, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, became the world's first obesity treatment to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. It inhibits lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat in the gastrointestinal tract, preventing ingested fat from being absorbed into the body and instead expelling it. Orlistat has already expired its patent period, allowing domestic pharmaceutical companies to release generic drugs.
The problem is that orlistat can inhibit body enzyme functions, causing serious side effects such as liver and kidney damage in some individuals. Recently popular treatments like Wegovy and mounjaro mimic hormones secreted after eating in the small intestine to induce satiety in the brain, but they also have side effects like vomiting, nausea, and muscle loss.
The microbeads developed by the Chinese research team are credited with fundamentally blocking such side effects by absorbing only fat particles without affecting body functions. In fact, the researchers stated that the rats that consumed the microbeads did not exhibit gastrointestinal side effects observed in rats treated with orlistat.
Sander Kersten, a professor at Cornell University in the U.S., noted in a media interview that "One of the reasons orlistat is still unpopular is that it makes bowel control much more difficult," adding, "The edible microbeads developed this time should undergo clinical trials on humans but could be an attractive alternative to existing obesity treatments."
◇Start of clinical trials, can be added to desserts and beverages
In particular, the researchers expect that the microbeads have no specific odor and can be easily integrated into other foods. For instance, they anticipate that microbeads could be added to desserts or beverages like tapioca in bubble tea.
The researchers have already begun commercialization development with biotech corporations. They revealed that "All the ingredients have received food-grade approval from the FDA and can be easily scaled up for production." Concurrently, clinical trials involving human subjects have also begun at Sichuan University Hospital. A total of 26 obese patients have registered for researcher-led clinical trials, and the initial results are expected to be disclosed next year.
References
Cell Biomaterials (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celbio.2025.100019