New pill that 'trains people to eat less' to hit UK shelves

London, Apr 27 (ANI): Want to get rid of those extra pounds but cannot do away with that craving to gulp down your favourite food? Well, then it's time to resort to Appesat-a new diet pill which 'trains' people to eat less.

Set to go on sale this week, Appesat, which is made from extracts of seaweed, works by expanding in the stomach and stimulating hunger sensors in the stomach wall.

The sensors then send a message to the brain saying the stomach is full.The pill remains in the stomach for three or four hours, and continues to suppress appetite, before being fully digested by the body.

With time, the stimulation along with a lower calorie intake may help "train" people to want less food.

In a clinical trial on 139 overweight and obese people, researchers found that those taking three Appesat capsules, three times a day, lost an average of 9.4kg (20.7lb) in 12 weeks, as compared with 5.6kg (12.4lb) among people not taking the drug.

The participants in the trial were on a low-calorie and low-fat diet of 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,400 for men.

Costing 29.95 pounds for 50 capsules, Appesat, is taken with a glass of water before a meal, and is believed to have no worse side-effects than an upset stomach.

The pills are set to hit 1,000 Boots stores in the UK from April 27 and in Tesco, Sainsbury's and Holland and Barrett from May.

According to the makers, Goldshield, Appesat works in a different way to other appetite suppressants on the market - such as fibre-based products - by staying longer in the stomach, helping people feel "full up".

The natural-based product will be available on supermarket shelves.

"An intervention product that can help people modify eating behaviour over time will offer serial dieters a real opportunity to break the cycle of overeating and yo-yo dieting," The Telegraph quoted David Towse, marketing manager of strategic brands at Goldshield, as saying.(ANI)