Emma Hackett says she lost more than two stone after taking the food supplement Elcella, which she found while looking for an alternative to prescription weight-loss drugs. Her experience is difficult to attribute to the supplement: during the same period, she changed her diet, walked regularly and began strength training, and the article notes there is not comparable evidence that Elcella causes substantial, lasting weight loss.

Hackett, 54, began taking the £160-a-month supplement in November and says she noticed little change at first, then less snacking. She stopped after six months; by the end of July she weighed 12 stone, and she now says she is 11st 12lb, down from 14 stone. Elcella contains linseed, coconut and MCT oils; its makers report an average loss of 1st 1lb over 12 weeks in their studies, but the article does not provide details to compare that evidence with large clinical trials of medicines such as Mounjaro and Wegovy.