Revealed: The cheap supplement that turbo-charges how well Mounjaro and Wegovy work, keeps you losing weight if it’s slowing – and experts say ALL patients coming off weight-loss jabs should take to avoid piling the pounds back on

It’s now just five weeks until Christmas – the season which, for most of us, means a hefty dose of over-indulgence.

But if you’re considering using weight-loss injections to shift the excess festive pounds, experts say you must make sure you’re also eating enough fibre.

It is already well-known that fibre, a form of carbohydrate found in nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grain bread, has various health benefits. 

Studies have shown it can help with stomach problems, regulates blood sugar levels and even reduces the risk of bowel cancer.

But experts now say that a high fibre diet can not only boost weight-loss while taking drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro, it can also help curb what has become known as the ‘hunger rebound’ when patients come off the jabs.

Studies show that around two-thirds of people regain the weight they lost on the drugs within a year of stopping. This is, in large part, because many say that their hunger pangs return with a vengeance.

But experts argue that adding in extra fibre before you stop taking the jabs can help tackle this problem. Crucially, they say that the effect is most pronounced when patients consume as many different types of fibre as possible.

This means that a daily fibre supplement, which can be bought from most high-street pharmacies for around £15-a-month, could be key in the battle against the hunger rebound, as these products tend to contain many forms of fibre.

Experts say the reason fibre is so important for weight-loss is because it helps foster bacteria in the gut responsible for avoiding hunger pangs.

‘If you’re not eating much fibre – and most people who are taking these drugs don’t – then you’re not feeding the bacteria in the gut that are involved in producing the important hormones that tell the brain you’re full,’ says Alex Glover, a nutritionist for the health food chain Holland & Barrett.

‘If you’re not producing enough of these hormones then you’ll feel more hungry and that will promote weight gain.

‘But if you have a healthy colony of the right sort of bacteria in your gut before you come off these drugs, then those signals will be stronger and more responsive to what you’re eating – ultimately, helping you eat less and preventing you from putting on weight.’

So why does fibre have such a profound effect on weight-loss – and what’s the best way to consume it?

First, it’s important to explain how weight-loss drugs work. These revolutionary medicines are known as GLP-1 injections. 

The jabs, which initially began as diabetes medicines like Ozempic, work by giving the body an artificial dose of the GLP-1 hormone – often described as the ‘satiety hormone’ – which is made in the gut and released after meals to tell the body it is full.

This sensation of fullness – or satiety – means patients eat less, sparking significant weight-loss. Obese patients taking Mounjaro, the strongest of the drugs, lose as much as a fifth of their body weight in the first year.

Experts say that a high-fibre diet can also make people feel full.

There are several reasons for this. Firstly, fibre absorbs water in the stomach and expands, taking up excess space in the stomach, triggering the sensation of being full.

 It also takes longer to digest than other nutrients, meaning it stays in the stomach for longer.

However, experts have another intriguing theory about why fibre seems to stop hunger sensations. 

It is thought that eating fibre, which is fermented in the gut by microbes which sit next to the cells that make GLP-1, may play a role in directly stimulating the release of the hormone. 

It’s one of the reason why the diet guru Prof Tim Spector, founder of the healthy eating app Zoe, describes fibre as ‘nature’s Ozempic’.

Yet, despite these various benefits, research shows that around 96 per cent of UK adults don’t eat the recommended 30g of fibre a day. For comparison, an apple contains 4 grams of fibre, while a cup of chickpeas contains 6 grams.

Worringly, experts say that, often, GLP-1 patients consume even less than the average Briton.

‘Most people taking these drugs don’t eat very much food at all, and particularly not enough fibre,’ says Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe.

This can effectively starve the microbes in your stomach which need to be fed certain nutrients to stay alive.

‘If your microbiome – the diverse mix of bacteria in your gut – is in a healthy state before you come off the drugs, it’s far more likely to do its job properly when the chemical GLP-1 leaves your system.

‘Some research on this has shown that if you can nurture your satiety signalling cells in the gut through good diet, they can work really well and power up your own production of satiety hormones. Fibre is the big nutrient that can do that.’

Dr Amati says there is also evidence that a high-fibre diet could make weight-loss drugs more effective – helping patients shift more weight. Research shows some many patients fail to lose weight on the jabs.

‘We know from some trials that GLP-1 drugs don’t work for everyone, and we think their efficacy might be affected by the composition of the microbiome,’ she says. 

‘In twin studies, where one was obese and the other wasn’t, the differences were not in their genetics but in their microbiome composition. So if you’re eating a gut-friendly diet while you’re on the jabs, it might help you lose more weight.’

So what’s the easiest way for people to begin eating more fibre?

Dr Amati says the foods which ‘pack the highest fibre punch’ are whole grains such as oats, barley and quinoa, a mixture of different nuts and seeds, and legumes such as peas, green beans, chick peas and lentils.

But it’s also important to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables in different colours.

This is because getting a variety of different types of fibre, says Mr Alex Glover, is crucial to feeding the diverse mix of bacteria in the gut and keeping it all healthy.

‘It’s not about just, say, eating more wheat bran for breakfast,’ he says. ‘Research suggests diversity is really important.’

For patients who don’t feel they can achieve this variety of fibre through diet alone, there are also a number of fibre supplements now available at most high-street pharmacies and health food shops, which contain a wide variety of types of fibre.

These tend to come in powder form, which is then added to meals.

Mr Glover cautions that extra fibre should be introduced gradually to avoid any unpleasant side effects.

‘Be careful – it’s not about suddenly going from 15g of fibre a day to 40g overnight because that will cause some significant challenges for your gut,’ he says.

‘You’ll could end up with bloating, constipation or diarrhoea because the gut is very sensitive to any changes.

‘Titre it up slowly – perhaps start by adding a kiwi a day, or a little more fruit, or some beans with dinner, and gradually increase it.’