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Seaweed(1) could hold the key to(2) tackling(3) obesity(4) after it was found it reduces fat(5) uptake(6) by more than 75 per cent, new research has shown.

Now the team at Newcastle University are adding seaweed fibre(7) to bread to see if they can develop foods that help you lose weight while you eat them.

A team of scientists led by Dr Iain Brownlee and Prof Jeff Pearson have found that dietary(8) fibre in one of the world’s largest commercially-used(9) seaweed could reduce the amount of fat absorbed by the body by around 75 per cent.

The Newcastle University team found that Alginate(10) -- a natural fibre found in sea kelp(11) -- stops the body from absorbing fat better than most anti-obesity treatments(12) currently(13) available over the counter(14).

Using an artificial gut(15), they tested the effectiveness(16) of more than 60 different natural fibres by measuring the amount of fat that was digested and absorbed(17) with each treatment.

Presenting their findings today at the American Chemical Society(18) Spring meeting in San Francisco, Dr Brownlee said the next step was to recruit(19) volunteers and study whether the effects they have modelled in the lab can be reproduced(20) in real people, and whether such foods are truly acceptable in a normal diet.

“The aim of this study was to put these products to the test and our initial findings are that alginates significantly(21) reduce fat digestion(22),” explains Dr Brownlee.

“This suggests that if we can add the natural fibre to products commonly(23) eaten daily -- such as bread, biscuits and yoghurts -- up to three quarters(24) of the fat contained in that meal could simply pass through(25) the body.