Researchers have developed a food supplement, which makes people feel full for longer, reducing their desire to eat and in turn, lowering their number of total calories they eat.

Scientists found that a mixture of olive oil and water can be adjusted to change the system they come in contact with acids present in the stomach.

To come to the conclusion, scientists from the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, and the University of Nottingham, developed two kinds of the mixture and added some stabilizers commonly used in the food industry.

To the first, the study researchers’ added polysorbate 60, which is also known as Tween 60, and is widely used in cakes and pastries, while the second emulsion, they added sorbitan monostearate, also known as Span 80.

Tween 60 keeps the oil and water suspension stable and Span 80 separates the oil and water.

When the fat remains stable in the stomach, it stays in the tummies for longer, reducing their hunger and in turn, their food and calorie consumption.

In order to study the effects of the drinks, researchers gave the mixture to 11 volunteers as a coffee-flavoured milk shake.

The researchers took scan of their stomachs after hour to establish how much remained.

After an hour, it was discovered that volunteers who had drunk the stable mixture, twice as much volume left in their tummies.

Dr. Martin Wickham of the Institute of Food Research said: "This formulation could be used as an ingredient in new foods to make them more filling, which in turn could help reduce overconsumption of calories."

“It is important to control obesity and keep weight down, and this is a more acceptable way of doing it than restricting your food intake on a diet,” Dr. Wickham added.

The research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council appeared in the British Journal of Nutrition.