12-Week Trial Investigating L-carnitine Tartrate, Dihydrocapsiate and Protein Yeast Hydrolysate on Energy Intake and Expenditure in Overweight Adults

Inclusion Criteria

1. Aged 21-65 years old (inclusive)

2. Male and Female

3. Body Mass Index (BMI) 28 - <35kg/m2 western criteria for western subjects or 25 - <32kg/m2 for south-Asian ethnicities

4. Comfortable using technology, such as a smartphone or laptop

5. Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

1. On unstable medication in the last 6 months, that may impact trial outcomes (e.g., including antibiotics, steroids or medication affecting thyroid hormones, and gut hormones)

2. Weight change of ≥3 kg in the preceding 6 months

3. Eating behaviour disorders such as emotional, restrained or external eating determined via Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ).

4. On a weight loss regime (defined by actively following a diet such as Atkins, weight watchers, meal replacements, low or very low carbohydrate diet, ketogenic diet, intermediate fasting or enrolled into a governmental health program)

5. Significant restrictions on food intake (i.e., regular breakfast skipping, regular cut on carbohydrates, regular intermitted fasting, increased alcohol consumption beyond units defined in exclusion criteria, diet reducing a specific macronutrient, diet significantly reducing calorie intake, excluding a group of food that was not excluded before).

6. Known food intolerances or allergy to any of the interventional supplemental products (L-carnitine, yeast, dihydrocapsiate (synthetic), peppers, cellulose).

7. Taking any drugs in the past 3 months that are GLP-1 receptor analogues, SGLT-2 inhibitors, any weight loss medications and any of the following drugs: cephaloridine, verapamil, valproic acid, and sulfonylureas, usually acting by competitive inhibition of L-carnitine transport by OCTN2 or drugs that affect outcome of interest, including showing a defect on fat absorption (e.g., Orlistat)

8. Known congenital dysfunction of specific organic cation carnitine transporter OCTN2

9. Anaemia

10. Pregnancy or lactation

11. Chronic metabolic disease (except high cholesterol)

12. History of significant organ dysfunction or disease that affect the primary and secondary outcomes of this trial.

13. Life expectancy less than 1 year

14. Known autoimmune disease or genetic disease (including Glucose-6-phosphate deficiency (G6PD) deficiency)

15. Gastrointestinal upset (such as diarrhoea/constipation in the last 2 weeks, abdominal cramping etc.) or disorders such as Chron's disease or inflammatory bowel syndrome or disorder

16. History and ongoing psychiatric illness that affect the primary and secondary outcomes of this trial.

17. Asthma or chronic lung disease requiring long term medications or oxygen.

18. Chronic infective disease, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C; and HIV

19. Cancer, coronary heart disease

20. Subjects with history of hypo- and hyperthyroidism

21. Recent blood donation (<8 weeks)

22. Drink >14 units of alcohol per week on a regular basis

23. Consumption of recreational drugs

24. Current smokers (daily)

25. Medical history of difficulties in tolerating/undergoing study procedures planned in the present study, (e.g., like cannulation)