It touts clinically-tested ingredients but what do the studies really show about them?

Does it seem like every other ad or commercial nowadays is for a weight loss medication like a GLP-1? And now, Kourtney Kardashian has gotten in on the action by launching her own “all-natural” GLP-1 through her lemme line of supplements called lemme GLP-1 Daily.

Boasted as being a “breakthrough capsule formula designed to boost GLP-1 hormone levels, reduce hunger and cravings and support healthy weight management,” the supplement contains three clinically-studied, patented ingredients: Eriomin® Lemon Fruit Extract, Supresa® Saffron Extract, and Morosil™ Red Orange Fruit Extract.

But is Kardashian’s latest supplement safe? And what do the studies actually show about its ingredients? Let’s start by defining what a GLP-1 is.

What Is a GLP-1?

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone in the body that helps control blood sugar levels by encouraging the pancreas to release more insulin. Insulin helps your body use or store the glucose (sugar) in your blood after eating. The injectable medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic your body’s GLP-1 hormone with synthetic GLP-1. They were originally designed for people with diabetes since they help lower blood sugar levels. Somewhere along the line, the medical community realized that people also lost weight while taking them—and the rest is history.

Kardashian’s supplement, however, is not a GLP-1 agonist. It contains ingredients called nutraceuticals that are being touted as raising your body’s natural levels of GLP-1. A press release about the supplement claims that the three ingredients in lemme GLP-1 Daily have been “shown in clinical studies to deliver significant weight management benefits.”

Let’s take a closer look at what the studies actually show regarding these ingredients.

Eriomin® Lemon Fruit Extract

Eriomin® is the patented nutraceutical formula based on eriocitrin, a citrus flavonoid found in lemon juice and lemon peel. According to a 2022 study in the Journal of Medicinal Food, Eriomin® is made up of 70% eriocitrin, 5% hesperidin, 4% naringin, 1% didymin and 20% a mix of different types of fiber, including cellulose, pectin, lignan, cutin and suberin.

In searching for studies on Eriomin®, we found three—all of which were done by the same primary team of researchers and funded by the company that created Eriomin®, Ingredients by Nature™. When the company that manufactures the supplement that is being tested also pays for the research on it, it suggests a higher chance of bias in the studies. There was a fourth study done in 2024 but it was done with rats, not humans.

All three human studies were small as far as the number of participants. One included 30 participants, another 103 and the other 45. And all three studies had similar results, suggesting that participants with prediabetes who took at least 200 milligrams per day of Eriomin® for 12 weeks showed improvements in GLP-1 blood levels and blood sugar levels, among other things—like a healthier microbiome, likely due to the fiber in the Eriomin®.

Supresa® Saffron Extract

Another ingredient in lemme GLP-1 Daily is Supresa® Saffron Extract. It was difficult to find studies specifically on Supresa®. The one that did come up was listed on the manufacturer’s website—PLT Health Solutions—and is a small study with 60 participants from 2010. This study was funded by the French company that makes the main ingredient of Supresa® called Satiereal® (Hello, more potential for bias!). Satiereal® is a patented extract of saffron (C sativus L) stigma. So Supresa® and Satiereal® are essentially the same thing, but have different names, depending on which country you’re in.

This study used female participants who were healthy and mildly overweight, 31 of whom took 176.5 milligrams of Satiereal® in capsule form twice daily over 8 weeks. The other participants took a placebo. The study results indicate that the group who took Satiereal® had a greater reduction in body weight compared to the placebo group—an average of -0.96 kg compared to -0.01 kg. The Satiereal® group also reduced their snacking, suggesting that the supplement may create a satiating effect which may lead you to eat less, and may result in weight loss.

Morosil™ Red Orange Fruit Extract

Morosil™ Red Orange Fruit Extract comes from moro red oranges, which are a type of blood orange. They’re found in Italy, as is the company that makes Morosil™. Like the other ingredients in lemme GLP-1 Daily, there aren’t many studies done specifically on Morosil™. There is a study mentioned on the manufacturer’s website but has no citation or link to it so it’s difficult to know if the results are accurate. They appear to line up with a 2015 study that suggests that those who took 400 milligrams per day of Morosil™ supplementation over 12 weeks had greater reductions in weight, waist circumference and hip circumference compared to the group who received a placebo. Physical activity was not encouraged, nor were dietary restrictions, like reducing calorie intake. However, because the full study is not readily available online, it is also unknown who funded the study.