Scientists may have discovered an anti-obesity pill that could free dieters from all eating restrictions and also help slow down the ageing process.

A study, published in the journal Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, suggested that the pill may “lock in” the benefits of dieting, allowing dieters to return to normal eating without putting on weight.

According to the researchers from Britain’s University of Liverpool, the pill — a dietary supplement called alpha-lipoic acid — also slows ageing, which is a known effect of low-calorie diets.

Malcolm Goyns, director of Immorgene Concepts, a scientific research company in Stockton-on-Tees, who led the research, said he was sufficiently convinced to follow the approach himself.

“Our discovery indicates that by following a calorie restriction diet for six months and then taking alpha-lipoic acid while eating normally, the same life extension effects will be experienced,” Goyns was quoted as saying by The Independent newspaper on Thursday.

However, he cautioned that by simply adding the supplement to the diet has no effect. “It seems that alpha-lipoic acid fools the body into behaving as if it was still on whatever diet it was following before the supplement was added,” he said.