Researchers at Sichuan University have engineered edible microbeads inspired by boba pearls that absorb dietary fats locally within the gut, offering a potential alternative to systemic weight loss drugs. The fat-trapping beads, composed of polyphenols from green tea and compounds from brown seaweed, demonstrated up to 81% fat absorption efficiency in vitro and reduced weight gain in high-fat diet rats by 17%. Their action mimics orlistat’s fat absorption inhibition but may mitigate common side effects like diarrhea. Published data in Cell Biomaterials provide promising preclinical efficacy for safer obesity interventions.