Soluble fibre boosts satiety, aids weight loss: study
By Stephen Daniells

29-Apr-2008 - Supplements of soluble dietary fibre may increase weight
loss by boosting satiety, and has beneficial effects for
cardiovascular health, suggests a study.

A soluble fibre supplement improved cholesterol levels in overweight
and obese subjects, who also lost about four kilograms more than
people in the placebo group over 16 weeks, report scientists in the
British Journal of Nutrition.

The study taps into the burgeoning weight loss and management market,
estimated to already be worth $7bn (€5.2bn) globally.

With 50 per cent of Europeans and 62 per cent of Americans classed as
overweight, the food industry is waking up to the potential of
products for weight loss and management.

The slimming ingredients market can be divided into five groups based
on the mechanisms of action - boosting fat burning/ thermogenesis,
inhibiting protein breakdown, suppressing appetite/ boosting satiety
(feeling of fullness), blocking fat absorption, and regulating mood
(linked to food consumption).

The researchers, led by Jordi Salas-Salvado from Saint Joan University
Hospital in Reus, Spain, randomly assigned 200 overweight or obese
patients to receive either a mixed fibre dose (three grams of Plantago
ovata husk and one gram of glucomannan) twice or three times a day, or
placebo for 16 weeks. The study was a parallel, double-blind, placebo-
controlled clinical trial.

At the end of the study, the researchers report that weight loss
'tended' to be higher in both fibre groups (4.52 and 4.60 kg lost in
the twice and three times a day group, respectively), compared to the
placebo group (0.79 kg lost).

In addition, satiety was reported to be increase after consumed the
fibre-rich meals.

Moreover, LDL cholesterol levels - a cardiovascular risk marker -
decreased by 0.38 and 0.24 mmol/l in the twice and three times a day
group, respectively, compared to a decrease of only 0.06 mmol/l in the
placebo group, state the authors. Improvements in the ratio of total
cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol and HDL to LDL were also reported.

"In conclusion, a 16-week dietary supplement of soluble fibre in
overweight or obese patients was well tolerated, induced satiety and
had beneficial effects on some CVD risk factors, the most important of
which was a significant decrease in plasma LDL-cholesterol
concentrations," wrote Salas-Salvado.

Soluble versus insoluble fibre

Studies have also reported that insoluble fibre, which contains
cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and cannot be dissolved in water,
may reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes, but the biological
mechanism underlying the benefits has only been assumed.

The assumption was that the fibre reduced the glycemic response (a
rise in blood glucose), thereby increasing satiety and decreasing
energy intake. A lower glycemic response decreases the demand for
insulin, therefore reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

In Europe and Japan, soluble fibre has the greater market share than
insoluble. In the US, where the entire fibre market was worth $192.8m
(€151.0m) in 2004, insoluble fibre dominates the market with $176.2m
(€138.0m), and $16.6m (€13.0m) soluble.

But while Frost and Sullivan predicts overall growth in the US to
$470m (€369m) by 2011, the soluble fibre sector is expected to
increase by almost twice the compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
compared to insoluble fibre - 26.3 per cent compared to 13.1 per
cent.

Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Volume 99, Issue 6, Pages 1380-1387
"Effect of two doses of a mixture of soluble fibres on body weight and
metabolic variables in overweight or obese patients: a randomised
trial"
Authors: J. Salas-Salvado, X. Farres, X. Luque, S. Narejos, M.
Borrell, J. Basora, A. Anguera, F. Torres, M. Bullo, R. Balanza, for
the Fiber in Obesity-Study Group.

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http://www.diabetes.ca/section_about/fibre.asp

Wheat bran and whole grains, as well as the skins of many fruits and
vegetables, and seeds, are rich sources of insoluble fibre.
Also note that as the outer fibre layer is often removed in food
processing by milling, peeling, boiling or extracting, it's wise to
eat more unrefined foods to obtain insoluble fibre.

Who loves ya.
Tom

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