Study Strengthens Case for Prebiotic and Weight Management

Prebiotic specialist Beneo-Orafti (Tienen, Belgium) has announced the results of a new study on overweight and obese subjects and its Orafti Synergy1 oligufructose-enriched inulin. Presented in Istanbul at the European Congress on Obesity, the study found that three weeks of a daily dose of Orafti Synergy1 resulted in reduced energy intake in 36 adult subjects.

In the double-blind crossover study, men and women were randomized to receive 6 g of Orafti Synergy1 twice daily (dissolved in a beverage at breakfast and lunch) or placebo for three weeks. Researchers conducting the study found that all subjects reduced energy intake with the inulin product by an average of 3.6%.

Beneo-Orafti says that this result complements previous research on animals and humans. In one human study, 16 g of Orafti Synergy1 daily resulted in 6% reduced energy intake in healthy subjects, reports of reduced hunger feelings, and increased levels of GLP-1 and PYY, two peptides involved in the pathway that signals satiety to the brain.