Home Americas Americas: Prebiotic chicory root fiber OraftiSynergy1 found to help obese children

Americas: Prebiotic chicory root fiber OraftiSynergy1 found to help obese children

A study conducted by the University of Calgary in Canada shows that the prebiotic chicory root fiber OraftiSynergy1 from Beneo improves appetite regulation and decreases food intake in overweight and obese children, helping those children to eat less, naturally.

These findings strengthen the results of previous studies addressing the topic of weight management support by chicory root fibers in adults and children.

As one-third of Canadian and American children are overweight or obese, it is evident that methods and ingredients need to be developed to stop the obesity epidemic and to support healthy weight management.

For this study, Professor Raylene Reimer and her research team aimed to evaluate the potential of OraftiSynergy1 in overweight and obese children.

A total of 42 overweight and obese children between the ages of seven to 12 years were included in the study and closely followed for 16 weeks.

The results were presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s Scientific Sessions at Experimental Biology 2015 in Boston.

They illustrate that children with 8g daily of OraftiSynergy1 supplementation had significantly higher ratings in their feeling of fullness and satisfaction and lower prospective food consumption.

Satiety was significantly higher with the fiber supplementation.

At an ad libitum breakfast buffet, the children consumed about 100 calories less when they had been given OraftiSynergy1 supplementation.

At the end of the 16-week study, the lower food intake showed a definite impact on the children’s body weight.

Body mass index z-scores were significantly reduced in the prebiotic chicory fiber group, but not in the control group.

These results confirmed that in the children studied, long-term intake of the prebiotic fiber OraftiSynergy1 can lead to reductions in energy intake with positive impact on body weight, a reduction in body fat and fat mass index.

OraftiSynergy1 supplementation also contributes to higher satiety and fullness.

“We were very excited when we heard about these results presented at the Experimental Biology conference in Boston,” said Anke Sentko, VP regulatory affairs and nutrition communication at BENEO.

“We know that chicory root fibers help people eat less. It is great to see that OraftiSynergy1 has the potential to contribute to the obesity fight – for adults and in particular, for children.”

“Because the taste of chicory fiber is pleasant and can be easily integrated into daily eating, we feel that it is a good option to support healthy weight management,” she says.

The study was funded by a grant from the BMO Financial Group, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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