Scientific Studies Confirm Benefits of BENEO's Synergy1 in Reducing Diabetes Risk

28 Jul 2016 --- Two new research studies, conducted by Professor Gary Frost and his team from Imperial College London, have shown major beneficial effects of BENEO’s chicory root fiber OraftiSynergy1 (oligofructose-enriched inulin) in reducing the risk of diabetes. With approximately 415 million diabetic people worldwide and predictions that these numbers will rise dramatically in the coming years, the new findings are of great relevance.

The first of the findings is in helping prediabetic people to lower energy intake and enhance weight loss. The second is in assisting prediabetic adults reduce fat content in their liver and muscle tissue and the third is in improving their insulin secretion after a meal. The researchers have concluded that (fermentable) chicory root fibres have unique metabolic effects that are of particular benefit to people at risk of diabetes.

Prevention strategies specifically targeted to people in a prediabetic state - thus at the onset of developing diabetes - are urgently needed. Diet and lifestyle changes aimed at weight loss are known to be effective but they are difficult to sustain over the long-term, due to a compensatory increase in appetite and food intake. With this in mind, Professor Frost and his team explored the potential of OraftiSynergy1 in diabetes prevention (as these chicory root fibers have shown in earlier research to reduce appetite as well as food intake and to promote weight loss in overweight adults).

In the first parallel-design study, that took place over an 18 week time period, one group of 20 prediabetics consumed 30g of OraftiSynergy1 daily and a control group of 19 prediabetics consumed a non-fermentable fiber. Both groups lost approximately 5% of their body weight during the first 9-week weight loss period (as anticipated and supported by regular dietary counselling), however the OraftSynergy1 group showed a sustained and significantly greater weight loss in the following 9-week weight-maintenance period (where no further support was given). This could have resulted from the significantly greater reduction in food intake observed: after 9 weeks of OraftiSynergy1 supplementation, participants consumed about 270 kcal less in an ad libitum meal test.

This is the first time that regular OraftiSynergy1 supplementation has been confirmed as enhancing a traditional calorie-restricted lifestyle programme, in the prediabetic population, leading to greater weight loss.

In addition, the results showed that OraftiSynergy1 led to a greater reduction in body fat percentage, with significant reductions in liver fat and soleus muscle fat. Liver fat is known to be a risk factor in metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus, thus the observed lowering effect of OraftiSynergy1 on liver fat, independent of weight loss, in prediabetic people provides an additional benefit in diabetes prevention.

The second study confirms the beneficial effects of OraftiSynergy1 on weight loss and energy intake in the prediabetic population. In addition, improvements in insulin response were observed with regular OraftiSynergy1 supplementation over a six week period.  In this cross-over design study, 34 participants with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) consumed up to 30g OraftiSynergy1 daily, or a non-fermentable fiber as control. In prediabetic participants with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), OraftiSynergy1 supplementation significantly reduced fasting insulin and insulin resistance. A meal tolerance test in a subgroup of 13 participants revealed further that the chicory root fiber enhanced early insulin secretion after a meal without changes in total insulin secretion, and increased early GLP-1 secretion in comparison with the control.

Anke Sentko, Vice President Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition Communication at BENEO: “The results of these studies is exciting news for prediabetics. We know that chicory root fibres help people eat less, naturally. These new results however stress the impressive potential of OraftiSynergy1 as a tool in diabetes prevention strategies – moving it beyond just the realms of enhancing weight loss. With its mild, sweet taste chicory root fiber can be easily integrated into a person’s daily diet.”