Weighing in on weight control: Lifestyle changes, food reward regulation and innovative ingredients take the spotlight

19 Jan 2023 --- Amid a significant growth spurt in the demand for weight management products, the segment demonstrates a progression from supplementation toward healthier lifestyle choices such as stress management and boosting the metabolism.

Meanwhile, there are two camps of thought on probiotics’ benefits, their impact on the microbiome and how these influence weight management. Nutrition Insight delves deeper into the topic with expert insights from Gencor, Lallemand Health Solutions and Ingredients by Nature.

“Embracing body positivity leads to appreciating the functionality of the human body instead of its physical appearance. It focuses on accepting and including all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender and physical ability. This movement resonates strongly nowadays with consumers,” says Camille Binachon, product manager at Lallemand Health Solutions. 

Shift to a lifestyle approach
Industry players like Gencor have witnessed a distinctive shift whereby consumers are progressing to a “lifestyle approach” versus a quick fix. An extension of this trend is a focus on natural supplements.

“For many consumers, there is still that notion of wanting to lose weight quickly, but that is somewhat countered by their busy lifestyle and greater time slot for physical inactivity. These types of consumers turn to alternatives that are claiming or have proven benefits in boosting their process of weight loss and giving rise to the majority of products placed in the weight management aisle of a department store,” explains Maggie McNamara, marketing director at Gencor.All weight management methods are encouraged alongside a varied diet in the new lifestyle-focused weight management scene. 

Innova Market Insights reports that new weight-loss product development in the US has shifted away from traditional “diet” companies. 

“People no longer believe in taking ‘magic pills’ and watching the pounds fall off,” she says. “The weight management products market has been witnessing significant growth due to the increasing health and hygiene consciousness among consumers, owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”.

“COVID-19 superseded the interest in weight loss for much of 2020 and some of 2021, but now most are moving away from the immune space and into other more pressing areas of their health.” 

Gencor’s ActivAMP, an extract from G. pentaphyllum, is an adaptogenic herb that contains a family of compounds, upregulates alarmins, including sestrins, produced during exercise. 

These sestrins activate an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is often called the “master metabolic regulator,” and switch on the same fat-burning and energy-producing metabolic processes exercise does. By regulating metabolic activity, AMPK influences glucose utilization, oxidation, and appetite, making ActivAMP an ideal ingredient for metabolic health formulations.

Gut microbiome balancing
The connection between healthy functioning microflora in the gut and balanced weight has been demonstrated as a legitimate assertion, leading to the growing popularity of probiotic supplements worldwide. This trend is prevalent in women, with the primary motivation for consumption being weight loss. 

“Probiotic supplements have their role to play in accompanying consumers in reaching their metabolic health goals. This trend is in line with the ‘body positivity’ movement,” Binachon explains.

According to the company, consumers show a growing interest in including probiotics as part of a weight management strategy, with roughly 30% of global consumers associating probiotics with weight management.

Lallemand Health Solutions’ probiotic strain L. rhamnosus HA-114 improves eating and mood-related behaviors during weight loss in overweight adults. The product was selected among several strains for its ability to reduce fat accumulation in an in vivo model of Caenorhabditis elegans. The strain also shows strong psychobiotic potential and modulates the brain-gut axis.

According to Ingredients by Nature, some studies have demonstrated the potential of gut microbiota and its link to weight. Particularly with the use of probiotics and symbiotics. 

“This connection still needs to be researched, but overall, the “good” bacteria provided by these biotics, in combination with a healthy, high-fiber diet and physical activity, have shown promising effects for weight management,” states Rob Brewster, president at Ingredients by Nature.

Gut-brain axisBalancing insulin levels and reducing stress are considered essential in reducing weight.
Research continues to show the link between the gut and the brain, and some evidence suggests that overweight individuals have a higher risk of mood and cognitive disorders. 

Ingredients by Nature’s proprietary blend of citrus bioflavonoids Eriomin, mainly made of eriocitrin, has been clinically shown to support healthy blood glucose function, generate potent antioxidant activity, manage inflammation within the healthy range and balance the microbiome.

“These microorganisms are associated with improving the host’s glycemic metabolism, reducing insulin resistance, and producing short-chain fatty acids. In addition, Eriomin increased propionic acid, and in association with metformin, also increased acetic acid,” Brewster outlines.

Short-chain fatty acids are essential sources of energy, stimulate microbiota growth and benefit the host’s health. 

However, Gencor takes a more cautious approach to the probiotics and microbiome approach in weight management. “Probiotics can be a part of a weight loss supplement, and probiotic supplementation may facilitate weight loss, but it has minimal effect without dietary intervention,” says McNamara. 

“There is evidence that some key strains are showing promise to promote weight loss, and there are some scientists out there that believe that there is a link between reduced bacterial gut diversity and obesity, but research on probiotics is still relatively new. There still needs to be more research done in this area,” McNamara continues. 

She recommends using probiotics as part of a comprehensive weight loss program, stress while stressing that they do not replace diet and exercise. Gencor does not leverage the gut-brain axis in the weight loss category. 

Weight management for healthy living
Consumers’ demand for weight control products is no longer a matter of improving physical appearance but of achieving overall health goals.

“Over 80% of consumers stated (2021) that maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health – outweighing the 19.6% of consumers still thinking the number one reason to keep a healthy weight is for physical appearance,” Binachon explains. 

Between 2019 and 2021, there was an increase in consumers stating they want to lose weight; however, among people who are currently dieting, about 63% do so to improve their long-term health. 

“Being overweight impacts various areas of health, so developing products that can aid in more than just weight management will fare better,” explains Brewster.

“For example, a consumer might be more attracted to the idea of one product that can also help manage blood sugar, cholesterol and lipid metabolism – allowing them to take a more holistic look at their overall health and wellness,” Brewster continues.

Food reward system
Lallemand Health Solutions, a pioneer in the exploration of the brain-gut axis, is investigating the impact of its probiotic strain on the food reward system, which refers to hedonic aspects in the regulation of food intake and cognitive influence on food reward. 

“The struggle consumers meet when trying to lose weight is mainly due to the food reward system. The food reward system motivates people to ingest highly caloric food. This system originated from ancient times and was crucial for survival when food was difficult to find,” Binachon outlines. 

While access to food is easy in industrialized countries, certain foods high in sugar or fat overstimulate the reward system, leading to compulsive eating behaviors. Acute stress may also promote this undesirable behavior. 

Binachon outlines: “The ability to modulate the brain-gut axis and psychobiotics are gaining momentum in regulating the food reward system, making it easier to resist temptation. And this is a shift in the weight management market.” 

Championing flavonoidsResponsible weight management strategies have evolved from popping pills to a lifestyle focus.
Citrus flavonoids have been observed on many occasions to help manage weight and metabolism. Studies have found that citrus bioflavonoids can help convert white fat to beige fat, which has been associated with weight loss. 

However, supplementing with citrus flavonoids does more than weight management by helping address the many effects of obesity, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. 

“Eriomin, our lemon flavonoid blend, supports healthy blood glucose function by addressing insulin sensitivity, generating potent antioxidant activity to balance a rise in reactive oxygen species and inhibiting cytokine production to help manage the inflammation response within a healthy range,” explains Brewster. 

Two published clinical studies commissioned by Ingredients by Nature demonstrated its ability to decrease glucagon-like peptide naturally 1 (GLP-1), which is associated with healthy weight management due to its ability to stimulate satiety. 

The studies demonstrated Eriomin’s ability to reduce high blood sugar levels, generate antioxidant activity, and manage inflammation in prediabetic subjects. It maintains healthy blood glucose levels and reduces appetite.

Prediabetes affects the metabolism of carbohydrates and results in high blood sugar levels. Although prediabetes is not the result of increased body weight, being overweight is one of the underlying causes of insulin resistance. 

“By leveraging this science and combing through clinically tested ingredients that aid in healthy weight management and cognition, you can develop a product that meets many consumer needs but making this claim requires significant research into the finished product,” Brewster outlines. 

Leveraging adaptogenic herbs
Gencor recently launched Liver health – 4’Liver, which contains a potent herbal extract combining two botanicals, Terminalia chebula (fruit) and Sphaeranthus indicus (flower). These adaptogenic herbs help the body adjust to physical, chemical, or biological stress. 

One capsule a day significantly reduces the fatty liver index, helps prevent the progression of fatty liver, helps detox the liver and improves digestion and metabolism.

In addition, Gencor’s affron has proven beneficial in stress relief and enhancing sleep, “one of the more popular underlying reasons people gain weight.” According to Gencor, studies show that chronic stress and sleep problems are linked to weight gain. 

Gencinia indirectly impacts weight loss because it affects insulin resistance and glucose levels. The two factors combined “forces” the storage of fat instead of the glucose being used for energy.

By Inga de Jong