A Natural Fiber Complex Reduces Body Weight in the Overweight and Obese: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

Abstract

Objective: A proprietary natural fiber complex (Litramine IQP G-002AS) derived from Opuntia ficusindica, and standardized on lipophilic activity, was previously shown in preclinical and human studies to reduce dietary fat absorption through gastrointestinal (GI) fat binding. Here, we investigated the efficacy and safety of IQP G-002AS in body weight reduction. Design and Methods: One hundred twenty-five overweight and obese adults participated in the study. Subjects were advised on physical activity, and received nutritional counseling, including hypocaloric diet plans (30% energy from fat and 500 kcal deficit/day). After a 2-week placebo run-in phase, subjects were randomized to receive either 3 g/day of IQP G-002AS (IQ) or a placebo. The primary endpoint was change in body weight from baseline; secondary endpoints included additional obesity measures and safety parameters. Results: One hundred twenty-three subjects completed the 12-week treatment phase (intention-to-treat (ITT) population: 30 male and 93 female; mean BMI: 29.6 6 2.8 kg/m 2 and age: 45.4 6 11.3 years). The mean body weight change from baseline was 3.8 6 1.8 kg in IQ vs. 1.4 6 2.6 kg in placebo (P < 0.001). More IQ subjects lost at least 5% of their initial body weight compared to placebo (P ¼ 0.027). Compared with placebo, IQ also showed significantly greater reduction in BMI, body fat composition, and waist circumference. IQ was well tolerated with no adverse reactions reported. Conclusions: These results suggest that the natural fiber complex Litramine IQP G-002AS is effective in promoting weight loss.

Short-term role of the dietary total antioxidant capacity in two hypocaloric regimes on obese with metabolic syndrome symptoms: the RESMENA randomized controlled trial

“…While dietetic programs have traditionally focused on calorie restriction, new nutritional alternatives are nowadays being investigated. They entail macronutrient distribution [6], meal frequency [7], consumption of bioactive ingredients, such as fiber [8] and n-3 fatty acids [9], glycemic index (GI)/glycemic load (GL) [10] or the dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) [11]. Dietary TAC is considered an appropriate approach to measure the cumulative antioxidant properties of food [12], despite its controversial use at evaluating the role of antioxidants in vivo [13].…”

“…Many studies have separately examined the impact of different dietary components, such as macronutrient distribution [15], meal frequency [7], fiber [8], n-3 fatty acids [16], GI/GL [17] or dietary TAC [18]. However, to date, they have not been integrated together on a dietetic plan based on habitual foods intake to combat excessive fat deposition.…”

National pattern of grain products consumption among Canadians in association with body weight status

“…It is predicted that by 2019, 34% and 21% of Canadian adults will be overweight and obese respectively [2][3][4][5]. The skyrocketing increase in the prevalence of obesity and its close association with major chronic diseases, also the importance of fiber in controlling body weight [6] necessitate the replacement of current diet with high percentage of refined grains, with whole-grain products.…”

Recent progress in the use of functional foods for older adults: A narrative review

“…A beneficial health effect, which is reducing the blood cholesterol level, is associated with water‐soluble fiber components such as pectins, plant gums ( Plantago psyllium ), and β‐glucans (Vuksan et al., ). Consumption of a diet rich in soluble fiber lowers the risk for CVD, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (Grube, Chong, Lau, & Orzechowski, ; Havrlentová et al., ). For example, soluble fiber from oats reduced the accessibility of cholesterol for lipoproteins synthesis and lowered its concentration in the blood (Whitehead, Beck, Tosh, & Wolever, ).…”