Research paper
Effects of targeted delivery of propionate to the human colon on appetite regulation, body weight maintenance and adiposity in overweight adults
Study answer
What this study found
Overall, targeted colonic propionate delivery produced a beneficial effect on appetite regulation and weight/adiposity outcomes. Acutely, the supplement reduced energy intake from 1175 kcal (95% CI 957 to 1392) to 1013 kcal (95% CI 816 to 1210) and increased PYY and GLP-1 responses versus control, with PYY ΔAUC 240-420 min of 3349 min×pmol/L versus 429 min×pmol/L and GLP-1 ΔAUC of 10 801 min×pmol/L versus 3495 min×pmol/L, both p<0.05. Over 24 weeks, fewer participants in the inulin-propionate ester group gained weight of at least 3% of baseline (1 of 25 vs 6 of 24, p=0.036) or at least 5% (0…
- Study & population
- This was a set of human interventional studies in overweight adults, including a first-in-human acute study and a 24-week randomized trial.
- Intervention
- Inulin-propionate ester was given orally to target propionate delivery to the human colon.
- Key limitation
- The trials were relatively small, especially after attrition in the 24-week study, which reduces precision and limits generalizability.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Objective The colonic microbiota ferment dietary fibres, producing short chain fatty acids. Recent evidence suggests that the short chain fatty acid propionate may play an important role in appetite regulation. We hypothesised that colonic delivery o…