Effects of targeted delivery of propionate to the human colon on appetite regulation, body weight maintenance and adiposity in overweight adults
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 of propionate would increase peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in humans, and reduce energy intake and weight gain in overweight adults. Design To investigate whether propionate promotes PYY and GLP-1 secretion, a primary cultured human colonic cell model was developed. To deliver propionate specifically to the colon, we developed a novel inulin-propionate ester. An acute randomised, controlled cross-over study was used to assess the effects of this inulin-propionate ester on energy intake and plasma PYY and GLP-1 concentrations. The long-term effects of inulin-propionate ester on weight gain were subsequently assessed in a randomised, controlled 24-week study involving 60 overweight adults. Results Propionate significantly stimulated the release of PYY and GLP-1 from human colonic cells. Acute ingestion of 10 g inulin-propionate ester significantly increased postprandial plasma PYY and GLP-1 and reduced energy intake. Over 24 weeks, 10 g/day inulin-propionate ester supplementation significantly reduced weight gain, intra-abdominal adipose tissue distribution, intrahepatocellular lipid content and prevented the deterioration in insulin sensitivity observed in the inulin-control group. Conclusions These data demonstrate for the first time that increasing colonic propionate prevents weight gain in overweight adult humans. Trial registration number NCT00750438.