Impact of dietary fibre and chromium picolinate on satiety, satiation, weight loss and gut microbiome composition in overweight and obese women. DFCP

Background: Obesity is one of the greatest causes of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide with the main treatments requiring significant changes to lifestyle, particularly dieting and physical exercise. Glucomannan is a dietary fibre that expands in the stomach, creating the feeling of fulness, while chromium can regulate insulin response. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of SlimBiome (agglomerated glucomannan, oligofructose and chromium), as part of a calorie restricted diet plan, on weight loss, satiety, satiation, mood and gut microbiome composition in a human intervention study. Method: A 4-week, single group, prospective, non-blinded pilot study was carried out in 12, otherwise healthy, overweight and obese females (18-65 years, BMI 25-35kg/m2). The study was conducted according to SPIRIT requirements and CONSORT guidelines. Participants consumed 9g SlimBiome/day, over a 4-week period. Volunteers were asked to take daily a nutritionally balanced shake for breakfast and lunch each delivering 3g of the active ingredient (206 kcal/shake) and two snack bars in between meals each delivering 1.5g of the active (112kcal/bar) formulated according to EFSA guidelines for meal replacement. Participants were advised to have a healthy evening meal not exceeding 1200 Kcal/day. Anthropometric parameters, dietary habits, mood, cravings and hunger were recorded at the start of the study and then at weekly intervals until study completion. Faecal samples were collected for metagenomic analysis at the start and the end of the 4-week study (n=5). Results: Statistically significant reductions were observed in weight (P=0.0065), BMI (P=0.0056), waist (P=0.0001) and hip circumference (P=0.0029), percentage body fat, fat mass and systolic blood pressure (P<0.01) over 4 weeks of SlimBiome intake. Significant reduction in cravings for savoury foods (P<0.001) and a trend for reduced sweet cravings were recorded from the end of week 1 of the treatment onwards, accompanied by a significant improvement in mood (P<0.01) over the study period. Notable increases were observed in the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. Conclusions: Our outcomes suggest that intake of SlimBiome can significantly improve anthropometric parameters such as weight, fat mass and blood pressure and also reduce food cravings and improvement in mood as part of a calorie restricted diet. These findings in combination to the positive impact on gut microbiome composition, suggest that this intervention may support healthy weight loss.