An inulin compound has proven effective at helping overweight young individuals to build more muscle in a new study.1
The paper, which was publilshed in eClinicalMedicine, was a follow-up study to prior research that suggested that inulin-propionate esters (IPEs) could promote weight loss while also suppressing appetite.
Previous research from the team at the University of Glasgow found that older adults who took IPE supplements lost weight, while also experiencing a lower fat mass and reduced cravings for high-energy foods.
To determine if this effect could be observed in younger participants, the research team ran a 12-month study across Glasgow and London with participants aged between 20 and 40.
Participants were given IPE or inulin, and weight gain, fat distribution and muscle parameters were measured to compare their effects on metabolic management.
During the study, no significant difference in weight gain was reported when supplementing with IPE, but there was a significant increase in fat-free mass in those given the dietary fibre.
Notably, this effect was not accounted for by an uptick in physical activity within the research group.
The science behind inulin-propionate esters (IPEs)
Propionate is a short-chain fatty acid that is produced in the human body when dietary fibre is fermented by the gut micrbiome.
When propionate is present in the body at larger quantities than would be ingested through a standard diet, the gut is stimulated to produce hormones.
These hormones will signal to the brain that the body is 'full', which will subsequently result in the reduction of feelings of hunger, according to the University of Glasgow.
Professor Douglas Morrison of the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) and the University of Glasgow and one of the paper’s corresponding authors, commented: “Preventing weight gain in early life can have significant health benefits later on – it’s better to maintain a healthy weight throughout life than to try to lose weight as an older adult, although reaching a healthy weight at any age is beneficial."
“Our previous studies had shown that older people could benefit significantly from adding IPE supplements to their diets, and we were keen to explore in this study whether the results would be similar in younger people. Increasing fat-free mass is an interesting and unexpected result which may warrant further study, because building muscle can help improve metabolic health.”
Professor Gary Frost of Imperial College London, the lead investigator in London, said: “These findings highlight the complexity of weight gain prevention, particularly in younger adults, where behaviours and energy intake differ from older populations. While IPE demonstrated benefits for body composition, its impact on overall weight management appears limited, warranting further research into age-specific interventions for obesity prevention.”
Reference
1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537024004231