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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Jun;89(6):1751-9.
doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27465. Epub 2009 Apr 22.

Weight loss during oligofructose supplementation is associated with decreased ghrelin and increased peptide YY in overweight and obese adults

Jill A Parnell  1 , Raylene A Reimer
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Weight loss during oligofructose supplementation is associated with decreased ghrelin and increased peptide YY in overweight and obese adults

Jill A Parnell et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Rodent studies show that oligofructose promotes weight loss, stimulates satiety hormone secretion, reduces energy intake, and improves lipid profiles.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the effects of oligofructose supplementation on body weight and satiety hormone concentrations in overweight and obese adults.

Design: This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Forty-eight otherwise healthy adults with a body mass index (in kg/m2) > 25 were randomly assigned to receive 21 g oligofructose/d or a placebo (maltodextrin) for 12 wk. Body composition (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry); meal tolerance tests, including satiety hormone response; food intake; and subjective appetite ratings were determined.

Results: There was a reduction in body weight of 1.03 +/- 0.43 kg with oligofructose supplementation, whereas the control group experienced an increase in body weight of 0.45 +/- 0.31 kg over 12 wk (P = 0.01). A lower area under the curve (AUC) for ghrelin (P = 0.004) and a higher AUC for peptide YY (PYY) with oligofructose (P = 0.03) coincided with a reduction in self-reported caloric intake (P < or = 0.05). Glucose decreased in the oligofructose group and increased in the control group between initial and final tests (P < or = 0.05). Insulin concentrations mirrored this pattern (P < or = 0.05). Oligofructose supplementation did not affect plasma active glucagon-like peptide 1 secretion. According to a visual analog scale designed to assess side effects, oligofructose was well tolerated.

Conclusions: Independent of other lifestyle changes, oligofructose supplementation has the potential to promote weight loss and improve glucose regulation in overweight adults. Suppressed ghrelin and enhanced PYY may contribute in part to the reduction in energy intake. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00522353.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors declared a conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Mean (±SEM) change in physical characteristics as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans in the control (n = 17) and oligofructose (OFS; n = 21) groups after 12 wk. BW, body weight; BMC + Lean, bone mineral content and lean mass; FM, fat mass; TF, trunk fat. *Significantly different from control, P < 0.05 (ANOVA). Baseline values were as follows: for BW, 80.22 ± 12.8 and 83.4 ± 13.0 kg for control and OFS groups, respectively; for BMC + Lean, 50.8 ± 9.8 and 52.7 ± 9.7 kg for control and OFS groups, respectively; for FM, 29.1 ± 8.5 30.7 ± 8.5 kg for control and OFS groups, respectively; and for TF, 14.0 ± 5.3 and 15.7 ± 5.0 kg for control and OFS groups, respectively. No significant differences were found between baseline values.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mean (±SEM) values for plasma active glucagon-like peptide 1 [GLP-1; n = 16 control, n = 19 oligofructose (OFS)] (A), total peptide YY (PYY; n = 16 control, n = 18 OFS) (B), and active ghrelin (n = 16 control, n = 20 OFS) (C) concentrations during a 6-h meal tolerance test as absolute concentrations and as a percentage of baseline. Control initial (□), OFS initial (■), control final (○), and OFS final (●). Repeated-measures ANOVA for absolute concentrations showed a time × diet effect (P = 0.04) and a month × diet effect (P = 0.05) for ghrelin and a month × diet effect for PYY (P = 0.05). Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a time × diet effect (P = 0.017) and a month × diet effect (P = 0.031) for ghrelin expressed as percentage of baseline. *Significant difference between OFS and control at the final test day, P < 0.05; †significant difference within the OFS group between initial and final tests, P < 0.05; ‡significant difference in the control group between initial and final tests, P < 0.05.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mean (±SEM) total area under the curve (tAUC) values for plasma active glucagon-like peptide 1 [GLP-1; n = 13 control, n = 18 oligofructose (OFS)], total peptide YY (PYY; n = 14 control, n = 18 OFS), and active ghrelin (n = 15 control, n = 20 OFS) during a 6-h meal tolerance test. Two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA showed a month × diet interaction for PYY (P = 0.007) and ghrelin (P = 0.05). *Significant difference in the OFS group between initial and final tests, P < 0.05.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Mean (±SEM) energy intake as determined by self-reported 3-d food records in the control (n = 18) and oligofructose (OFS; n = 21) groups over 12 wk. Two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA with a Holm-Sidak test for multiple comparisons analysis showed a significant week × diet effect (P = 0.03). *Significant difference between OFS initial and OFS final at the indicated time point, P < 0.05; †significant difference between control and OFS, P < 0.05.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Mean (±SEM) plasma glucose [n = 17 control, n = 20 oligofructose (OFS)] (A) and insulin (n = 17 control, n = 20 OFS) (B) as absolute concentrations and as a percentage of baseline during a 6-h meal tolerance test (MTT). Control initial (□), OFS initial (■), control final (○), and OFS final (●). Repeated-measures ANOVA for absolute concentrations showed a time × diet interaction for insulin (P = 0.025), a month × diet interaction for insulin (P = 0.001), and a month × diet effect for glucose (P = 0.001). Repeated-measures ANOVA for values expressed as percentage of baseline showed a time × diet effect (P = 0.067) and a month × diet effect (P = 0.003) for insulin and a month × diet effect (P = 0.068) for glucose. *Significant difference between OFS and control at final test, P < 0.05; †significant difference within the OFS group between initial and final tests, P < 0.05; ‡significant difference in the control group between initial and final tests, P < 0.05. (C) Change over time (subtracting absolute baseline MTT values from absolute final MTT values) for glucose (n = 18 control, n = 20 OFS) and insulin (n = 17 control, n = 20 OFS); control (□) and OFS (■). §Significant difference between OFS and control, P < 0.05 (repeated-measures ANOVA).
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Mean (±SEM) total area under the curve (tAUC) values for plasma glucose [n = 14 control, n = 16 oligofructose (OFS)] and insulin (n = 15 control, n = 20 OFS) during a 6-h meal tolerance test. Two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA showed a month × diet effect for insulin (P = 0.023) and glucose (P = 0.06).
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