Patent Abstract:
the present invention relates to compositions for weight management comprising : a ) a microbiome modifying component ; b ) a satiety modifying component ; and c ) a metabolic modifying component . the composition may also be used for the treatment of obesity , elevated cholesterol , diabetes , hypertension or heart disease .

Detailed Description:
embodiments of the present invention will now be described , by way of example only with reference to the figures and examples detailed below . initial stages of developing the composition of the present invention focused on screening a large number of possible components to establish which components have a proven effect in weight management and which may be useful in combining with other components so as to provide a synergistic effect or combined modes of action . these components were also screened for toxicology profiles and whether they have been proved safe for human consumption . chromium is a trace element that exists in foods and supplements in the trivalent form . chromium levels are low in many staple foods ; the better sources are processed meats , pulses , spices and whole grains . it plays a role in the metabolism of carbohydrate and fat and has attracted interest as a supplement that may promote weight loss . pittler et al . ( 2003 ) conducted the first meta - analysis of rcts ( 10 trials , n = 489 ) of chromium picolinate and weight loss . they reported a weighted mean difference of 1 . 1 kg ( 95 % ci 1 . 8 , 0 . 4 ) in favour of chromium picolinate over placebo . very recently , onakpoya et al . ( 2013 ) conducted a meta - analysis on the effect of chromium supplementation on weight loss in overweight and obese adults . their analysis of 11 rct ( n = 866 ) reported a modest but statistically significant mean difference in weight of − 0 . 5 kg ( 95 % ci − 0 . 96 , − 0 . 03 ) in favour of chromium over placebo . they also found a modest reduction in percentage body fat , but no effect on bmi or waist to hip circumference . the dose of chromium administered in the studies ranged from 137 μg / d to 1000 μg / d , but there was no clear evidence of a dose - response . consequently , the authors noted it was difficult to determine a minimum effective dose , but reported that the largest weight loss tended to be found in rcts with dosages of 400 μg / d . chromium has been suggested to improve insulin sensitivity , increase metabolic rate and reduce food cravings ( anderson 1998 ; attenburrow et al . 2002 ; onakpoya et al . 2013 ). onakpoya et al . ( 2013 ) reported some adverse effects in participants , including watery stools , vertigo , weakness , nausea , vomiting , dizziness and headaches . these adverse effects disappeared on withdrawal of chromium and reappeared when it was reintroduced . other authors have reported constipation , decreased appetite and urticaria ( yazaki et al . 2010 ; krol et al . 2011 ). there is no reference nutrient intake for chromium , but coma recommends that an intake above 25 μg / d is adequate for adults ( doh , 1991 ). the uk food standards agency advise that intake up to 1000 μg / d from foods and / or supplements is likely to be safe . there seems to be little data on the sensory effects of adding chromium to foods . achanta et al . ( 2007 ) explored the effects of adding various minerals including chromium to yoghurts . they reported that addition of chromium at a level equivalent to 25 % of the us rda had no effect on the flavour or taste of yoghurt . glucomannan is a soluble fibre derived from the perennial plant , amorphophallus konjac . it consists of d - mannose and d - glucose in a molar ratio of 1 . 6 : 1 . 0 , connected by β ( 1 , 4 )- glycosidic bonds . glucomannan has been attributed with a range of beneficial effects on parameters of obesity and cardiovascular risk ( doi 1995 ). a fairly recent meta - analysis of 9 randomised controlled trials ( rct ; n = 379 ) reported that glucomannan causes a small , but statistically significant 0 . 79 kg ( 95 % ci − 1 . 53 , − 0 . 05 ) weight loss in trials averaging 5 . 2 weeks in duration ( sood et al . 2008 ). weight loss was greatest in obese subjects ( mean − 1 . 30 (− 1 . 69 , − 0 . 91 ) kg ) and in rcts with a parallel study design . the dose of glucomannan used in the studies ranged from 1 . 24 g / d to 15 . 1 g / d , the lower doses being supplied as capsules or tablets and the higher doses incorporated into granola bars or biscuits . interestingly , the 3 studies that supplied glucomannan in biscuits or granola bars failed to report any significant weight change ( vuskan et al . 1999 ; vuskan et al . 2000 ; yoshida et al . 2006 ). salas - salvado et al . ( 2008 ) conducted a 4 arm parallel design rct to investigate the effects of a mixed fibre supplement ( 1 g glucomannan and 3 g plantago ovato husk taken twice or three times daily ) in the context of an energy - restricted diet on weight loss and metabolic variables in obese and overweight subjects . the study was designed with weight loss as the primary end point and was adequately powered to detect a modest 1 . 5 kg greater weight loss in the treatment groups . it was also of longer duration ( 16 weeks ). at the end of the study the two fibres groups had lost marginally more weight (− 4 . 52 ( sd 0 . 56 ) and − 4 . 60 ( sd 0 . 58 ) kg ) than the placebo group (− 3 . 79 ( sd 0 . 58 ) kg ), but the difference between groups was not significant ( p = 0 . 43 ). the authors concluded that when taken in combination with an energy - restricted diet , a plantago ovato and glucomannan fibre supplement has no additional benefit in promoting weight loss . the study did , however , demonstrate a favourable reduction in ldl cholesterol with both doses of fibre . glucomannan forms a viscous gel on exposure to an aqueous environment . its gelling properties probably account for any weight loss promoting effects by delaying gastric emptying , slowing bowel transit time and blunting post - prandial surges in insulin and glucose ( chua et al . 2010 ). it is possible that glucomannan may also exert effects in the large bowel that could influence appetite and weight loss . chen and associates reported that supplementation with 4 . 5 g / d of glucomannan for 21 d increased sofa fatty acid concentrations and the proportion of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the faeces of healthy and constipated adults ( chen et al . 2006 ; chen et al . 2008 ). glucomannan as konjac flour has a long history of incorporation into foods in the far east . limited data from toxicological and genotoxicity studies indicate that glucomannon is safe ( oketani et al . 1991 ; nihon bioresearch inc . 1992 ). a number of researchers have added glucomannan to biscuits or granola bars ( vuksan et al . 1999 & amp ; 2000 ; yoshida et al . 2006 ). weight loss supplements need to contain 1 g of glucomannan per portion rather than the 3 . 3 g that yoshida et al . ( 2006 ) incorporated into each of their bars . it is possible that 1 g will have less effect on the sensory properties of a food product than 3 g . glucomannan has been used widely as an emulsifier , stabiliser and fat replacer which indicates that it can be successfully incorporated into foods ( chua et al . 2010 ). glucomannan is approved by efsa for weight loss ( ec , 2013 ) and a supplement needs to contain 1 g of glucomannan per quantified portion and consumers need to be informed that a beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 × 1 g doses taken with water before meals in the context of an energy - restricted diet ( ec 2013 ). it is also approved for a claim that it helps in the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations . a small number of studies have investigated whether acute treatment with prebiotics influences appetite and food intake . an early study by archer et al . ( 2004 ) investigated the acute effect of inulin and lupin kernel fibre on fat intake , total energy intake and ratings of satiety over a 24 hour period . using a 3 way cross - over design they fed participants ( 33 males , mean age 52 y , bmi 27 . 4 ( sd 4 . 1 )) a full - fat sausage patty and reduced - fat patties , with 50 % of the fat replaced with inulin or lupin kernel for breakfast . the inulin containing patty led to a lower total fat intake and total energy intake on the test day , but had no effect on measures of satiety in comparison with the full fat patty . the patty containing lupin kernel fibre produced similar results , but also increased satiety for up to 5 h post breakfast . peters et al . ( 2009 ) examined the acute effects of cereal bars enriched with inulin , β - glucan or a combination of inulin and β - glucan on food intake and 6 subjective ratings of hunger over a 2 day test period . they found no difference in energy intake or any of the 6 subjective ratings of hunger between treatments . in a 3 way cross - over study , hess et al . ( 2011 ) fed participants two separate doses of 0 , 5 and 8 g of short chain fos ( scfos ). on each test day , the first dose was incorporated into a hot cocoa beverage and consumed alongside breakfast . the second dose was incorporated into 3 chocolate - flavoured chews and consumed 2 h before dinner . the scfos treatments failed to alter measures of satiety at breakfast or lunch and food intake during an ad libitum lunch . over the remainder of the day , energy intake was significantly lower for women consuming the 16 g dose . only a few studies seem to have reported whether chronic supplementation with prebiotics influences adiposity in humans ( abrams et al . 2007 ; parnell & amp ; reimer 2009 ; genta et al . 2009 ). body mass index ( bmi ) increases during adolescence , with a healthy annual increment thought to be between 0 . 6 - 0 . 8 kg / m2 ( maynard et al . 2001 ). in a randomised placebo controlled trial , supplementation with fos ( 8 g / d ) for 12 months contributed to the maintenance of an appropriate bmi during pubertal growth (⇑ 0 . 7 kg / m2 v ⇑ 1 . 2 k / m2 over 12 months ; n = 97 ). this effect was modulated by habitual intake of dietary calcium , with prebiotic supplementation exhibiting more benefit in adolescents with a dietary calcium intake 700 mg / d ( abrams et al . 2007 ). in overweight or obese adults ( bmi & gt ; 25 kg / m2 ; n = 48 ) a 3 month intervention with 21 g / d of fos elicited a small but significant weight loss relative to a maltodextrin control (− 1 . 03 ( sd 0 . 43 ) kg v + 0 . 45 ( sd 0 . 31 ) kg ; parnell & amp ; reimer 2009 ). in a study of obese pre - menopausal women ( n = 35 ) with slight dyslipidaemia , supplementation with yacon syrup ( providing 10 g / d of fos ) for 120 d resulted in a remarkably large loss of weight ( approx . 15 kg ) and associated substantial reductions in bmi and waist circumference ( genta et al . 2009 ). using a randomised , single - blind , placebo - controlled , cross - over design , cani et al . ( 2006 ) compared the effect of consuming fos with a maltodextrin placebo ( 16 g / d × 2 wk ) on total energy intake and subjective ratings of appetite . at the end of each supplementation period , participants consumed a free - choice buffet meal for breakfast , lunch and dinner and rated their satiety , fullness , hunger and prospective food intake on visual analogue scales . fos treatment significantly increased satiety at breakfast and dinner , increased fullness at dinner and decreased prospective food intake at dinner . also , fos treatment elicited a modest 5 % reduction in total energy intake over a 24 hour test period . using a similar experimental design , cani et al . ( 2009 ) reported minor transient increases in the release of anorexic gut peptides ( glp - 1 & amp ; pyy ) in response to a test meal after 2 weeks of fos supplementation relative to a maltodextrin placebo . an increase in anorexigenic and / or decrease in orexigenic gut peptides have been demonstrated in a few other studies ( parnell & amp ; reimer , 2009 ; tarini & amp ; wolever 2010 ; verhoef et al . 2011 ). recently , harrold et al . ( 2013 ) conducted a placebo - controlled randomised cross - over study to compare the acute effects of a herbal product ( natural remedies , uk ) and a commercial inulin supplement ( fibresure ; proctor & amp ; gamble ) alone or in combination on appetite and food intake ( 58 normal to slightly overweight women ). the herbal product contained yerbe mate , guarana and damiana ( ygd ). both ygd and inulin induced a decrease in food intake and energy intake at an ad libitum lunch 4 h 15 min after administration , although the effect for ygd was greater than that for inulin ( 132 . 2 kcal v 89 . 84 kcal ). these effects were enhanced when ygd and inulin were combined . the combination also elicited a significant decrease in hunger and the desire to eat . studies combining inulin / fos with other dietary fibres are limited . as described earlier peters et al . ( 2009 ) explored possible synergies between inulin and β - glucans on food intake and ratings of hunger , but found no effect of either supplement alone or in combination . the mechanism ( s ) through which prebiotics reduce food intake remain to be fully clarified , but the modulation of gut hormones may be important . animal and human studies have reported increased release of the anorexigenic gut hormones , glp - 1 and pyy and inhibition of the orexigenic gut hormone , ghrelin in response to feeding inulin or fos ( cani et al . 2004 ; delzenne et al . 2005 ; cani et al . 2009 ; parnell & amp ; reimer 2009 ; tarini & amp ; wolever 2010 ; verhoef et al . 2011 ). these effects seem to be at least in part driven by short chain fatty acids produced from the colonic fermentation of prebiotics . glp - 1 and pyy are co - secreted from enteroendocrine l cells present in the intestinal epithelium ( habib et al . 2013 ). l cells contain receptors for sofa and several experimental studies have demonstrated that infusion of sofa into the colon induces the release of glp - 1 from colonic l cells ( cani et al . 2007 ). the mechanism ( s ) through which prebiotics may suppress the release of ghrelin are unclear , although it could be through altering the rate of nutrient absorption or the osmolality of the intestinal lumen ( overduin et al , 2005 ). if the effects of prebiotics on appetite are driven solely by sofa rather than an increase in bifidobacteria , then similar effects may be expected from the consumption of resistant starch and soluble fibres . inulin is commonly used in the food industry in products such as ice cream , yoghurt and margarine as a fat replacer with the aim of reducing energy content . devereux et al ( 2003 ) explored the sensory effects of adding inulin and fos ( range 4 - 13 g / 100 g ) to a range of other foodstuffs including bakery and meat products . all products were rated as acceptable by an untrained sensory panel , although most products were rated lower than their full - fat counterparts because of changes in texture and taste . in addition to sensory acceptability it is important to consider whether food processing is likely to destroy the prebiotic activity of inulin and fos . huebner et al . ( 2008 ) explored the effect of ph , heat and maillard reaction conditions on the prebiotic activity of fos and inulin . prebiotic activity was reduced by heating at low ph , but stable when subjected to low ph alone or maillard reaction conditions . bohm et al . ( 2005 ) reported that heating at high temperatures for 60 min caused substantial degradation of inulin to form di - d - fructose dianhydrides . these limited data indicate that it is important to quantify the amount of prebiotic in the final food product and / or measure its functional properties . carabin and flamm ( 1999 ) reviewed the toxicological data from animal studies and adverse effect reports from clinical trials of inulin and fos . they concluded that there is no evidence of treatment - related toxicity , genotoxicity or carcinogenicity . furthermore , they failed to find evidence of detrimental effects on mineral absorption , lipid metabolism or glycaemic control . adverse effects were limited to the gi tract , namely bloating , flatulence and diarrhoea , with effects becoming evident with single doses & gt ; 20 g / d . minor gi related adverse effects have been reported in most interventions with prebiotics , so there is interest in other potentially prebiotic oligosaccharides that may produce less gas . a commercial α - glucooligosaccharide ( bioecolians ; solibia ) has been shown to produce less gas than inulin when fermented in a ph - controlled faecal batch culture , so could be a good candidate for inclusion in a weight loss product once its efficacy has been demonstrated ( sarbini et al . 2013 ). some fos and inulin based weight loss supplements are on the market . for example , e &# 39 ; lefexir flat tummy plus is a fos based supplement sold to promote a flat tummy . other products include easyfibre ® fos , jarrow inulin fos powder and usn diet fuel ultra lean . the latter product is a low gi meal replacement shake that contains a weight loss blend of fos , calcium , n - acetyl - l - carnitine , hydroxycitric acid and fibre . a further more detailed analysis of the literature based on efficacy of effect , likely effects on taste , safety / health effects and potential for synergy narrowed down this list of components to those identified in table 1 below , it also identified an additional prebiotic of possible interest . rationale for using glucomannan as the base ingredient : the efficacy of glucomannan is supported by a meta - analysis of human trials that concluded that glucomannan promotes modest weight loss . rationale for incorporation of prebiotics in a weight loss formulation : there is evidence from human trials and substantial evidence from animal studies that prebiotics may favourably influence makers of appetite , food intake or weight loss . there is also some evidence of other beneficial metabolic and immunological effects that may complement any potential weight promoting / appetite suppressive effects . a side effect that is often reported in trials with fructan - based prebiotics is mild gastrointestinal distress / flatulence . recently , a number of researchers have started to report that non - fructan based prebiotics produce less gas . the incorporatation of one of these prebiotics such as α - gluco - oligosaccharides ( bioecolians , soliba ) or galactooligosaccharides ( vivinal gos ) into a product may prove beneficial . rationale for incorporation of chromium into a weight loss formulation : two meta - analyses of human studies have concluded that supplementation with chromium promotes modest weight loss . moreover , there is some evidence that chromium has other health benefits such as reducing fasting blood glucose concentrations and inflammation ( abdollahi et al . 2013 ; chen et al . 2013 ). possibility of synergy between the identified components : chromium likely promotes weight loss by increasing insulin sensitivity and metabolic rate and perhaps through reducing food cravings . these effects seem to be mediated via signalling pathways that occur outside of the gastrointestinal tract . in contrast , the effects of glucomannan and prebiotics seem to relate to events occurring in the gut . there has only been one study that investigating the effect of a supplement containing chromium and prebiotics ( inulin ) on weight loss in humans ( hoeger et al . 1998 ). in this study , a supplement combining chromium picolinate , inulin , capsicum , l - phenylalanine ( an amino acid ) and other poorly defined lipotropic nutrients caused a greater loss of body fat and maintenance of lean tissue than a placebo treatment in participants ( n = 123 ) following an aerobic exercise programme and energy restricted diet for 4 weeks ( hoeger et al . 1998 ). one very recent study reported that a combination of glucomannan and chromium was effective at lowering total and ldl cholesterol in hypercholesterolaemic children whereas glucomannan alone was not , indicating that the components can act in synergy at least in relation to the control of blood cholesterol concentrations ( martino et al . 2013 ). the screening suggested that glucomannan , prebiotics and chromium are the best likely candidates to include in a weight loss product . studies reporting inhibition of appetite and / or weight loss after supplementation with prebiotics have administered 16 - 21 g / d in three equal doses , whereas beneficial effects of glucomannan have been reported at a daily intake of 3 g , and chromium may be effective at the pg level . the gram doses of glucomannan and prebiotics make it difficult to incorporate both into a weight loss capsule and suggest that a product combining the two would have to be a beverage or food . it is suggested that potential vehicles to explore are bread and other cereal / starchy products . average intakes of bread within the uk are approximately 2 . 5 medium slices of a large loaf per day ( this equates to approximately 90 g ) ( bates et al . 2011 ). based on previous pilot work conducted in shu , it seems feasible to incorporate prebiotics into bread at a concentration of approximately 8 - 10 %. an average intake of bread would therefore provide approximately 50 % of the recommended daily dose of prebiotics . so , it follows that any weight loss formulation would need to be incorporated into perhaps 2 or 3 food different food products that are commonly consumed throughout the day , e . g . breakfast cereals , bread , and another starchy staple such as pasta . it will also be necessary to explore the stability of glucomannan , prebiotics and chromium to the appropriate food processing techniques . a weight loss food product should aim to supply 5 - 7 g of prebiotic , 1 g of glucomannan and 130 μg chromium per average portion . fig1 shows photographs of cross - sectional and side views of a bread made according to the recipes outlined in the bread example a ; and fig2 shows photographs of three jars of yoghurt prepared according to the recipes outlined in the yoghurt example b , in which ( moving left to right ) the yoghurt products produced were ( 1 ) fruit on the bottom , ( 2 ) fruit mixed in as pieces and ( 3 ) fruit mixed in homogeneous . bread products were prepared to compare whether the addition of glucomannan and fos or glucomannan and prebiotics detrimentally affected the production properties and consumer experience of the bread . bread was produced according to the following recipes : all of the recipes were mixed and proved for approximately 45 minutes prior to cooking at 200 ° c . for 8 - 10 minutes . in comparison to the standard recipe , samples 2 , glucomannan and fos , 3 and 4 , glucomannan and bio ecolians and glucomannan and bi muno mixed well with no issues . the dough itself was slighter tougher to work than the standard product but this did not pose a significant issue . photographs of the different breads are shown in fig1 . the product containing glucomannan ( 90 % glucomannan ) and fos , proved prior to baking but failed to rise to the level achieved by the standard product and had a denser , more closed structure post cooking . colour development in excess of the standard product was quickly evidenced during the cooking process . this is as a result of the fructo - oligosaccharides being high in sugar . upon a short organoleptic assessment of the product amongst the qualified sensory panel , an increased sweetness was clearly evident in this adapted recipe . roll volume was also affected with the glucomannan and bioecolians sample and the glucomannan and bimuno sample . the impact on colour was less significant and produced acceptable products . both products appeared denser in texture than the standard and did not rise during proving to the same degree as the standard product ( within the same timeframe ). organoleptic assessment by the trained sensory panel agreed that both these products were acceptable in comparison to standard . it was felt that the combination of glucomannan and fos in the levels tested could produce an acceptable product when included in a sweeter bread product such as a tea cake , hot cross bun or malt loaf for example . the sample containing the glucomannan and bioecolians sample and the glucomannan and bimuno sample were considered to be comparable to the standard product and acceptable in terms of colour , texture and flavour . a yoghurt product was prepared in order to investigate the potential of using a composition according to the invention in a weight management yoghurt product . in particular , the formulation , blending and organoleptic properties were investigated . three efsa ( european food safety authority ) approved ingredients , gos prebiotic , glucomannan and chromium were added to a yoghurt produced via the common yoghurt protocol using a unique combination of strains of streptococcus thermophilus and lactobaccillus bulgaricus in order to assess product acceptability via a panel ( n = 4 ). different formulations were tested and two types were considered acceptable in terms of taste , texture / consistency and mouth feel . in the recipe , the yoghurt was prepared separately using 2 production strains : streptococcus thermophilus and lactobaccillus bulgaricus . the combination of these 2 strains led to a high viscosity yoghurt ( 69 sec posthumus ). to the standard ingredients , gos prebiotic , glucomannan and chromium were added via the fruit . a serving size of 150 g was used which contained per serving size 6 g of prebiotic , 1 g of glucomannan , 130 μg chromium . in these recipes , the same type of yoghurt was used . however , if desired , the protein and sucrose content of the yoghurt may be adjusted to optimise the protein and desired sweetness . the yoghurt was prepared using the common yoghurt protocol . to the yoghurt a strawberry fruit preparation was added . in comparison to the standard recipe , gos prebiotic , glucomannan and / or chromium were mixed with the strawberry fruit preparation with no issues . after mixing in the glucomannan , the strawberry fruit preparation became very viscous / thick within 30 min which was consequently used to prepare the fruited yoghurt in three ways after addition of the ingredients . direct mixing of the fruit preparation and yoghurt to a homogeneous product ; directly adding the fruit preparation on the bottom to stiffen , before pouring the yoghurt on top ; and stiffening the strawberry preparation and gently mixing in the yoghurt to maintain pieces . with reference to fig2 , three types of yoghurt were prepared and tested : ( 1 ) fruit on the bottom , ( 2 ) fruit mixed in as pieces and ( 3 ) fruit mixed in homogeneous . upon a short organoleptic assessment of the product type by consumer type panel ( n = 4 ) the different preparations revealed different sensations : ( type 1 ) the key effect of the addition of the glucomannan to the fruit was that although the visual impression was that it was a tough gel , it was actually very smooth , viscous and easy to smoothen in the mouth . yoghurt flavour was recognizable . ( type 2 ) the presence of fruit pieces ( or on the bottom and mixed in with the yoghurt portion ) provided a more fruity sensation of the product . yoghurt flavour was recognizable . ( type 3 ) the homogeneous product was evaluated as gluey like / sticky and coating the mouth with a less attractive flavour . all yoghurt types had a thickness which was expected for a stirred yoghurt type . the sweetness of the yoghurt types differed . the yoghurt type 1 was regarded as less sweet compared to type 3 . the combination of gos , glucomannan , chromium in the levels tested could produce an acceptable product when used by addition via a fruit preparation . the samples containing ingredients in the fruit preparation and provided as fruit on the bottom and / or as pieces in the product ( type 1 and type 2 ) were considered the best and acceptable in terms of taste , texture / consistency and mouth feel . the following formulations are theoretical examples of formulations which may be prepared and consumed as a formulation dose in a capsule , tablet or powder form or pre - blended with a food product such as a dough - based product or yoghurt . all of the above example formulations are intended to be administered three times a day with water . the forgoing embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the protection afforded by the claims , but rather to describe examples of how the invention may be put into practice . abdollahi m , farshchi a , nikfar s , seyedifar m . effect of chromium on glucose and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes ; a meta - analysis review of randomized trials . j pharm pharm sci . 2013 ; 16 ( 1 ): 99 - 114 . abrams , s . a ., griffin , i . j ., hawthorne , k . m . & amp ; ellis , k . j . 2007 . effect of prebiotic supplementation and calcium intake on body mass index . j pediatr , 151 , 293 - 8 . achanta , k ., aryana , k . j ., boeneke , c . a . 2007 . fat free plain set yogurts fortified with various minerals . food sci tech , 40 , 424 - 429 . anderson , r . a . 1998a . chromium , glucose intolerance and diabetes . j . am coll nutr , 17 , 548 - 55 . anderson , r . a . 1998b . effects of chromium on body composition and weight loss . nutr rev , 56 , 266 - 70 . archer , b . j ., johnson , s . k ., devereux , h . m . & amp ; baxter , a . l . 2004 . effect of fat replacement by inulin or lupin - kernel fibre on sausage patty acceptability , post - meal perceptions of satiety and food intake in men . br j nutr , 91 , 591 - 9 . attenburrow , m . j ., odontiadis , j ., murray , b . j ., cowen , p . j . & amp ; franklin , m . 2002 . chromium treatment decreases the sensitivity of 5 - ht2a receptors . psychopharmacology ( berl ), 159 , 432 - 6 . bates b , lennox a , bates c et al . ( 2011 ) national diet and nutrition survey . headline results from years 1 and 2 ( combined ) of the rolling programme ( 2008 / 2009 - 2009 / 10 ). food standards agency & amp ; department of health , london . bohm , a ., kaiser , i ., trebstein , a . & amp ; henle , t . 2005 . heat - induced degradation of inulin . european food research and technology , 220 , 466 - 471 . cani , p . d ., joly , e ., horsmans , y . & amp ; delzenne , n . m . 2006 . oligofructose promotes satiety in healthy human : a pilot study . eur j clin nutr , 60 , 567 - 72 . cani , p . d ., hoste , s ., guiot , y . & amp ; delzenne , n . m . 2007 . dietary non - digestible carbohydrates promote l - cell differentiation in the proximal colon of rats . br j nutr , 98 , 32 - 7 . cani , p . d ., lecourt , e ., dewulf , e . m ., sohet , f . m ., pachikian , b . d ., naslain , d ., de backer , f ., neyrinck , a . m . & amp ; delzenne , n . m . 2009 . gut microbiota fermentation of prebiotics increases satietogenic and incretin gut peptide production with consequences for appetite sensation and glucose response after a meal . am j clin nutr , 90 , 1236 - 43 . carabin , i . g . & amp ; flamm , w . g . 1999 . evaluation of safety of inulin and oligofructose as dietary fiber . regul toxicol pharmacol , 30 , 268 - 82 . chen , h . l ., cheng , h . c ., liu , y . j ., liu , s . y . & amp ; wu , w . t . 2006 . konjac acts as a natural laxative by increasing stool bulk and improving colonic ecology in healthy adults . nutrition , 22 , 1112 - 9 . chen , h . l ., cheng , h . c ., wu , w . t ., liu , y . j . & amp ; liu , s . y . 2008 . supplementation of konjac glucomannan into a low - fiber chinese diet promoted bowel movement and improved colonic ecology in constipated adults : a placebo - controlled , diet - controlled trial . j . am coll nutr , 27 , 102 - 8 . chua , m ., baldwin , t . c ., hocking , t . j . & amp ; chan , k . 2010 . traditional uses and potential health benefits of amorphophallus konjac k . koch ex n . e . br . j ethnopharmacol , 128 , 268 - 78 . delzenne , n . m ., cani , p . d ., daubioul , c . & amp ; neyrinck , a . m . 2005 . impact of inulin and oligofructose on gastrointestinal peptides . br j nutr , 93 suppl 1 , s157 - 61 . devereux , h . m ., jones , g . p ., mccormack , l ., & amp ; 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