Decrease in caloric intake is required for weight management, but recently researchers have turned their attention to the unique role that protein consumption can play in weight control and weight loss efforts. During weight loss, increasing the percent calories derived from dietary protein can bring benefits beyond those of simple caloric restriction.
Weight management is a key step for a healthy lifestyle. Developing healthy eating habits while monitoring the intake of essential nutrients helps in keeping us fuller for longer. These can be useful tools in weight management and that’s where food ingredients like protein and dietary fibre play an important role. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) obesity is one of the most common, yet among the most neglected, public health problems in both developed and developing countries.
According to the WHO World Health Statistics Report 2012, globally one in six adults are obese and nearly 2.8 million individuals die each year due to overweight or obesity. Additionally, obesity is strongly associated with other metabolic disorders including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Individuals with obesity have higher rates of mortality and morbidity compared to non-obese individuals.
India, with 1.2 billion people, is the second most populous country in the world and is currently experiencing rapid epidemiological transition. Obesity which is associated with affluence is becoming as prevalent as under-nutrition which exists due to poverty. Overweight and obesity are the result of several factors. For each individual, body weight is determined by a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioural, environmental, cultural and socioeconomic influences. For the vast majority of individuals, however, overweight and obesity are the result of excess calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity.
Global food manufacturers have an important role to play with food products that help consumers control their calorie intake more easily and consistently. Appetite control is a relatively new focus area for the food industry. As a result, a new category of food and beverage products is emerging, positioned to minimise hunger between meals, reducing the desire to eat and resulting in lower energy intake.
Protein and fibre in weight management
Clearly a decrease in total caloric in-take is required for weight management, but recently researchers have turned their attention to the unique role that protein consumption can play in weight control and weight loss efforts. Several recent literature reviews have concluded that, during weight loss, increasing the percent calories derived from dietary protein can bring benefits beyond those of simple caloric restriction. Specifically, energy-restricted diets that provide protein in the range of 25-35% of total energy were found to be effective in a number of ways, when compared to lower-protein diets.
Researchers have concluded that re-placing carbohydrates especially refined carbohydrates with protein sources low in saturated fat increases satiety, increases loss of body fat while reducing loss of lean tissue, and results in greater weight loss and possibly improved body composition.
Soy protein is a complete protein and eating a diet rich in soy protein may help with weight management by enhancing satiety and reducing hunger. Soy protein, as a plant-based protein, is associated with health benefits and does not contain saturated fat or cholesterol as does protein from animal sources. Additionally, inclusion of soy protein in the diet can enhance cholesterol lowering compared to animal protein-based diets.
Soy protein has been found to have a similar effect on satiety compared to commonly consumed high quality proteins. Animal studies have shown that soy protein suppresses appetite, in part, by stimulating the release of cholecystokinin (CCK), which regulates satiety and gastric emptying. There is also clear evidence that higher protein diets, especially those containing high quality protein, such as that provided by soy, help to preserve fat free mass (FFM) during weight loss. This, in turn, improves the metabolic profile of dieters. Several studies have demonstrated that soy protein is as effective as dairy and mixed protein sources for the retention of FFM during weight loss in adults.
Many studies support the premise that increased dietary fibre intake promotes satiety, decreases hunger, and thus helps provide a feeling of fullness. Foods rich in dietary fibre tend to have a high volume and a low energy density, and should promote satiation and satiety, and play a role in the control of energy balance.
Polydextrose is one such fibre attracting increasing interest. It is a low-calorie highly branched-chain glucose polymer that is poorly digested in the upper gastrointestinal tract and therefore demonstrates fibre like properties. The consistent results from the metaanalysis study are a strong indication that, as a soluble fibre, polydextrose enhances satiety and reduces energy intake, potentially contributing to weight loss. Unlike many other dietary fibres, it offers the additional advantage of a neutral sensory impact, enabling fibre addition to foods and beverages without altering taste or texture.
Among nutrition scientists, there is a general belief that fibre intake is able to reduce short-term energy in-take by adding bulk and viscosity. The additional bulk is responsible for lowering the energy density of food products, while viscous soluble fibres are thought to prolong the phase of nutrient digestion and absorption in the intestine. As the body generates satiety signals both before and after absorption, this may explain why consumers experience a longer lasting sense of fullness.
Other mechanisms that link fibre to reduced energy intake include pro-longed gastric emptying, prolonged mastication, low glycemic response and influences on gut satiety hormones.
Despite cutting calories in their diet and increasing physical exercise, for some consumers the battle with excess kilos still seems unwinnable. One new avenue of research indicates that gut microbiota may play a more important role in obesity and metabolic syndrome than previously thought. A series of animal studies has shown that gut microbiota may actually give individuals a predisposal to obesity.
Working alongside leading scientists, DuPont is now exploring possibilities to use probiotics or probiotic-prebiotic combinations to encourage the growth of alternative gut microbiota that are less likely to result in obesity or help maintain a healthy weight. Early research in this area shows real promise a hint that probiotic and prebiotic ingredients could be the ingredients that take weight management claims to a new level in the future.