Increase in colonic PRopionate as a method of prEVENTing weight gain in adults aged 20-40 years
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Increase in colonic PRopionate as a method of prEVENTing weight gain in young adults
IRAS ID
229300
Contact name
Gary Frost
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research & Compliance Office, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC)
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN16299902
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, days
Research summary
Research Summary -
In adults, most weight gain occurs when people are in their 20s and 30s and leads to many adults becoming obese by the time they are middle-aged. This increases risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
The amount of fibre (found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, lentils, grains) eaten in the diet has been linked to body weight. People who eat low amounts of dietary fibre are more likely to gain weight. Dietary fibre is the major food for the bacteria that live in our gut. We know that dietary fibre keeps the bugs in our gut healthy. The bugs break down dietary fibre to chemicals which can reduce appetite and body fat. We have been working on understanding how these chemicals have this effect.
We have focused on developing one chemical called propionate because it appears to be the most powerful at reducing appetite. This new food ingredient is called inulin propionate ester (IPE) and it simply delivers the propionate to the part of the gut where we think it is most effective. We believe that adding IPE to the diet will prevent weight gain in young adults.
This study will test the effect of IPE on weight gain. Either IPE or a control dietary fibre will be given to 270 volunteers and they will be asked to take this every day for 12 months. The volunteers will attend study visits at 2, 6 and 12 months. The aim of the study will be to see if weight gain is different between the IPE group and the control group after 12 months.
This has potential to make a major impact at a population level which is urgently needed given the increased risk of illnesses associated with the build-up of weight gain.Lay Summary of Results -
Obesity is the storage of fat within the body to the degree that causes poor health outcomes. The percentage of people with overweight or obesity continues to increase in all global populations. The prevention of obesity is a major public health goal.
Evidence suggests that high-fibre diets prevent weight gain. Fibre leads to increased production of short-chain fatty acids by bacteria in the colon. Short-chain fatty acids appear to have a beneficial effect on metabolic health. However, most people do not consume enough fibre and forfeit these effects. We have combined inulin (a type of dietary fibre) and propionate (a short-chain fatty acid) to form inulin-propionate ester (IPE). This novel food ingredient can deliver propionate to the colon. Inulin was chosen as the control to explore propionate independent of any effect that inulin may have on body weight. In previous studies, IPE has prevented further weight gain in middle- aged adults who are overweight. Here, we investigate whether IPE prevents weight gain in younger adults compared with inulin. We undertook this study because evidence suggests that rapid weight gain in young adults is related to obesity and other chronic diseases in later life. We recruited 270 participants aged 20 to 40 years with an overweight body mass index (25-30 kg/m2) and behaviours associated with weight gain. Participants were randomly allocated to two groups of 135 participants each to take 10g IPE or 10g inulin daily for 12 months. Our main interest was the change in body weight after one year. Other measurements of interest were changes in body fat, fasting blood biomarkers which can indicate chronic disease risk (e.g., blood sugar and cholesterol), and blood pressure. There were no differences in body weight gain, most measures of body composition and fasting blood biomarkers, between the two groups at 12 months. In conclusion, neither IPE nor inulin prevented weight gain in young adults.REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0095
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion