Inulin-enriched coffee product may keep hunger at bay: Study

Drinking a coffee enriched with inulin may reduce feelings of hunger and boost satiety, says a new study from Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Two cups per day of coffee enriched with inulin, whey protein and dextrin for seven days was associated with reduced hunger and increased satiety two hours after ingestion compared to non-enriched coffee, according to findings published in Nutrition.

“This study showed that the mixture of coffee, inulin and dextrin had a greater effect on decreasing appetite and promoting satiety than the Brazilian control coffee of equal volume. In addition, the new beverage was safe and did not induce more side effects than regular coffee,” wrote the researchers.

Components

Inulin, whey protein and dextrin have all been reported to potentially boost satiety, while some studies have also suggested that coffee may play a role in hunger control.

Other studies have also reported potential satiety benefits from other prebiotic fibers, including a study published last year in the Journal of Nutrition that indicated that increasing doses of alpha-galacto-oligosaccharides (alpha-GOSs) led to increasing effects on food intakes and appetite measurements, as well as on levels of the inflammatory biomarkers, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and C-reactive protein (CRP).

That particular study used Olygose’s CravingZ’Gone ingredient, and the company sponsored the study.

The new study used inulin (Fibruline DS2) by Cosucra, mixed with instant Brazilian coffee (Strauss Group Ltd.) and whey proteins (K-PRO 1070) from Ba’emek Advanced Technologies.

Study details

chicory-inulin-prebiotic-probiotic-digestion-gut-iStock.com-PhilippeDesoche.jpg
The majority of inulin is extracted from chicory root. Image: iStockPhoto

The Tel Aviv-based researchers recruited 269 people to participate in their safety study, which indicated “no significant differences between the groups in any reported adverse effects apart from more abdominal pain after the first cup in [inulin + whey protein coffee] versus [inulin + whey protein + dextrin coffee] and after the second cup in group [inulin + whey protein coffee] compared with either [inulin + whey protein + dextrin coffee] or [control coffee],” they wrote.

Twelve participants from each of the three groups were subsequently included in an intervention trial and followed for 200 minutes.

Results for this showed that the inulin + whey protein + dextrin coffee showed significantly lower hunger feelings than the other two groups, and a significant increase in satiety scores only compared to the control coffee group.

In addition, the inulin + whey protein + dextrin coffee group felt fuller compared to the control group and ate less compared to the other two groups.

“Our study showed that a coffee beverage enriched with inulin and dextrin is associated with side effects very comparable to the control group and has benefits regarding feelings of hunger and satiety two hours after ingestion. It remains to be shown whether this effect decreases calorie intake and if so, which mechanism is involved.”

Source: Nutrition

Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2015.12.040

“Safety and efficacy of coffee enriched in inulin and dextrin on satiety and hunger in normal volunteers”

Authors: J. Singer, M. Grinev, V. Silva, J. Cohen, P. Singer