Author:

Keywords:

Adult, Anthropometry, Blood Glucose, Body Weight, Dietary Fiber, Energy Intake, Feeding Behavior, Female, Food, Fortified, Galactans, Humans, Insulin, Mannans, Middle Aged, Obesity, Plant Gums, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Nutrition & Dietetics, weight-reduced subjects, fibre supplementation, guar gum, eating behaviour, weight maintenance, DIETARY FIBER SUPPLEMENT, TOTAL-BODY WATER, GUAR GUM, DOUBLE-BLIND, LABELED WATER, SERUM-LIPIDS, REDUCTION, HUNGER, HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA, METABOLISM, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, 13 Education, 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences, 42 Health sciences

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether fibre supplementation is effective in weight-reduced subjects for maintenance of weight-loss in the long-term. DESIGN: Longitudinal, randomly assigned intervention study with supplementation of 20 g of water soluble fibre (guar gum) daily for 14 months after an energy-restricted period of two months (VLCD). SUBJECTS: Thirty-one female, obese subjects (age: 41.4 +/- 7.4 y: BMI 33.2 +/- 3.7 kg/m-2); 20 subjects were supplemented with fibre and 11 subjects served as the control group. MEASUREMENTS: Body weight (BW), blood lipids and blood pressure, anthropometry, and eating behaviour were measured before the VLCD (0), after VLCD (2), and at 4, 10, and 16 months. RESULTS: The fibre group with at least 80% compliance (group A) and the control group showed the same weight regain response after VLCD. The fibre consuming group with 50-80% compliance (group B) differed with respect to relapse. The rate and amount of BW regain was significantly higher for group B. After 14 months group B had returned to baseline levels, whereas group A and the control group showed a tendency to a lower BW than at baseline (P = 0.09). No effect of fibre supplementation was found on blood lipids, blood pressure and energy intake. Eating behaviour characteristics changed during the intervention and might explain differences in weight maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: No effect of 14 months fibre supplementation was found on weight maintenance in weight-reduced subjects. Guar gum intake did not result in reduction of blood pressure or cholesterol, or in suppression of energy intake.