13th March 2018|News, Scientific Media

Weight management technology to reduce weight gain risk of high-sugar cereal products

Cutting-edge weight loss technology developed in the UK is going to be used to combat the high sugar and calorie content of cereal products in the US. The SlimBiome® weight loss technology, developed by OptiBiotix Health, is a unique, patented functional ingredient which actively helps people to consistently manage their weight loss by reducing their food intake, without the usual food cravings.

OptiBiotix announced last week that its award-winning SlimBiome® technology would be included in the latest range of Nutri-Bites® cereal products from its US partner, CII Ingredients. Products in the Nutri-Bites® range contain expanded cereal pieces and are formulated with a choice of protein sizes and content. These can be applied to granola and snack mix inclusions, nutritional and cereal bars and coated snacks, or just used as a healthy crunch topping. SlimBiome® will be a functional ingredient in all these products, increasing a feeling of fullness after eating, as well as reducing post-meal insulin and glucose surges, and diversifying the gut microbiome.

Christina Wood, OptiBiotix Sales and Marketing Director, said: “Many cereals and snack bars on the market are deceptively high in sugar and calories, leading consumers with healthy intentions who use these products to gain, rather than lose, weight. By combining OptiBiotix’s award-winning SlimBiome® technology with CII’s market-leading ingredients manufacturing capacity and product development, we have created a delicious functional solution which can help customers manage their weight by reducing snacking and food intake without food cravings.”

SlimBiome® contains non-digestible prebiotic fibres, which increase microbial diversity. An increase in the diversity of microbes (microbiome) in the gut has been shown to help people lose weight more quickly and most importantly sustain this weight loss . In addition to prebiotic fibres, SlimBiome® contains a water-soluble dietary fibre that promotes a feeling of fullness, a mineral which helps to maintain a healthy metabolic rate. This fibre works by forming a viscous gel when it is exposed to an aqueous environment, which delays gastric emptying, leading to a feeling of fullness. It can also reduce post-meal surges in insulin and glucose. Food Matters Live awarded SlimBiome® its award for ‘Best Functional Ingredient for Health and Wellbeing’ in 2017.

OptiBiotix created SlimBiome®, in collaboration with Professor Jason Halford, a world expert in satiation, and Professor Bob Rastall, an expert in the modification of the human microbiome, in the wake of the growing accumulation of animal and human studies demonstrating the role of the microbiome in weight gain and obesity. OptiBiotix is currently developing a range of other health-related products which modulate the human microbiome, including in cholesterol reduction and metabolic health.