RPG Dietary fibre may help enhance satiety and reduce postprandial glucose

Dietary fibre is made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of plants, which pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines. Fibre is mainly a carbohydrate. The main role of fibre is to keep the digestive system healthy.

A recent study in Nutrients journal reveals that RPG dietary fiber products can improve the sensory properties of food, reduce postprandial blood glucose, and enhance satiety, especially in capsule and powder forms.

It is well known that dietary fiber plays a potential role in regulating energy intake and stabilizing postprandial blood glucose levels. Soluble dietary fiber has become an important entry point for nutritional research on the regulation of satiety.

Researchers conducted this double-blind, randomized cross-over trial enrolling 12 healthy subjects to compare the effects of RPG (R+PolyGly) dietary fiber products (bread, powder, and capsule) and pectin administered with a standard meal on satiety, blood glucose, and serum insulin level.

The key findings of the study are

• Adding 3.8% RPG dietary fiber to bread significantly increased the volume, water content, hardness, and chewiness of bread compared to 3.8% pectin bread and white bread and significantly improved the sensory quality of bread.

• RPG bread had better appetite suppression effects at some time points than the other two groups and the best postprandial blood glucose lowering effects among the three groups.

• Administration of RPG capsules containing 5.6 g of RPG dietary fiber with meals improved satiety and reduced hunger compared to 6 g of RPG powder and 6 g of pectin, which had the greatest effect on suppressing appetite and reducing prospective food consumption.

• The peak level of serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the RPG capsule group (578.17 ± 19.93 pg/mL) was significantly higher than that in other groups at 0 min and 30 min after eating.

• RPG powder had the best effect in reducing postprandial blood glucose and increasing serum insulin levels; the total area under the curve (AUC) of serum insulin with RPG powder was higher than other groups (5960 ± 252.46 μU min/mL).

Researchers concluded that “RPG dietary fiber products can improve the sensory properties of food, reduce postprandial blood glucose, and enhance satiety, especially in capsule and powder forms. Further research on the physiological effects of RPG dietary fiber is required to facilitate its use as a functional ingredient in food products.”

Reference: Wu, Simou, et al. "A New Dietary Fiber Can Enhance Satiety and Reduce Postprandial Blood Glucose in Healthy Adults: a Randomized Cross-Over Trial." Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 21, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15214569.